A safe bet for positive press

bourbon barrelIn politics and the media, the big-game bet  or friendly wager has become a cliche. With the UConn men and women both reaching the finals, we in the media have become deluged with emails from politicians of every rank betting their counterparts for some signature product from their respective state. So, in the case of Gov. Dannel Malloy, he is now the proud owner of a fully stocked Kentucky bourbon bar filled with 13 different brands placed in a half barrel from Maker’s Mark along with barware, glasses, apparel and accessories all thanks to a Huskies win and the generosity of Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear.

Likewise, U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy will be enjoying a selection of Kentucky Derby-Pie thanks to U.S. Sens. Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell.

In return, Malloy was putting up a selection of wine from Jones Family Farms in Shelton, beer from Two Roads Brewing Co. in Stratford and chocolate from Munson’s. Connecticut’s senators were putting up ice cream from the UConn Dairy Bar and brownies from Stew Leonard’s.

For tonight’s women’s game between UConn and Notre Dame, even the liutenant governors got in to the act. Connecticut Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman has put up a basket of chocolate, cheese, syrup and wine and Indiana Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann is betting a chocolates from the South Bend Chocolate company.

Once again, Blumenthal and Murphy are betting the ice cream and brownies against Indiana Sens. Dan Coats and Joe Donnelly’s offerings of chocolates from South Bend — I sense a theme from Indiana.

Not to be outdone, Malloy is offering a basket of Connecticut grown agricultural products to Indiana Gov. Mike Pence who is also offering agricultural products from his state.

All in all, not a bad selection of swag, but let’s face it, it’s not exactly a half barrel of 13 different bourbons and some delicious pies — clearly Kentucky knows how to play this game.  Which brings me to my point — doesn’t Connecticut have more to offer? Are we defined by wine, beer and chocolate?

What about a basket of Vineyard Vines clothing, ESPN souvenirs, Subway sandwiches, Pepe’s pizza, wiffle balls, Pez and chase it all down with some high-end moonshine from the Onyx distillery?
What would you put in your basket of Connecticut goods to offer up? Send in your suggestions in the comments below.

Jonathan Lucas