ludacris

Rap star Lucacris was in France this week debuting his new Cognac at the Vinexpo event. Ludacris arrived in style in a chauffeur-driven Bentley and posed with a bevy of beauties dressed in identical black dresses. Ludacris worked with Birkedal Hartmann, a Norwegian-owned Cognac producer to create Conjure, which will debut in Norway in July and then here in the U.S. in the fall. The Grammy-award-winning rapper says that he went to the Cognac region in France to help create the spirit. He worked with Birkedal Hartmann's master blender, Philippe Braastad Tiffon choosing more than 40 different brandies to create the blend. Decanter reports that while Cognac usually has a grade such as VO (very old) or VS (very special) on the bottle, Conjure is ungraded because it mixes several different grades. The bottle design includes a print which is composed of naked female silhouettes. The cognac will sell for $34.

The AFP reports that Ludacris added a bit of excitement to Vinexpo with some of the top names in the wine businesses lining up for autographs. Ludacris said that his favorite drink is Cognanc and Coke which makes me think this Cognac will skew to the sweet side. Birkedal Hartmann currently ships 400,000 bottles of cognac a year but with Ludacris on the team hopes to sell a million cases. Other musicians including Snoop Dogg, Swiss Beatz and Dr. Dre have also entered the Cognac business, adding interest to a drink category that has been seeing decreasing sales recently.

Picture this: sunshine, white sandy beaches and beautiful music floating across the water. This idyllic scene takes place at the third annual Turks & Caicos Music and Cultural Festival on Providenciales July 31 to August 7, 2006. It's a perfect excuse to head to the Caribbean during months when most people are headed to other climates and see acts such as Ludacris, Fantasia and Steel Pulse.  The Palms Resort offers a package to lure festival guests that starts at $300 per room per night and includes a seventh night for free when you stay for six. The Palms has luxury suites with balconies or terraces and a sparkling  $1.8 million infinity pool which is a great place to chill out away from the festival.