FORT COLLINS — Following defeat, politicians usually choose between two options. They either refortify their spirits and coffers in the hopes of doing battle once again or they drift into the political afterlife to try their hand at a different venture.
In a way, Bob Schaffer has chosen both.
Earlier this year, the Fort Collins resident became chairman of the Colorado State Board of Education, a position that keeps his hand very much in the game. But he has also taken a vocal role as his wife’s cheerleader.
More than three years ago, Maureen Schaffer — an electrical engineer — crafted a margarita recipe with a friend. That recipe has morphed into a vibrant business that has put bottles upon bottles of Coyote Gold on liquor-store shelves throughout Colorado.
“It’s not a mix,” Maureen Schaffer said. “It’s the full margarita, so it’s got reposado tequila (tequila that has rested in oak for at least two months).”
Bob Schaffer, the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate seat won by Mark Udall, already has the perfect sales pitch.
“We encourage people to buy it liberally, consume it and enjoy it moderately and grow the economy conservatively,” he said with a smile.
The Schaffers had hoped to make the product in Colorado but say the few facilities in the state that could do the job couldn’t fit them in.
So they turned to a company in Michigan that makes Coyote Gold, then ships it to Colorado.
