Jimmy Fallon was trending on Twitter for much of Tuesday, often with the #JimmyFallonIsOverParty hashtag, due to a resurfaced clip from a 2000 episode of SNL where he appears in blackface as Chris Rock. The Tonight Show host, who is off this week, has since apologized for the impression, calling it “unquestionably offensive.”

“In 2000, while on SNL, I made a terrible decision to do an impersonation of Chris Rock while in blackface. There is no excuse for this,” Fallon wrote on Twitter. “I am very sorry for making this unquestionably offensive decision and thank all of you for holding me accountable.” In the clip, which is not available on NBC’s website, Fallon-as-Rock explains to Regis Philbin (Darrell Hammond) that there aren’t many black people on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? because “black folks don’t want to answer questions.” Via Variety:

The clip began to resurface when a tweet by the user @chefboyohdear stated, “NBC fired Megyn Kelly for mentioning blackface. Jimmy Fallon performed on NBC in blackface.” Kelly, the former Fox News anchor [who] had a tumultuous run at NBC where she hosted her own hour of the Today show on a $69 million contract, [departed] from the network after she faced severe criticism for a conversation about wearing blackface on Halloween. The network publicly condemned Kelly for the controversy, and cancelled her show, Megyn Kelly Today, in fall of 2018.

Rememeber when Fred Armisen played Obama? That was weird!

Anyway, the Fallon scandal is reminiscent of an SNL sketch from 2019, “State Meeting,” where a state ethics official played by Kenan Thompson asks a group of (white) “Virginia state representatives” whether they’ve ever dressed in blackface. When one member of the group says that it doesn’t count if you did it in the 1980s because it was “funny and cool” then, Thompson responds, “It does still count, and it was never funny or cool.”

(Via Variety)

There are many things to love about Portland, Oregon. It’s glorious uniqueness as a city can be seen, heard, and most importantly, tasted. With over 80 breweries calling Portland home, it’s no wonder many burgeoning brewers move West to claim their stake in one of the country’s most influential craft beer cities. However, craft beer isn’t the only thing brewing in this coastal locale.

Westward Whiskey is proud to make its grain to glass whiskeys in the Pacific Northwest. Everything from the whiskey’s water source — which consists of snowmelt and rain from Mount Hood — to its inclusion of locally malted barley, all stems from the region.

Head distiller and blender, Miles Munroe says, “I think malted barley makes the most complex and flavorful whiskey out there. Our approach to American single malt is a very minimalist one where we want the features of great beer, such as fermentation flavors and careful malt selection, to exhibit themselves in the whiskey.” Munroe continues, “we place as much importance on the production of our wash as a brewer would of their beers, creating flavor every step of the way.”

Munroe studied at American Brewers Guild and was a professional brewer for three years, with the full intention of eventually becoming a single malt whiskey maker. Most of the distilling staff at Westward have a brewing history. Plus, all whiskey starts out as beer, so brewing is a great place for any distiller to start.

Another truly special, heartwarming aspect of Portland culture is its collaborative spirit. Westward prides itself on partnering with Northwest tastemakers such as world-class winemakers and breweries in the local area. The result is the creation of an American single malt whiskey that’s as innovative as it is rebellious. “We’ve established a regional style of single malt, so we don’t use sherry barrels or peated barley because that has nothing to do with the Pacific Northwest,” Munroe adds.

The two primary expressions are Westward American Single Malt and Westward Oregon Stout Cask Finish, both of which recently won gold at San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The newest release, Westward Oregon Pinot Noir Cask just launched as an Oregon exclusive and will be introduced to additional markets early next year. We were lucky enough to taste all three and here are our thoughts.

Westward American Single Malt

ABV: 45%
Price: $70

The Whiskey: Westward American Single Malt is aged in the Willamette Valley where they annually see 30 percent more rain above the national average. These conditions make for perfect aging conditions for Westward’s distinctive signature single malt.

Tasting Notes: Balanced and bold from start to finish. Though the aroma has a bit of a punch — you can smell the high-proof — your senses will welcome the blend of brown sugar, vanilla, and slightly fruity notes.

Westward Oregon Stout Cask Finish

ABV: 45%
Price: $90

The Whiskey: Released merely a year ago, this “red label” is the crème de la crème of stout cask finishes. “Really great beer makes really great single malts,” says Munroe. This expression takes the single malt above and re-barrels it into American oak that’s been pre-seasoned with stout from a long-list of great Oregon breweries. The whiskey then mellows for another year while absorbing the stout flavors.

Tasting Notes: Expect a harmonious combination of robustness, velvety chocolate, and toasted nuts, particularly pecan. It’s definitely meant for sipping. However, the alluring oak-coffee-cocoa aftertaste makes us want to experiment with an Old Fashioned.

Westward Pinot Noir Cask Finish

ABV: 45%
Price: $90

The Whiskey: Westward Whiskey Pinot Noir Cask Finish teams up Westward with local friends from Suzor Wines. The expression spends time mellowing in their old pinot barrels before small-batch bottling.

Tasting Notes: The nose is absolutely divine (is there a candle for this?) with hints of fig, plum, and brown sugar. The depth of flavor pulls through with an exquisite fusion of fresh berries and drawn-out spices. This whiskey is like the perfect song — released at the right time and exceptional in quality.

Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande became friends while collaborating on the Chromatica single “Rain On Me,” and now the two have gotten the chance to have more fun together. This time, Gaga and Grande teamed up on a new promotional video for the album, in which they portray the “Chromatica Weather Girls” and give their finest weather report.

Reporting from Los Angeles, Gaga stands under an umbrella wicking away copious amounts of water and begins, “It was beautiful just yesterday, but oh wow, how things have changed. Today, it is pouring rain. We are soaking wet. And while some are complaining of the recent downpour, we would like to celebrate the rain.”

She then throws it to Grande in also-rainy Beverly Hills, who references the song’s lyrics by saying, “Rain on me, tsunami! Water like misery but the people are still going.” Gaga then responds, “So true, Ariana. The world is rising up in a massive act of kindness to celebrate the rain the world so desperately needs to quench the thirst of the Earth.”

The shots eventually widen to reveal the two have people helping them achieve the raining effect by spraying water on top of them. At the end of the segment, Grande signs off, “Back to you, f*cker.”

Watch the video above.

Chromatica is out 5/29 via Interscope. Pre-order it here.

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Throughout her young career, Billie Eilish has been vocal when it comes to issues about body shaming and related topics. She made perhaps her biggest statement of all earlier this year, when she debuted a video during her tour, in which she takes off her shirt while reciting a monologue about how she is perceived by the public.

The clip was previously only seen on tour or through fan recordings, but now Eilish has shared the short film, titled “Not My Responsibility,” herself. In her speech, Eilish speaks about her clothes and her body, concluding, “If I wear more, If I wear less, who decides what that makes me? What that means? If my value based only on your perception? Or is your opinion of me not my responsibility?”

Watch “Not My Responsibility” above, and read a full transcript of the short film below.

“You have opinions
about my opinions,
about my music,
about my clothes,
about my body.
Some people hate what I wear,
some people praise it,
some people use it to shame others,
some people use it to shame me,
but I feel you watching
always
and nothing I do goes unseen.
So while I feel your stares,
your disapproval
or your sigh of relief,
if I lived by them,
I’d never be able to move.
Would you like me to be smaller?
Weaker?
Softer?
Taller?
Would you like me to be quiet?
Do my shoulders provoke you?
Does my chest?
Am I my stomach?
My hips?
The body I was born with,
is it not what you wanted?
If I wear what is comfortable,
I am not a woman.
If I shed the layers,
I’m a slut.
Though you’ve never seen my body,
you still judge it
and judge me for it.
Why?
We make assumptions about people
based on their size.
We decide who they are,
we decide what they’re worth.
If I wear more,
If I wear less,
who decides what that makes me?
What that means?
If my value based only on your perception?
Or is your opinion of me
not my responsibility?”

It’s probably a safe bet to say that we’re all looking for something exciting, fun, and different to get our minds off of everything. That’s why there’s no better time in our history to embrace fruity, rum-powered, sometimes cloyingly sweet tiki cocktails. While tiki culture is built around very colonial-U.S.-military ideas of the South Pacific and Southeast Asia, the flavors and punch of these drinks still hold up to this day. Plus, that “punch” is almost always extra boozy.

While there are other spirits in tiki cocktails, Caribbean rum is the undisputed throughline of most drinks. The key to most tiki cocktails — and what gives them that signature punch — is the use of multiple rums in one drink. Like a Mai Tia? That has white and dark rum. What about a Zombie? That’s a mix of golden rum from Puerto Rico, Jamaican rum, and Guyanan demerara 151 proof rum. How about a Cobra’s Kiss? Just lose the golden rum from Puerto Rico. There’s a lot of rum involved no matter which tiki cocktail you’re mixing up.

Kyle Harlan, beverage director of Mission Taco Joint in Kansas City and St. Louis, knows mixing good rum is crucial to making any tiki cocktail and adds that picking the right country for rum is important as well. “I love Plantation, Appleton Estate, Cruzan, and Foursquare rums.” He adds, “But, it’s easier to tell you that I prefer Barbadian, Jamaican, or Trinidadian rums.” Harlan relays that Trinidadian rums are his favorite because of the sweet notes and funk which match his palate. The point being, you don’t use just one rum in a tiki cocktail.

Since we’ve officially made it seem impossible to select the right bottle of rum for your new tiki-centric life, we decided to ask some of our favorite bartenders for help. They were nice enough to tell us their go-to rums to mix into classic tiki cocktails.

Mount Gay Eclipse

Luke Pecoraro, director of curatorial services at Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation in Williamsburg, Virginia

While I can’t say I make classic tiki drinks, I do enjoy rum-based beverages. Among the rums I have tasted, the most versatile for drink mixing (or on its own to sip) is the Mount Gay Eclipse from Barbados. While it may be sacrilegious to say, you can even make a good Dark n’ Stormy with Mount Gay. It just won’t be quite as dark.

Koloa Kaua`i Spiced Rum

Katie Nierling, general manager at Ska Street Brewstillery in Boulder, Colorado

Family vacations in Hawaii led us to discover the Koloa Rum Company. It’s a local company that embodies the Aloha vibe and draws on their natural Hawaiian ‘tall cane’ sugarcane and other locally sourced ingredients for their products. I like to combine their white or gold rum with their spiced rum in a punch or just the spiced rum on its own for a classic rum swizzle. The spiced rum is my favorite though. The spice is on the aroma and nose with a smooth, sweet caramel flavor that’s just the right amount of sweet. It’s perfect as a tiki drink should still have a hint of the spirit, not all sugar and sweet juices.

Maison & Velier Clairin Sajous

Pete Stanton, head Bartender at Ai Fiori in New York City

I love blending but if I have to choose one its the Maison & Velier Clairin Sajous. I almost always blend rums to achieve a spectrum of flavors but if I have to choose one it’s easily this one. Super funky, ester-y, and rich fat texture will give you bass and treble all at once.

Appleton Estate Signature Blend

Gord Hannah, head bartender at The Drake Hotel in Toronto

I can already hear the rum nerds losing their minds about this question, but if I had to pick one bottle that would work well in any tiki drink, it would be Appleton Estate Signature Blend. It still has that Jamaican funk but the extra time it spends in a cask makes a huge difference in its versatility. Of course, any time your “tiki” you should have an over-proof rum handy as well for that extra kick, but that is a whole other discussion.

Papa’s Pilar Blonde Rum

Ian Clark, bar supervisor at Topside in Baltimore

Papa’s Pilar Blonde Rum is a great go-to for a light rum in tiki drinks. It has notes of citrus and tropical fruits with hints of spice and sweetness. It has great versatility to contrast or elevate certain flavors, depending on what your other ingredients are.

Blackwell Dark rum is my go-to for dark rum. Dense, spicy, and a deeply rich finish. Used heavily, it’s absolutely delicious but also great when used sparingly as an accent or floater.

Foursquare Probitas

Tim Wiggins, co-owner and beverage director at Yellowbelly in St. Louis

Right now, I love the “Rum Bar” rums from Jamaica, the agricole rums from Rhum JM, the recently released Probitas from Foursquare/Hampton Estate, and a local rum distillery in Missouri called Duckett. All of these brands and rums are pure rums that are not full of additives and sugar, which is nice as it helps me have more wiggle room with the syrups/liqueurs in the cocktail.

Rhum JM VSOP

Brandi Carter, beverage manager at Elvie’s in Jackson, Mississippi

My go-to in a tiki drink is any rhum agricole but I particularly like Rhum JM VSOP. It adds a nice vegetal quality while adding a bit of depth.

Ron Zacapa

Catalina Borer, bartender at Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Virginia

I love to use Zacapa Rum to create perfect tiki drinks. If I am going to drink out of anything that has an umbrella it must have a bold personality and that is exactly how I would describe Ron Zacapa. Zacapa has a delicious dark sugar cane lush to it. You can feel molasses on your lips and at the same time it’s smooth with a subtle hint of spice to it. It’s the perfect backbone for any poolside concoction.

Banks 5

Spencer Elliott, bartender at Bounce Sporting Club in Chicago

Banks 5 makes any tiki cocktail better. Smooth grass notes with bright earth, this rum is a delight when mixed with tropical flavors or spirits. The problem is figuring out when to stop pouring.

Plantation Original Dark

Kira Webster, beverage director at Indo in St. Louis

Plantation Original Dark has sweet, caramel notes from the molasses making it really balanced with an overall fruity flavor profile. It has a great body as well, which holds up when mixing it into a tiki cocktail. It’s my go-to base that meshes with many flavors, including over-proof rums.

Koloa Kaua`i White Hawai’i Rum

Piero Procida, bartender at The London West Hollywood in Los Angeles

If I am doing a white rum, I prefer Koloa Kaua`i White Hawai’i Rum. It’s a Hawaiian rum that is quite amazing. I know typically for tiki drinks many people tend to stick with rums from Jamaica and Barbados, but I like something different from the typical Caribbean style rums. It has wonderful hints of fruit, predominately pineapple, which is what I think of when I think of tiki drinks.

Bacardi Añejo Cuatro

Juan Coronado, brand ambassador at Bacardi

My go-to rum to use in a tiki cocktail is always Bacardi Añejo Cuatro. Its oaky notes make it a vibrant and solid base, while its hues of apricot, honey, and vanilla bring out the classic tropical flavors instead of dominating them.

The Real McCoy

H. Joseph Ehrmann, proprietor of ELIXIR in San Francisco

Anything out of Foursquare Distillery in Barbados is going to give you great balance (The Real McCoy is pretty easy to find). But you’re also going to want some funk from a Jamaican rum like Rum Fire or a great mixing agricole like Rhum JM VSOP.

Plantation Stiggins’ Fancy Pineapple

Hayden Miller, head bartender at Bodega Taqueria y Tequila in Miami

Plantation Pineapple! Both the pineapple bark and fruit are infused with their light/dark rums then blended back together to craft this incredible spirit. It crushes in tiki drinks or just in your glass alone, truly a wonderful way to enjoy rum with flavor.

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Everything I didn’t know I needed and then some.

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