The streaming universe will grow even more vast with HBO Max‘s May 27 launch, which arrives with a 10,000+ title library of movies and TV shows. The catalog will go a long way toward rivaling the likes of Netflix and Disney+, and waves of original programming should prove to be an enticing addition for anyone on the fence about subscribing. This will also be the only place to watch the future “Snyder Cut” of Justice League, so it’s safe to say that HBO Max is serious about offering an experience like no other streaming service that currently exists.

You may have questions about whether your existing HBO subscription will get you in the HBO Max door at no extra charge, and we’ve got answers for you here. Right now, though, it’s time to talk about what we’re excited about watching. There’s almost too much to choose from. No really, it’s a lot: HBO’s full catalog, Warner Bros. movies and TV shows, in addition to titles from Comedy Central, Studio Ghibli, CNN, TNT, TBS, truTV, Cartoon Network, Looney Tunes, and more. But never fear, as our TV experts have dug through the vast content mine and made their top picks.

An American Pickle

HBO Max is banking on the universal appeal of Seth Rogen to make its first streaming film a success. It’s not a bad business move, especially when Rogen, who’s capable of injecting a bit of humor into even the dullest of storylines (here’s looking at you, Green Hornet), but he should have an easier time making us laugh with this movie based on a short story by Simon Rich. Rogen will play a 1920s immigrant named Herschel Greenbaum who comes to America in pursuit of a dream, ends up falling into a vat of pickles, his body brined and preserved for 100 years, until he finally wakes up to find modern life — including his lone descendant — is not what he expected. Rogen pulls double duty here, but he’s joined by an impressive roster of supporting players including Succession’s Sarah Snook and PEN15’s Maya Erskine. — Jessica Toomer

The “Snyder Cut” Of Justice League

I actually like a lot of the Joss Whedon-finished theatrical cut of Justice League. Moreso upon rewatch. I also like Zack Snyder’s Batman V Superman. It sorta sucks that the theatrical cut will now forever have an asterisk attached to it or be thought of as “less than.” On the other hand, this means more Cavil as Superman and Affleck as Batman — which we weren’t going to see again. More Gadot, more Momoa, more everything! Based on Snyder’s estimates, only about one-quarter of the previously released film counted as his, so we’re going to essentially get a completely new Justice League in a few months time (2021, to be exact) while, before this announcement, it didn’t seem like there were any firm plans with Superman or future DCEU team-up films. This is going to be three hours of escapism made with other people’s money — let’s all take the W. — Jason Tabrys

Looney Tunes Cartoons

In a more perfect world, this would be “the entire Looney Tunes archive plus new episodes,” because there are hours/days/weeks of classic Looney Tunes content just sitting out there waiting to be archived. You’re telling me you wouldn’t watch an hour of Wile E. Coyote flattening himself or Bugs Bunny being an unrepentant carrot-chomping rascal? Don’t lie. Do not lie. But this could be cool, too, and it could bring a whole crew of fun characters to a new generation of kids. Something they can share with their parents. The Looney Tunes are the best. Bugs, especially. Every generation should get to experience Bugs Bunny. This solves that problem. And if it’s popular enough, maybe I’ll get my archive eventually, so that would solve that problem, too. There is no better way to spend a Saturday morning. — Brian Grubb

The Matrix Trilogy

More than 20 years after the Wachowskis launched their 1999 sci-fi juggernaut, I’m full of anticipation for the fourth installment starring O.G. duo Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss (even though we almost certainly won’t be seeing Laurence Fishburne making a comeback). Yet because most film release dates are up in the air, I’m feeling the urge to revisit the trilogy now more than ever. They’re still thematically relevant pieces of art, but even more than that, these are the films that made Keanu an honest-to-god action star. There would probably be no John Wick franchise if not for The Matrix, and let’s not forget that Moss is as much of an ass-kicking badass as her leading male co-stars. Catsuits and leather coats and cooler-than-cool sunglasses can’t be beat here, so dodge that bullet and enjoy the kung fu fighting all over again. –Kimberly Ricci

Americanah

For those wondering why Danai Gurira left The Walking Dead after ten seasons, it was partially to work on Americanah, a television series that Gurira created and wrote. Gurira is a successful Tony-nominated playwright, and in Americanah, she reteams with Lupita Nyong’o (Us), who starred in Gurira’s Eclipsed. Corey Hawkins (Gurira’s co-star in The Walking Dead) and Uzo Aduba (Orange is the New Black) also star in a story about pair of young Nigerian immigrants who face a lifetime of struggle while their relationship endures. It’s based on the award-winning novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and it’s the kind of prestige project for which HBO is best known. — Dustin Rowles

Studio Ghibli

HBO Max’s biggest star isn’t the Bazinga guy, or Zack Snyder, or some unholy Rachel/Monica/Phoebe/Chandler/Joey/Ross/Marcel the Monkey hybrid. It’s Totoro. HBO Max acquired the U.S. streaming rights to the Studio Ghibli library for the first time, making it that much easier for children (and adults) to watch some of the most majestic animated films of all-time. And all it took was Hayao Miyazaki needing lots of money to make his next masterpiece! There’s Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Ponyo (did you hear she loves ham?), and My Neighbor Totoro. No offense to Disney+, but Totoro is way better than the mouse fellow. — Josh Kurp

Search Party

Search Party is, for all intents and purposes, the spiritual predecessor of shows like Russian Doll. A just-as-bleak, equally funny romp that stuffs murder, mystery, and the meaningless of life into a too-cool package. But now that it’s moving to HBO Max, people might actually watch it and discover addictively delicious it is. I’m not sure how I feel about that as I like to horde my underrated shows like Smaug hordes a dwarf’s treasure, but I’ll welcome people on the bandwagon if it means this cast — including Alia Shawkat, John Early, Meredith Hagner, and John Reynolds — and this story, about a group of out-of-touch Brooklyn hipsters-turned-clueless-millennial-P.I.’s gets the recognition it deserves. The show’s second season went a bit off the rails (an accidental murder can do that), but HBO’s planned third season seems to have righted itself, with the gang on trial for their respective crimes, dealing with the fallout of their misadventures. — Jessica Toomer

Love Life

The first wave of HBO Max Originals is upon us, and Anna Kendrick delivers a pitch-perfect performance in this romantic dramedy series alongside the always great Scoot McNairy (as a wealthy, martini-sipping entrepreneur) and the scene-stealing Zoë Chao (as far more than the stereotypical BFF in these type of stories). At first, the anthology series superficially resembles some shows and movies (unrealistically lucrative job and ridiculously nice NYC apartment for a 20-something) that you’ve seen previously, but there’s a fresh, “case study” approach that celebrates growth and transformation and everything that a lot of romcom heroines really don’t experience. Kendrick, as Darby, digs deep while undergoing a series of different formative relationships. It’s slightly tart, escapist fare that still feels grounded in reality, in a mostly pleasant way. –Kimberly Ricci

Grease: Rydell High

Two things are important here:

1. Grease: Rydell High is a kind of series continuation of the popular musical and movie, with the same 1950s setting and musical style. It’s not the first time that the powers that be have tried mining this story in recent years, as there was that live musical a few years ago, too. A series-length musical is hard, though, especially an earnest one, so best of luck to everyone involved. If this all sounds like a half-hearted recommendation, that’s because I’m writing this blurb solely because of the second thing, which I’m about to get to right now and would like to apologize for preemptively to you and to everyone involved with the making of the show.

2. Until they announce the cast, we simply cannot rule out the possibility of a 66-year-old John Travolta reprising his role as teen bad boy Danny Zuko. — Brian Grubb

Best Picture Winners

One quarantine activity that I can’t recommend enough: watching every Best Picture winner. It takes forever to accomplish (92 films and counting), but that’s not a bad thing right now, and HBO Max can help get you there. The Best Picture winners on the streaming service include Gone with the Wind, Casablanca (and hopefully the Looney Tunes parody, “Carrotblanca”), An American in Paris, and Ben-Hur. Million Dollar Baby isn’t on there, but 1952’s Million Dollar Mermaid is, and let’s face it, depressing boxing movies could use more mermaids. HBO Max will also have a lot of movies that should have been nominated for Best Picture, like A Nightmare on Elm Street, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, and A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master. Not A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge, though. Maybe a Golden Globe nomination, but not an Oscar win. — Josh Kurp

The Fresh Prince

Now this is a story all about how my life got flipped turned upside down and I’d like to take a minute just sit right there, I’ll tell you how I became the prince of a town called Bel-Air.

In West Philadelphia, born and raised, on the playground is where I spent most of my days. Chilling out, maxing, relaxing all cool and shooting some b-ball outside of the school. When a couple of guys who were up to no good, started making trouble in my neighborhood. I got in one little fight and my moms got scared, she said you’re moving to your auntie and uncles in Bel-Air.

Okay, so that was from memory because I don’t think I’ve seen an episode of Fresh Prince in probably 20 years. But perhaps now is the time to re-experience the origins of The Carlton Dance, watch that time Geoffrey thought he won the lotto, absorb the dad wisdom of Uncle Phil, rage RAGE against the oppression of youth with Ashley, ponder the purpose of Avery, and cry with Will when Ben Vereen abandons him, perhaps triggering thoughts about your own disappointing father-son situation. If nothing else, you can get that earworm theme song STUCK. The classics never lose their luster. — Jason Tabrys

Doctor Who

Like AMC, BBC is one of the few free agents in the streaming wars, meaning that their shows do not automatically align with a particular studio-owned streaming service. With 11 seasons and new generations of Who fans coming on board every year, landing Doctor Who is a big coup for HBO Max. It is the holy grail of sci-fi series. It’s a hugely bingeable series that turns its cast over every few years, which makes it almost impossible to stop watching. This deal will also be good for Doctor Who in America, as it will give potential fans who don’t have BBC America their first opportunity to watch the series. — Dustin Rowles

Tom Cruise makes it his mission to defy death in all the Mission: Impossible movies with increasing levels of “world-topping sh*t.” Back before he was clinging onto the side of an airplane and scaling a Dubai skyscraper, he pulled off some daredevilish, stomach-dropping rock-climbing moments in the John Woo-directed second installment for the franchise. Now, one of that movie’s writers, Ronald D. Moore has opened up to the Hollywood Reporter about how he helped retool the movie following the departure of Oliver Stone and previous writers. To no one’s surprise (nowadays), the rock climbing inspiration came straight from Cruise’s recreational moments. Yet the best nugget in this interview delivers a spark of morbid humor, given that Cruise had shared his random encounter with Dr. Death himself.

As Moore relates, Cruise got pretty candid behind the scenes, telling stories while they worked on fine-tuning the script at the Top Gun: Maverick star’s home. Apparently, Kevorkian used his notoriety as a joke about sort-of recruiting Tom for his own cause when they bumped into each other at a Time magazine event. Cruise had been sitting close to Henry Kissinger, which sounds surreal enough, and then Kevorkian threw out his sales pitch of sorts:

Moore recalls Cruise saying that Kevorkian approached the actor. “Tom goes: ‘Kevorkian shakes my hand and says, “So, how you feeling?” And Tom laughs and says, ‘Oh, I’m fine.’ And Kevorkian snaps his fingers and goes: ‘Ah, too bad.’”

Hmm, was this a standard Kevorkian opening line or something that Jack crafted especially for the A-list actor? It’s tough to say, but recycling a line for Tom Cruise seems like something that even Dr. Death (who passed away in 2011 from natural causes) wouldn’t do.

Yet it’s slightly sobering to recall that M:I 2 (which is still maligned by franchise fans) did in fact have a plot beyond the stunts. In the movie, Ethan Hunt worked against the clock to halt the a deadly virus before it landed in terrorist hands. Perhaps we can call in Hunt to repair our current situation, sooner rather than later? And then M:I 7 can unleash production once more and get everyone safely back into movie theaters.

(Via Hollywood Reporter)

Colonial America is an era that’s rich with history that echos to this day. The footholds of British, French, Spanish, Russian, Dutch, and Portuguese colonization and pursuit of ungodly wealth drives everything from the languages we speak to the food we eat to how we still treat Indigenous Americans to the way we treat our environment. It’s ripe territory for storytelling.

Annie Proulx — probably best known for penning Brokeback Mountain — dove deeply into the colonial American well with her much-lauded 2016 book Barkskins. The name is a slang-term for loggers back in the colonial era and logging is at the center of her novel. The story follows 300 years of colonization and deforestation through the eyes of a family of mixed Indigenous and European backgrounds as they fight for survival in an ever-changing world, leading up to the environmental disasters of the present day. Just based on that pitch alone, it’s no wonder that NatGeo jumped at the chance to make it into a TV series.

The reins of the show were given to Elwood Reid (The Bridge, The Chi) who set out to tell the story the right way — with respect for the cultures and people at the heart of it all. Along the way, Reid hired writer Migizi Pensoneau. Pensonseau is from small-town Minnesota and the Ojibwe nation. Pensoneau and other Indigenous consultants were brought in from the jump to assure that this show wouldn’t tokenize Indigenous characters but, instead, add a layer of realism and humanity to the Indigenous roles in the film.

Our conversation with Pensoneau touches on how Barkskins does representation right while also delivering a raw and spellbinding show. It touches on the state of entertainment, how we should expect more truth in our story-telling, and how freakin’ cool it was to work in a functioning late 17th-century village in “New France.”

So, let’s dive into the book first. Had you read the book before getting involved?

I didn’t read the book. I was put in contact with Elwood Reid, who had read some of my stuff. What interested me about the project was that Elwood had already reached out for Native folks’ involvement from step one. He’d already been talking to David Treuer who wrote The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee and had already been in contact with some of the Nation leaders up in Wendake with the Wendat up there.

When he started working on the project he approached the Wendat and asked them, “This is what we’re doing. How can you be involved?” And when I had found all that out and that I wouldn’t have to be the guy to be like, “Hey, we really need Native involvement…” I knew this was something I wanted to be part of. Elwood was just like, “We just need a writer, man. We need an Indigenous voice in the room.” I was like, “Well, let’s get into it.” And then I read the book.

Right. So when you got into the writer’s room, did you feel like there were any barriers to bringing to life Indigenous voices, or were you just trying to break stories?

We were just trying to bring stories, man. For real, I didn’t have to be the Indian authority guy in the room. Everybody was really conscious of what we were doing and they just wanted to tell a good story where everybody’s humanized. Everybody. As we know, Natives have backstories. We made sure that those characters didn’t exist solely as foils to the non-Native folks in the story. They’re just a part of the world. So I just got to sit in, break stories, and hang out and live in this world. And, I think that more people are starting to recognize and to know that — Elwood definitely is — the way people consume content is completely different.

How so?
When people get invested now, they get really invested. I don’t know how many times I’ve said it myself or I’ve heard other people say, “I don’t know, I don’t really want to watch that” or “I don’t really want to get invested in something this big” or something like that. That’s because, I think, people recognize when something doesn’t feel really genuine or like the real deal. They’re smarter in what they choose to watch.

That means you have to be authentic in your storytelling. You can’t half-ass it anymore. You can’t sell short your characters or your story. There’s less room, I think, for something that’s not done in the proper way in terms of representation, or even just in terms of storytelling and characters. You can’t short your audience anymore. There’s a backlash that happens when that happens. People call it out when stories don’t feel true.

I feel that. Let’s look at the story a little bit. The breadth is just massive. The book packs in generations and literal centuries. The first season has a focus on the late 17th century and, what I would call, the chaos of early European colonization. How did it make you feel to characterize and bring emotion to the world of that era?

Oh, it was exhilarating, man. Even writing it, I was loving the characters that we were writing. We had the chance to infuse humor and humanity that I hadn’t really seen in a historical fiction context. For the last 10 years, I’ve been writing with the 1491s [an Indigenous comedy troupe] and have been doing comedy. So it was really important for me to bring real humor to all of this. Then there’s the humanity of these characters. There are a lot of leads, like ten leads. Two of them are Native characters who exist as more than just a proxy for their tribes. They’re just people trying to make their way.

That’s what was really thrilling. I felt comfortable writing within those confines because we were just writing people. I wasn’t writing a documentary about the Wendat story. That’s not something I could do or would feel comfortable doing. We were just writing people trying to get by.

When you’re actually on set and seeing this world come to life, how did that make you feel seeing people in that era who are recreating this world and your words?

I remember one bit of the script that I was helping to shape and the scene work was like, “Oh, it’s an Indian village like we’ve never seen on screen before. A 30, 40-foot tall wall surrounding a camp that’s alive and breathing, and people are living in there.” And I think there was some cynical part of me that was like, “Are we really doing this? Is this really going to be something that we show?” And then I walked through the gates of the Wendat village set and they had given just as much attention to detail as they did to the village of Wobik.

I was like, “Whoa.” It took my breath away. There were these massive longhouses and the people were dressed and looked amazing. We were showing that people actually lived here, worked here, and just trying to get by, man. We also tried to bring in as many Wendat extras as we could to give another layer to the realism. It was also amazing watching them walk in and be like, “Whoa.” This thing had been reconstructed for their people. Those are their structures. They were hearing their language. Seeing these things was … it was literally awesome.

Takes your breath away?

You walk in there and it takes your breath away and it was like that the whole way through. As we started shooting, we had people come out and say some words and put some tobacco down and do a little blessing and ceremony for us. We had the whole crew stop what they’re doing, hundreds of people, and come and listen to the people that have been on that land for thousands of years before our story is told. Having the Wendat come in and welcome us as a crew to tell their story was awe-inspiring.

That sounds like something truly special to be part of, man. I dig what you’re saying about people just trying to get by. I think we try to pull all these big heavy moments from history and look at these big moments as our stories. But, really, it’s the day to day of us just trying to get by that is the story.

Yeah. I think there’s always a lot of pressure, especially because there’s just generally not a lot of representation in terms of Native folks. Almost every time you see some character Indigenous to the Americas, they have to be a representative of all of the tribes, or at the very least the representative of their tribe, or at the very worst a representative of nature. And, thankfully, we didn’t have any of that. These people were just people. It was really cool to write something in that vein.

Did you feel you had to stray from the book to do that?

Annie Proulx’s book is very much about figureheads and they’re representative of an idea. I’m not saying that we threw that aside or anything, but the reason that we stayed back is that we just wanted to focus on the ins and outs of these people at that time. I think if we were to focus on how this is going to affect the future, it wouldn’t work. The effect is inherent because we live in the future and we know. When you see trees leveled in a field or forest, you already get it. So we were just able to stay in the past and focus on the characters that we were living with.

There’s a bit of beauty in that presence. It’s very heartening. It feels positive that this exists.

There were definitely times where you walk onto this giant French village from the 1600s where people are bringing to life some of the work that you wrote and you’re like, “Whoa.” That’s pretty special. Those people are giving respect to the thoughts and ideas we wrote. Hopefully, this is a part of this shift or a trend where if you’re going to tell a story that has Indigenous people in it, you really need to include people that are from the people about whom you are talking.

As an Indigenous writer, what has the show meant to you?

So for me, this was a show where I didn’t have to be Mr. Indian Authority. It was a place where trust and respect were given to me by Elwood, by NatGeo and Fox. It was an incredible experience. I’ve worked hard to come to this point, but it was some of the lessons that I’ve learned traveling around Indian Country with the 1491s that I was able to bring to Barkskins. The show was just on a bigger scale.

When I tour with the 1491s, we go to communities to tell jokes but we also take the time to talk to people when we land. We try to figure out what the world is like there and be respectful of the community we’re in because we’re guests.

With Barkskins, we were able to go into these communities and talk with people and get help from the people who are actually there, whose stories we’re telling. It was an amazing realization of a lot of work I’d done before Barkskins where I’d spent a lot of time in Native communities learning how to be as respectful as possible. To do that on a larger scale that then the whole world can watch was really gratifying.

Barkskins premiered on NatGeo May 25th, 2020, at 9 pm Eastern Time.

If you asked 10 people to name Steve Buscemi’s definitive role, you could get 10 different answers: Nucky Thompson in Boardwalk Empire, Tony B from The Sopranos, the McDonald’s breakfast fanatic from Big Daddy, Mr. Pink from Reservoir Dogs, the “Marietta Mangler” from Con Air, “How Do You Do, Fellow Kids” from 30 Rock, the voice of Randall from Monsters, Inc. And so on. The best chance for two people giving the same answer might be Buscemi’s character in the Coen Brothers classic Fargo, affectionally known as The Guy Who Gets Fed Into a Wood Chipper. It’s a part the actor might not take today, though, because as he told GQ, he’s over getting murderered:

There is one recurring theme from Buscemi’s previous work that he is determined to leave behind. “I don’t have the tolerance for violence that I used to,” says the man whose most famous of many cinematic deaths involved getting hacked to bits with an ax and then shoved into a wood chipper in Fargo. After he got whacked on The Sopranos, he made a half promise to himself that he would stop taking on roles where he was murdered. (“Where does it go after you get killed by Tony Soprano? That should be the cutoff.”)

Getting killed by Tony Soprano is like catching a touchdown pass from Peyton Manning. You’ve peaked. Buscemi also isn’t overly fond of playing the killer, either. “It was hard for me to divorce myself from the feelings that it was actually me doing it,” he said about a scene from Boardwalk Empire where Nucky shoots a teenager. Luckily for him, the New York City hero will be saving lives in The King of Staten Island, the Pete Davidson-starring comedy where he plays a firefighter. It will be released digitally on June 12.

(Via GQ)

SZA apparently has a bunch of music sitting on hard drives, and now she wants to unleash some of it: Yesterday, she took to Twitter to reveal that she wants to release a compilation of unreleased songs from the past few years.

She wrote, “So like a music dump .. similar to a photo dump but not an album .. this concept make sense to anyone? Has anyone ever done it ? Asking for me.”

Somebody suggested SZA was describing an EP, to which she responded, “Nah an Ep is like 4-5 songs .. a music dump would be like 20 from over the.l Course of the last 6 years.” Somebody else thought she meant a mixtape, and SZA said, “A MIXTAPE!! .. doesn’t that have beats from like other artists songs on it tho? Like member when mixtapes were unofficial remixes .. 40 of em ? lmao.”

A follower suggested the nature of the “dump,” writing, “just a massive compilation of all the songs you’ve held back bc of ur perfectionism and u could call it perfectionism OMG THATS A CONCEPT.” SZA was on board, responding, “Oooooouuuuuuuuu it’s like even the sh*t that leaked ain’t the throw aways that’s the throw aways leftovers so I might as well.”

She then asked her fans about what unreleased songs they’d like to see included in this endeavor: “Okay dead ass THIS IS NOW A COLLECTIVE EFFORT EVERYONE IF U HAVE A SNIPPET IN MIND PLACE IT IN THIS THREAD I DONT REMEMBER ALL OF THEM SO GATHER WHAT U WANT AND ILL SEARCH THE HARDDRIVE TODAY.”

SZA also added, “Def tryna sell it for charity .. too many ppl hurting to make a dollar rn.”

So, in summary, fans could soon be getting a trove of previously unreleased SZA songs, with proceeds going to some sort of good cause. That would certainly be welcomed, since SZA’s debut and most recent album, Ctrl, dropped back in mid-2017.

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Over the weekend, Doja Cat got into some trouble with the online community after controversial videos and other material resurfaced. She quickly offered a written apology/explanation, but that apparently wasn’t all she had to say on the matter. Doja followed that up with a 30-minute Instagram Live session last night, in which she further expanded on the situation.

She began her broadcast by being completely transparent about her written apology, saying, “The apology that I posted is absolutely an edited piece from me and the people I work with. Like any business, like any conglomerate, there would be many people trying to protect what’s going on, and that’s exactly what we were trying to do.”

Doja goes on to say, “My behavior isn’t something that always needs to be followed. I’m not perfect. At the end of the day, I shouldn’t be doing dumb sh*t. But also I need to stand up for myself instead of making a video that’s diplomatically and politically correct.”

Elsewhere during the broadcast, she played snippets from some pre-recorded apologies that she made but ultimately abandoned, revealing that she racked up 98 different takes before deciding to do it live on Instagram instead. She said, “There’s nothing more [disingenuous] than making a f*cking edited video and asking other people — by the way, I’ve counted: 98 different apologies. There’s no better apology than me doing what I’ve always done: being on Live, telling you guys my f*cking truth, and being completely honest. It’s a hard time right now, but recording myself apologizing and recording myself sounding perfectly diplomatic is the biggest f*cking lie I can make to you.”

Watch the full video above.

It’s not a secret that it’s hard to eat healthy foods while we’re stuck in our homes. Sure, we can plan three well-balanced meals a day. But we all know that the plan can easily fall apart when we’re procrastinating and looking around for things to snack on ten times a day in our own kitchen. More often than not, we’re heading straight for salt-covered foods like pretzels or peanuts or potato chips for some instant gratification. And since we’re working from home, it only makes sense to pair them with a nice bottle or can of beer.

The beer you pair your salty snack with is important. That’s why we asked some of our favorite bartenders to tell us their favorite beers to pair with salty foods.

The nine beers below are great examples of thirst quenchers that also pair well with the salty snacks a lot of us are probably craving (and indulging in) right now. They’re also fairly widely available domestic or import selections with a few regional craft choices peppered throughout.

Reissdorf German Kölsch

Peter Ruppert, beverage director at Short Stories in New York City

Salty foods deserve something German like kölsch. One of my favorites is Reissdorf (an import from the kölsch heartland of Köln, Germany). It’s bright and crisp, making it a great partner for salt and mustard.

Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier

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

If you are going to eat German food (like a big, salty pretzel), go with a German Beer. My favorite brand is Weihenstephaner. All of their beers work, but their Hefeweissbier or original Helles work especially well. Remember that much of the beer-drinking world centers its beverage around the type of food they eat. They have had many years to perfect that, even with a pretzel. I enjoy German beers because they are typically very light in nature which is thirst-quenching, especially while having a salty pretzel. They don’t overwhelm you as they focus on one thing and that is to keep it delicious without ever over-complicating the beer.

Nightshift The 87

James Arensault, director of food & beverage at Harbor View Hotel on Martha’s Vineyard

If I’m paring with salty food with beer, I would probably go with an IPA or Pale ale. The brand is up to interpretation. Nightshift “The 87” or Wash Ashore “Buddha” both pair well. The acidity and citrus notes from both mix well with the salt.

Carib Lager

Everson Rawlings, mixologist at Scrub Island Resort Spa and Marina in the British Virgin Islands

When it comes to salty foods, you can’t go wrong with an IPA. But, I believe Carib Lager is best because the bitterness tends to cut the saltiness but also enhance the flavors of pretzels and any other salty snack.

Remedy Queen Bee Honey Cream Ale

Zac Johnson, general manager at JJ’s Wine, Spirits, and Cigars in Sioux Falls, South Dakota

You need something crisp and refreshing to fight off the dry mouth from the salty food, so I would probably say a Remedy Queen Bee Honey Cream Ale, or a Snobbery NE IPA from WoodGrain Brewing. Queen Bee coats the mouth with honey and keeps you feeling refreshed while giving you a nice buzz. Snobbery provides you with easy tropical fruit while being sessionable enough to enjoy a couple.

Coors Banquet Beer

Sebastien Derbomez, brand advocacy manager at William Grant & Sons

Beer and salty foods are the ultimate combinations. So sit back, relax, and crack open a cold Coors Banquet can while keeping the conversation flowing. Simple, refreshing, and perfect.

No Label Ridgeback

Jon Joseph, bartender at JL Bar Ranch, Resort & Spa in Sonora, Texas

I like to use Ridgeback from No Label Brewing Company in Katy, Texas. This beer has a great caramel flavor with roasted malts. This combination is wonderful and the beer isn’t overproduced. Attention to detail has been given to producing such a wonderful beer that pairs well with any salty foods.

Avery El Gose

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

Avery Brewing makes an excellent and aptly named gose called El Gose. The tartness always makes me crave something salty and really promotes the salty spiral of the two.

Bohemia Pilsner

Nicole Quist, beverage director at Bartaco in Aventura, Florida

Pairing salty foods and beers? You can’t go wrong with a Bohemia Pilsner. It’s so crisp and refreshing, with a body to it to wash down a pretzel, potato chips, or chips and salsa. Whatever you prefer.

“Quarantine Kit” features interviews with our favorite actors, musicians, chefs, athletes, and artists about their personal methods for killing time, staying fit, and keeping social distance during isolation.

I’ve been jamming out to Bearcubs on a near-daily basis since we went into lockdown. I’ve yet to find another artist that perfectly captures the isolation we’ve all been experiencing as Bearcubs’ Jack Ritchie somehow does. Songs like “Screen Time” and “Every Place Is Life” from the recently released Early Hours have become headphone anthems on my daily walks and weekly grocery runs, and the lush sound beds and skittering beats have actually made the social isolation experience oddly danceable.

Just before Bearcubs dropped the highly anticipated Early Hours, we linked up with the Berlin via London based electronic artist and producer behind the moniker, Jack Ritchie, to talk about how he’s riding out quarantine, and finding inspiration in isolation.

STAYING ENTERTAINED: TV and Worms

I have still been watching a couple of TV series including ‘Better Saul Call‘ and, for some reason, ‘The Roman Empire’, which is surprisingly good. I’ve also been playing this game called ‘Worms‘ online with some friends from home, it’s a ridiculous game but I used to play it when I was growing up so it’s quite nostalgic for me.

STAYING SANE: Reducing screen time

I’ve been using the lockdown as a reason to do more reading and to be on my phone less. I realized that I was getting way too much screen time because I was working on my laptop all day and then looking at my phone in the evening or watching a film. So now I don’t check my phone in the mornings until I’ve been up for a while and had breakfast and done a bit of meditation.

STAYING MOTIVATED: Developing a routine

I try to keep a consistent daily routine and to be honest, not much has changed for me because I’m used to working on music all day from home anyway. My album is finished and came out on May 15th, but I’m still working on new music and other projects so I’m keeping quite busy.

Also, luckily, it’s not too far to get into the countryside from where I live in Berlin, so I’ve been going on bike rides into nature on my nice old Bianchi road bike, which definitely makes a big difference to my mindset and stops me from getting too much cabin fever!

GO TO QUARANTINE MEAL: Pickled Chilies

I think I’ve done more cooking than ever in the past few weeks. The highlights so far have been a homemade veggie lasagne, battered fish and chips, and I also made some cookies with almonds, white chocolate, and fig the other day which were very nice. Another thing I’ve been doing food-wise is pickling my own chilies. My next plan is to make my own hot sauce. It’s made me realize that there’s a lot of stuff you don’t really need to buy from the supermarket.

When I get older I’m going to turn into some sort of mad hippie surrounded by a vegetable garden and various homemade condiments and pickles.

STAYING HEALTHY: Finding balance

I think it’s just about balance. I don’t really believe in all these fad diets going around, just eat a wide range of foods and you’ll be okay. You should trust what your body wants instead of being too restrictive because then you’re just setting yourself up to fail. Although, don’t trust your body if it’s requesting 5 Big Macs a day! I’m not big on going to the gym because I’m lazy and, for me, exercise has to have a fun component. So I try and sneak it in by playing games like squash, table tennis, or football — also cycling as I mentioned before because it feels more like exploring than exercise.

STAYING IN SHAPE: Use your feet and stay hydrated

Walk and cycle everywhere! It saves the planet and you get fit at the same time, two good things at once. Also, drink a lot of water.

STAYING CREATIVE: Keeping an open ear

What fuels me as an artist right now is mainly looking at previous music I’ve released and just trying to step up everything I’m doing in terms of production and songwriting. It feels like a long journey from when I started and I’ve learned a lot about myself and about trying to keep things simple and direct so that the message gets across clearer, instead of trying to be clever all the time. It will always be a work in progress though.

Another thing that inspires me is hearing the high-quality music everyone is putting out right now. There’s a lot of talent and people creating interesting things in the world, and you kind of soak it all up now that we are receiving a constant stream of new things through our electronic devices on a daily basis.

Check out Bearcubs latest album Early Hours here.

The average bottle of whiskey is around 40 proof. That’s 80 percent alcohol for those new to this game. But with the proliferation of whiskey, it’s not hard to find bottles that push those boundaries higher and higher with high proof whiskey (often referred to as “barrel proof” or “cask proof” on the label).

Whiskey is usually lowered to 80 proof (40 percent ABV) by adding water to “cut” the whiskey down to proof. It’s become more and more common for distillers to offer high-proof expressions as a mainstay of their lines these days, especially with the single barrel programs out there. In fact, if you spend some time perusing the whiskey aisle, you’ll find a wide selection of high proof whiskeys from some of the most recognizable names in the whiskey game.

“High Proof is a tough category,” says Jim Richard, chef at Red Fish Taco in South Walton, Florida. He continues, ” There are just so many well-made options.” So, where do you start? We’ve got your back.

From Weller to Noah’s Mill to Booker’s, the category is loaded with nuanced, smooth, crowd-pleasers. To find the right bottle for you, we decided to ask the experts for their advice. That’s why we asked some well-known bartenders to tell us their favorite high-proof whiskeys.

Weller Full Proof Bourbon

Pete Stanton, head bartender at Ai Fiori at The Langham in New York City

My favorite high proof whiskey is the Weller Full Proof. It’s so bright and fruity with a little oily texture. It’s probably the easiest drinking “high proof” whiskey. I also love Russell’s Reserve Bourbon and Rye for an inexpensive everyday barrel strength whiskey that isn’t impossible to find. An honorable mention has to go to Elijah Craig barrel proof.

Woodford Reserve Double Oaked Bourbon

Jim Richard, chef at Red Fish Taco in South Walton, Florida

I enjoy Woodford. The “Double Oaked” sips well from the bottle around an open bonfire on the beach or at the hunting camp. On the other hand, I find The WhistlePig in an LED rocks glass with one large ice cube brings out subtle nuances that lend well to social occasions.

J. P. Wiser’s 23-Year-Old Cask Strength Whisky

Gord Hannah, head bartender at The Drake Hotel in Toronto

The J.P Wiser’s 23-year-old Cask Strength Blend from their rare cask series comes in at a whopping 63.4 percent ABV. It’s part of Corby’s latest Northern Border collection and I fell in love with it almost instantly. Cask Strength whiskies amplify every ingredient that goes into making a spirit. Any mistake or imperfection is immediately recognizable to even an untrained palate. The 23-year-old is a masterclass in Canadian farming, distilling, aging, and blending. The high ABV is a power play. It’s as close as you will ever get to a Canadian showing off.

Old Line Cask Strength Whiskey

Ian Clark, bar supervisor at Topside in Baltimore

Old Line Spirits’ American Single Malt Whiskey Cask Strength from Baltimore is my current favorite high-proof whiskey. This whiskey is dense. The brown sugary nature of the malt they use for this whiskey is an excellent complement to the heat from the high proof of this whiskey. Served on a big ice cube or with a splash of water really brings out the complexity and boldness of this whiskey.

Noah’s Mill Bourbon

Tim Wiggins, co-owner and beverage director at The Lazy Tiger Cocktail Bar in St. Louis

I fell in love with Noah’s Mill while working with my wife at a whiskey bar so it will always have a special place in my heart. I love lots of overproof bourbons but none of them are as nostalgic for me as Noah’s Mill.

Booker’s Bourbon

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

Booker’s True Barrel Bourbon is a great high-proof whiskey because you get all of the burn on the nose but it is very smooth on the palate. It’s pretty much the main bourbon think of when I’m looking for high proof whiskeys.

Old Forester 100 Proof Bourbon

Brooke Baker, general manager at Underdog in New York City

For high proof, I love Old Forester 100 Proof. It’s my go-to for standard old fashioneds and pretty much any other whiskey-based drink. It has enough spice and oakiness to punch through any staple whiskey drink.

Blanton’s Straight From The Barrel Bourbon

Catalina Borer, bartender at Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Virginia

Blanton’s Straight From The Barrel high-proof, without hesitation. Picture this, sitting on a rocking-chair, in a peach orchard in Kentucky while enjoying a good ol’ lit American tobacco and sipping honey citrus tea but with a massive kick at over 120 proof. That’s what it tastes like.

Willett Family Estate 4 Year Rye

Westin Galleymore, spirits director at Underbelly Hospitality in Houston

There have been many high-proof whiskeys that could easily make a run for my favorite high-proof whiskey., But as for something recent that one could possibly find without sacrificing their firstborn, it would have to be Willett Family Estate 4 Year Rye. Now, some of the barrel picks really show the absolute infinite badassery that Drew Kulsveen and Willett is capable of. The standard release of the 4 Year Family Reserve Rye is pretty impressive, along with everything else.

Akashi 5-Year Sherry Cask Whisky

Kira Webster, beverage director at Indo in St. Louis

Akashi 5 year Sherry Cask. I’m allergic to alcohol, so my body can’t process it correctly. However, with most rice-based liquor, I don’t tend to flush. Akashi is a rice-based whisky ending with delicious nutty, fruity notes, and doesn’t even taste like it’s 100 proof. So, even if I drink a few glasses of it (which I normally do), I don’t break out.

Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve Bourbon

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

Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. It’s 120 proof and aged for 9 years in new, charred American oak barrels. It’s a wonderful Whiskey that maintains its character despite higher alcohol content which in itself could have been overpowering. Its age certainly adds more character.

Four Roses Single Barrel Private Selection Bourbon

H. Joseph Ehrmann, proprietor of ELIXIR in San Francisco

Single barrel Four Roses private selections are some of the best bourbons available today. We’ve about sold out of all of ours, but I’m looking to get more and even buy some from other bars and spirit shops that need help liquidating their purchase commitments on those. Usually clocking in around 60 percent across 10 different recipes, you just can’t go wrong. An OBSV (mash bill) is what the standard Four Roses Single Barrel product is (at 50 percent) so to find that at 60 percent it’s amazing. As is the OBSK (my favorite), but every barrel is different.

Stagg Jr. Bourbon

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

This bourbon is all business. You can either take the enamel off your teeth or tone it down with some cubes. But, either way, the 130+ proof is sure to get the job done. This bourbon has a lot of heat straight from the bottle but when you add some water to the equation, the flavors really pull through. It also makes a mean one-and-done old fashioned.