As the NFL moves into Week 3, fantasy football players are starting to take stock of their teams as well and gain a more clear view of whether their draft vision resulted in success once the season began.
One of the positions that is the most top-heavy in the NFL is tight end, where the elite of the elite are as valuable, if not more so, than wide receivers, but beyond that elite group, who pops can be wholly dependent on scheme and quarterback situation. The big names are, mostly, doing what’s expected — although it’s been a slower start for George Kittle than usual — while others like Dallas Goedert have become a trusted safety blanket for their quarterbacks. In fantasy, having a great tight end or at least finding one of the surprise steals can be a separator.
This week, the usual suspects dominate the top of the Week 3 projections, as we provide our consensus rankings taking the average of the weekly projections from ESPN, NFL, CBS, and FantasyPros.
Chartreuse/Dolin/Nonino/Clairin Le Rocher/istock/Uproxx
There are a handful of spirits that fit the criteria for drinking neat. We’re talking about Scotch, bourbon, rye, and various other whiskeys, rums, tequilas, and mezcals. Otherwise, most spirits are best suited as mixers. Or so drinkers are often led to believe. But if you branch out and try some different spirits, you’ll find that there’s a whole world of unexpected sippers out there just waiting for an ice cube.
Jorge Centeno, head bartender at The Deer Path Inn in Lake Forest, Illinois has a pick that’s usually used as a cocktail ingredient.
“Definitely Vermouth,” he says. “I enjoy it because it’s so full of flavor, it’s fun and complex, the options are endless, lower ABV than vodka or whisky. There is definitely a vermouth for everyone.”
Centeno isn’t the only bartender with strong opinions on less-than-typical bottles to enjoy neat or on the rocks. 16 bartenders and mixologists were kind enough to let us in on their picks for the best unexpected bottles to drink straight. Check them all out below and click the prices to buy a bottle for yourself.
Clairin Le Rocher Rum
Clairin Le Rocher
Anton Kinloch, owner of Fuschia Tiki in New Paltz, New York
Clairin Le Rocher specifically due to its use of 30% dunder [the liquid left after distillation] resulting in this incredibly aromatic spirit. It’s also distilled to proof so there’s no additional water added — this is as good as it gets.
As a lover of various types of brandy, I have lately been enjoying Cardenal Mendoza brandy de Jerez. Regarded as ‘gran solera reserve,’ this brandy is outrageously complex and shows deep fig and raisin character with notes of old wood and molasses. I love this brandy in a cognac tulip or a snifter.
At the end of a hard day, if I really need a solid drink, my go-to is an aperitivo or digestive. One of my favorites is Amaro Nonino. This grapa-based amaro has stronger influences of citrus, gentian, and a touch of caramel, definitely easy to down when in need of a mood pick-me-up.
The Botanist Islay Dry Gin. Made by Bruichladdich who knows their way around a distillate, this gin is infused with 22 locally foraged botanicals (such as wood sage, creeping thistle, and lemon balm), it offers a silky texture, with beautiful floral notes that showcase the versatility of the Islay distillery, as well as the complexity of the Island itself.
Fernet-Branca
Fernet-Branca
David Ortiz, corporate beverage manager at Rocco’s Tacos in Tampa, Florida
A unique spirit that I enjoy drinking neat is Fernet-Branca Liqueur. It’s an Italian aperitivo liqueur that’s very bitter but serves as a digestive. Once you acquire a taste for it, it will become part of your drinking habit.
Dolin Blanc Vermouth
Dolin Blanc
Robert Kidd, head bartender at Le Cavalier in Wilmington, Delaware
Dolin Blanc Vermouth is delightful served chilled. Especially in the summer at the start of a meal or between courses. I love to serve it in a wine glass with a lemon twist and a mint leaf. The lemon adds just the right amount of acid, and the mint leaf really brings out the alpine aromatic quality of the vermouth. Vermouth first and foremost should be something delicious we can enjoy — not just one of the ingredients we reach for when making a martini.
I recently had the chance to taste the new range of Belvedere Organic Infusions. I have to be honest, I was not a fan of flavored vodka, but when I tasted the Lemon & Basil there was a party in my mouth. The flavors are so clean and rich that I just add some ice and keep sipping it all day long.
Green Chartreuse makes a great neat pour. It collects dust in a lot of bars but has so many cocktail applications. By itself, it is herbal and sweet but with a proof that leaves you with a warm feeling. It’s great for sipping casually but also can help catch up to friends that are already well into their night.
It may be an acquired taste, but right now I am really enjoying sipping on Suze. It’s a complex French liqueur made from gentian root. It is delicately bitter with layers of citrus and floral. I typically serve it neat, but because of the citrus flavors, it’s really nice with a simple twist of lemon, too.
Christian Drouin Calvados VSOP
Christian Drouin
Adam Fournier, bar director at Fellow in Los Angeles
I secretly love calvados and almost always have an open bottle on my bar cart. I’m particularly fond of anything produced by the Christian Drouin family. This is some of the best apple brandy in the world and the crisp apple flavors melded with the oak aging with a finish of intense baking spices creates a meal in a glass.
Emphatically, Branca Menta. For years, the “bartender’s handshake” among cocktail culture bearers has been a shot of Fernet-Branca. It’s a bitter, dry aperitif and digestive that isn’t for the meek. Branca Menta, on the other hand, is the mint-tinged version of the same spirit. It slides down easily, with an earthy feel that leaves you warm and fuzzy inside.
[Editor: This is a favorite of mine, too.]
Whisper Creek Tennessee Sipping Cream
Whisper Creek
Brandon Parnell, general manager and director of beverage for Flora-Bama in Perdido Key, Florida
Whisper Creek Tennessee Sipping Cream. The base spirit for this family of brands is Tennessee whiskey which lends itself perfectly as a complement to the natural flavors that define these killer cream-based products.
Kintaro Honkaku Shochu
Kintaro Shochu
Ryan Pines, beverage director at Ukiah in Asheville, North Carolina
I would have to say lately it has been Kintaro roasted barley shochu. I can have it straight or in a highball. It’s very versatile and I love that long finish of roasted barley. It’s definitely different, but not to be missed.
It may be an unexpected bottle to you, but to me, it’s as regular as the mail. Amaro Del’erborista from the Varnelli family in la Marche Italy. It’s a gentian and honey amaro that’s made with honey From bees that pollenate the gentian and local vegetation. This leaves the honey with a distinctively bitter flavor. The botanicals are toasted with open flames before macerating giving the final product a slightly smoky aroma and flavor that’s transportive.
Due to an earthquake, fire and, the global pandemic it’s been hard to come by for a while. If you see it, buy it.
Tequila Cascahuin Plata 48. It’s a higher proof blanco tequila that’s actually perfect for sipping on a hot summer day or to have with soda and a squeeze of lime. It’s one of the purest expressions of blanco tequila.
Bozal Guías de Calabaza Mezcal
Bozal
Deke Dunne, master mixologist at Allegory DC in Washington, DC
I recently tried Bozal Guías de Calabaza, their vegetarian pechuga-style mezcal, at Espita, a Washington, DC based mezcaleria. It was an absolute joy to drink. Pechuga is a traditional, ceremonial style mezcal that is usually distilled with chicken or other types of meats, and is incredibly savory and creates a unique drinking experience. I was blown away by Bozal’s vegetarian offering, Guías de Calabaza. Firstly, I had never had a vegetarian pechuga, and secondly, it was one of the most fun drinking experiences I have had in a while. Here they used ingredients such as pumpkin stems, plantains, and seasonal fruits and grains. They also used chepiche, an herb commonly used in Mexican cooking to season meats. It was a super vegetal, as one might expect, but it surprised me with a fruity, but meaty savoriness.
The fact that they could achieve the same savoriness as a regular pechuga while using strictly vegetarian ingredients is super cool stuff. Needless to say, I ended up ordering a couple more pours that evening. This bottle is a limited release but pick it up if you can. You won’t regret it.
As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive a commission pursuant to certain items on this list.
Nintendo’s Direct event on Thursday had a lot of teases when it came to upcoming games, but perhaps the biggest news came when the event announced the cast of its upcoming Mario movie. Because while people will certainly be excited about new content in Animal Crossing, no one really saw Chris Pratt as Mario coming.
Chris Pratt as Mario Anya Taylor-Joy as Peach Charlie Day as Luigi Jack Black as Bowser Keegan-Michael Key as Toad Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek Sebastian Maniscalco as Spike Surprise cameos from Charles Martinet
The announcement came near the end of the presentation, when Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto appeared to reveal the main stars of the film. While the movie will be animated, the voice acting decisions are a big deal considering gaming fans have heard these characters saying various phrases for decades. Which is why there was something odd about major Hollywood stars being asked to take on these video game roles.
The biggest name, of course, was Pratt taking the leading role as Mario. The headshot combination along with “Mario” in quotes was, well, very funny.
The rest of the cast announcements were pretty odd as well. While Anya Taylor-Joy playing Princess Peach makes sense, Charlie Day as a “shy” Luigi is certainly interesting as well. Pratt was the main focus of reactions online, though, and his name almost immediately trended on Twitter and earned some interesting reactions.
On one hand, this is a terrible choice. But on the other hand, it is offensive to Italians. I’m torn. https://t.co/T8PYc1SgRX
Chris Pratt’s photo is in black and white because Nintendo knows the Mafia is going to k word him for doing the accent after the movie comes out pic.twitter.com/GH4uEZEew3
A release date for the movie was announced on Thursday as well: December 21, 2022 in North America. So while the hypothetical image of Pratt with a large mustache and Italian accent may haunt you, it’s not likely we’ll actually see what this movie will look like by way of a trailer for some time.
Last Christmas, Alex got exactly what he always wanted: a new “robo” arm.
Sure, it’s basically like having a second hand, but it also does something equally important: It totally reflects his personality. How? It’s a “Transformers”-themed arm.
How did this come about?
Engineering student Albert Manero leads a team at the University of Central Florida that works closely with kids and their parents to provide arms for children at no cost.
They work with kids who were born with physical differences, as well as those who have had amputations and survived accidents. He explains:
“We thought kids just wanted to blend in, and that they wanted to feel ‘normal.’ But it turns out it’s much more about personal identity and expression.”
The team is called Limbitless Solutions.
And they’re not only working with Alex — in fact, they’ve gotten requests for arms from 22 different countries. Each arm is crafted by the team of engineers, artists, and designers to be carefully tailored to the recipient’s unique requests. As team member Dominique Courbin explains, “It’s a facet of their personality.”
So it’s not surprising that on his recent tour, one of the highlights of the night was when Harry took the time to respond to a fan’s sign. It wasn’t one asking for his hand in marriage or begging to be noticed, no, in fact the question was much more existential: Should I text him?.
That’s probably why the question caught Harry’s eye in the first place. He might be a superstar, but he’s still human, and the challenges of communicating desire with someone who may or may not be interested remain! So Harry goes off into a bit of a monologue about what he thinks, and fans went crazy when he finished with the epic concluding thought: “My personal opinion is that if there’s any sort of games, trash, trash, trash, not for you.” Now that’s a pop star opinion I can happily co-sign. Check out his full thoughts above.
At this point, Bruce Springsteen has become so synonymous with New Jersey that it’s hard to imagine one without the other. That’s why it’s not particularly surprising that as the rock and roll veteran turns 72 today, the state who wants to name rest stops after its one true boss wanted to public celebrate the momentous occasion. What’s hilarious, though, is exactly how they chose to do it.
The @NJGov account on Twitter has been well-known for participating in internet culture fun, and that’s exactly what they chose to do in honor of Bruce’s birthday. “Happy birthday dad,” the genius behind the account wrote, perfecting both a dad joke and offering a quintessential use of the joke format of referring to a beloved elder as a parent. They also tagged Springsteen in the photo, which is a very young Bruce sitting waterfront. Full marks, perfect post.
Despite facing intense criticism from friends of the Royal Family for its depiction of Prince Charles and Princess Diana‘s courtship and early marriage, Netflix’s original series The Crown is moving full steam ahead on its fifth season, moving towards the final years of Diana’s life. As part of the process, Netflix has announced The Kite Runner star Khalid Abdalla has been cast as playboy film producer Dodi Fayed, who famously dated Princess Di before the two were killed in a car accident in Paris that has been the source of (mostly debunked) conspiracy theories for over 20 years.
However, the creative team will be facing an uphill challenge when it comes to portraying Fayed, according to Variety:
While Debicki will have plenty of material to draw on given Diana was, at the time, the world’s most photographed woman, Abdalla, who has starred in Paul Greengrass’s “United 93” and “Green Zone,” is not so lucky: Dodi reportedly never gave a single interview during his lifetime.
As mentioned in earlier reports, producers are staying mum on whether the Netflix series will portray the infamous crash that took Fayed and Diana’s life. The show may choose to focus on the tumultuous events leading up to the crash, and the ensuing fallout when the Queen’s popularity plummeted after she was heavily criticized in the aftermath of Diana’s death.
Due to pandemic delays, The Crown Season 5 does not have a release date, but is expected to premiere sometime in 2022.
New York City is among the places where NBA players are expected to follow the local COVID-19 vaccine mandates. While the league itself is not able to mandate the vaccine, it has laid out that local vaccine requirements will need to be followed, meaning players would miss practices or games so long as these are in place.
The report comes after Nets general manager Sean Marks was asked about the local ordinances, and while he did not specify, he said that there would be issues if the season started today that he anticipates would be remedied by the time the season starts.
“Regarding if they could play today, I can’t comment on who could play and so forth,” Marks said Tuesday in the team’s preseason news conference. “There would obviously be a couple people missing from that picture.
“I won’t get into who it is, but we feel confident in the following several days before camp everybody would be allowed to participate and so forth.”
When asked if he believed the issue would be resolved before regular-season games begin next month, Marks simply said, “Correct.”
It’s unclear whether or not Marks meant the issue would be resolved because players would be vaccinated or New York’s ordinances would be lifted. Brooklyn’s training camp is slated to start next week, while their season starts on Oct. 19 against the Milwaukee Bucks.
In a notable break from his prior stance on executive privilege, President Joe Biden and White House officials are reportedly leaning towards providing Congress with information on Donald Trump and his aides’ actions during the January 6 on the U.S. Capitol building. The attack occurred after Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally where he encouraged his MAGA supporters to “fight like hell” moments before they breached the Capitol in an attempt to stop the 2020 election results from being certified. There were also reports of intruders wielding zipties and rope while searching for the location of Vice President Mike Pence along with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
As for why the White House is moving towards releasing the info, the select committee has been effectively arguing that Trump shouldn’t be protected now that he’s out of office. Via Washington Post:
Members of the investigative committee argue that Trump no longer enjoys the protection of executive privilege, encouraging the White House to push aside institutional concerns about sharing information with Congress and aid the panel in an investigation focused on what Democrats and a handful of Republicans have called an assault on democracy.
“It’s not really relevant because there’s no president involved — there’s no such thing as a former president’s executive privilege,” said Rep. Jamie B. Raskin (D-Md.), a committee member who teaches constitutional law. “That’s extremely dilute and not really relevant.”
According to Biden spokesman Michael Gwin, the president considers the attack on the Capitol to be a “dark stain on our country’s history,” and he’s willing to ignore Trump’s specious claim of executive privilege to prevent a similar event from happening again.
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