The Netflix Is A Joke comedy festival is gearing up to launch their ten-day event, and even though massive layoffs in their editorial departments this week might put a damper on the fest, it is still continuing as planned. The massive streamer is well-known, at this point, for launching its own original content, and the platform’s head of comedy, Tracey Pakosta, gave an extensive interview with Deadline about future plans in advance of this year’s festival. Though Pakosta has lots to say in the lengthy feature, what might be most interesting for rap fans is a tidbit about the streamer’s current deal with Megan Thee Stallion, which includes a first look clause.
According to Pakosta, Megan came into meetings with Netflix with a concept already in place. “It’s very early stages,” Pakosta cautioned, before letting fans know the scoop anyway: “She came in and she pitched something loosely based on her life growing up, and we got very excited about it. We think she’s special.” Based on what we know about what Megan has already gone through in her life, losing her mom right when her rap career was blowing up, a little humor injected into the story will be necessary. But there’s almost no one funnier than the “Plan B” rapper at the moment, and she could easily carry a series. And maybe Netflix could hire back some of those writers to help work on it? Just a thought.
All-night ragers are fun. Yes, there are some consequences, but also… YOLO. And what better place and time to release your inhibitions than at Coachella? While the actual festival only lasts until about 11 p.m. each night, the slew of after-parties in the desert have all the stimulants you need to keep the good vibes rolling — flashing neon lights, good booze, epic performances.
One standout after-hours extravaganza is hosted by Framework, a trailblazing underground electronic music promotions company. Framework’s large-scale events combine iconic locations, world-class production, and well-renowned dance music talent. Having been integral to Coachella’s Yuma Tent since the stage’s inception in 2013, Framework has now built a second home in the desert. During Coachella’s opening weekend (April 15 – April 17), Framework unveiled a never before used venue at Thermal Airport.
The event, held across all three nights of the festival, featured performances by legendary electronic artists including Purple Disco Machine, SG Lewis, Jayda G, The Martinez Brothers, Black Coffee, with special guest from Ninja Tune’s much-buzzed-about Korean breakout, Peggy Gou, Damian Lazarus, Michael Bibi, Dixon, and Leyla Benitez.
Between the heavy beats, unique airport backdrop, and non-stop dancing, Framework transformed Thermal Airport into a post-festival desert oasis. Scroll through the photos below to lift your spirits for the weekend ahead and inspire you to find the next big all-night party.
Baby Tate has been slowly but steadily rising, and her latest single “Dancing Queen” is another brick in that wall. No, it’s not an Abba cover or reference, for those who might be wondering, this is a different kind of dancing. Tate and her crew make their way into a dark, deserted warehouse, where they have lots of room for gravity-defying moves and Tate’s unstoppable flow. The Harlem Shake gets brought up, but mostly Tate and her crew are happy to engage in regionless moves that run the gamut from ballet to twerking, to everything in between. There’s also a bit of drama between dance crews that’s played out in the end of the clip, so make sure to watch until the end to get your fill of rap skit vibes.
Of course, it wouldn’t be an ominous rap video if there wasn’t also a kidnapping involved, and a run-in with the police, who are completely floored by what they walk into in this warehouse. Check out that clip up top, and if you’re looking for more from Tate, check out her recent appearance on Uproxx Sessions, where she performs her “S.H.O.” track, an explicit song that you just might want to get your headphones out to listen to — it’s that raunchy.
For this blind taste test, I grabbed ten new bourbons from the last year or so from my shelf. I didn’t rule anything out. There are bottles with wine cask finishings, 15-year-old rarities, and a bottle that hasn’t even come out yet. How’s that for “new”? I had them poured for me and numbered while I was out of the room and then I started tasting.
Not to spoil anything, but this set of whiskey really broke down into two groups. The bottom half of the ranking below are all good-not-amazing but still could have all been tied for second place. The top five were all killers and could have been tied for first place. It was a good group of whiskeys that all had their own unique nuances and attributes. That made ranking these especially hard.
Our lineup today is:
Thomas S. Moore Cabernet Cask Finish
Stellum Black Bourbon
Widow Jane The Vaults 15-Year
Old Elk Four Grain Bourbon
George Dickel Bourbon
Broken Barrel California Oak
Knob Creek 15
New Riff Red Turkey Wheated Bourbon
I.W. Harper Cabernet Cask Finish
Barrell Craft Spirits 15-Year
Let’s dive in!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Blind Taste Test Posts Of The Last Six Months
Stone fruit and vanilla lead on the nose with hints of sugar cookies, bright peach, and old-yet-soft oak. The palate leans into cherry bark with plum, mulled wine, vanilla, and sharp sassafras. The spice on the mid-palate leads to some old leather, more of that soft oak, and a hint of sweet potting soil with a plummy finish.
Taste 2
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Green pepper and green cedar counterpoint kettle corn, salted caramel, and almost floral vanilla with a creamsicle vibe. The orange lingers on the palate as soft suede leads to vanilla cream, winter spices, a touch of black pepper, and mocha espresso beans. The vanilla returns but feels more like vanilla tobacco on the finish as a pepper/leather/cedar vibe lingers at the end.
Taste 3
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Birch juice, vanilla bark, pipe tobacco, sassafras, and a light touch of mint mingle on the nose all inside an old leather pouch. The taste has a lemon meringue pie feel that leads to vanilla tobacco, mint chocolate chip ice cream, and a brown sugar forward mid-palate. The end leans into cherry bark tobacco with a hint of cinnamon rolls and a classic mix of caramel, vanilla, and oak on the finish.
Taste 4
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Marzipan and vanilla cookies lead the way with dark fruit leather, digestive biscuits, raisins, and caramel rounding out the rest of the nose. Nutmeg-heavy creamy eggnog leads the way in the taste with support from oatmeal cookies, sweetgrass, vanilla tobacco, wintry spices, and a hint of raw, grated carrot — a sweet one — on the very end.
Taste 5
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
This opens pretty classically with vanilla, caramel, dried pine, and apple crumble with plenty of brown butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon spice on the nose. The palate leans into dry corn husks with a toffee sweetness touched by nutmeg as pear and orange zest mingle on the mid-palate. The finish teeters between dry sweetgrass and almost creamy vanilla/cherry spiced tobacco.
Taste 6
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with a pan of fresh cinnamon rolls next to tart berries, soft oak, and almost floral red wine with a hint of caramel. That tartness carries on with a Granny Smith apple vibe as peach, red wine staves, vanilla ice cream, and spicy mulled wine drive the taste. The finish has a soft vanilla pudding feel with an apple wine note and a hint of those red-wine-soaked oak staves.
Taste 7
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Saddle leather, cobwebs, cellar beams, dark fruit leather, vanilla husks, and salted caramel all lead to cherry tobacco on the nose. The dark fruit leather continues on the palate as cedar boxes full of sweet tobacco lead to apple cider on the mid-palate. The finish, on the other hand, is all about cherry tobacco oatmeal raisin cookies with nutmeg, and a hint of soft and silky vanilla cream that’s just touched with mint.
Taste 8
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Red bread crusts, dry reeds, cherry pie filling, and citrus oils (orange and maybe grapefruit) mingle with soft leather and a touch of cedar on the nose. The palate leans into cherry cough syrup with a spicy edge next to old leather, eggnog spices, and a hint of cherry root beer with a sweetgrass edge. The finish is all about that cherry tied to spicy tobacco with a hint of grapefruit skins and maybe some wet granite.
Taste 9
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Buttery caramel, rich vanilla, sweet cherry, and dried red wine in the bottom of a wine glass mingle with a hint of dry porch wicker on the nose. The taste is more about tart cherries, soft oak, and plenty of spicy yet sweet mulled red wine. Nutmeg and vanilla cream mix on the backend as dark chocolate, a hint more of that sweetgrass, and a soft cherry bark end the sip a little short.
Taste 10
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Tobacco spice and cedar boxes lead the way on the nose with a sense of chewable vitamins, tart apple pie, saffron stewed pears, salted toffee, and something savory that’s kind of like pasta water. Creaminess drives the palate through notes of wet brown sugar, dried raspberry, dried roses, and the cream from the top of an espresso. The raspberry pops in near the end with a figgy pudding vibe, a little more cedar, minty tobacco, and the chalk from that vitamin C tablet on the nose.
This Diageo whiskey is a sourced Kentucky bourbon that’s aged at the famed Stitzel-Weller distillery for four years. The whiskey is then finished in red wine barrels from California before blending, proofing, and bottling.
Bottom Line:
This ended up last more by elimination than anything else. There just wasn’t anywhere else to put it. It was in no way any less drinkable than the other four in the bottom five, it just didn’t really spark anything on the palate. It’d be fine in cocktails though.
This release from Sazerac’s other distillery, Barton 1792 Distillery, has become a yearly release. The juice in the bottle is generally kept under wraps. What we do know is that the bourbon is finished in a Cabernet Sauvignon for a spell before blending, proofing, and bottling.
Bottom Line:
Overall, this was a “Meh…” It was nice enough but never really grabbed my attention, much less kept it.
8. New Riff Red Turkey Wheated Bourbon — Taste 8
New Riff
ABV: 50%
Average Price: Limited Availability ($50 MSRP)
The Whiskey:
This release from craft whiskey darling, New Riff, is all about the heritage grains. The whiskey uses a 19th-century grain, Red Turkey Wheat, to create a unique whiskey. The juice is aged for five years at New Riff’s warehouse before it’s vatted, proofed ever so slightly, and bottled as-is.
Bottom Line:
This was fine. There wasn’t really anything that stood out though. It felt like a perfectly good cocktail bourbon and not much else on this panel.
This Kentucky bourbon from Owensboro Distilling Co. married the Bluegrass state with California’s wine country. The whisky — made with a mash of 70 percent corn, 21 percent rye, and nine percent malted barley — spends a few years in new oak. The prime barrels are then transferred to steel tanks filled with 80 percent broken California cabernet cask staves and 20 percent broken new French oak staves. After a long rest with those staves, the whiskey is proofed and bottled.
Bottom Line:
This was, again, fine. Nothing really jumped out at me and the end was a little short. Seeing the price now, this seems perfectly suitable for $30 but won’t wow anyone. I’ll happily use it in highballs though.
This whiskey from out in Colorado leans into farm-to-glass and sourcing to create some great bottles of whiskey. This expression is made from a four-grain mash bill of 51 percent corn, 22.5 percent wheat, 19 percent malted barley, and 7.5 percent rye. That whiskey then spends six to seven years aging in the Rocky Mountain state before it’s bottled as-is.
Bottom Line:
This was the best of the first half of the bottles ranked on this list. This is a damn fine bourbon with some nice depth. That said, I think I want to try this in a cocktail next as opposed to a sipper.
Barrell Craft Spirits is another craft blendery that’s sourcing some of the best barrels in the game and expertly marrying those barrels. This expression blends 15-year-old bourbon from Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennesse into a final product that reaches new heights for blended bourbon.
Bottom Line:
This was the biggest surprise. I would have put money on this winning today. But there was something about the chalky end that didn’t do it for me. Still, the whole rest of the sip was pretty unique and delicious.
This whisky was a special release from Nicole Austin and a new direction for the brand. The whisky is the same Dickel simply pulled from barrels that leaned more into classic bourbon flavor notes instead of Dickel’s iconic Tennessee whisky notes. The barrels are a minimum of eight years old before they’re vatted. The juice is then cut down to a manageable 90-proof and bottled.
Bottom Line:
This hit some serious classic bourbon notes today. It’s so easy drinking while still offering some serious depth. Though I think this might lean more towards a cocktail base, it’s a really good one that works as a sipper on the rocks too.
The 2021 release of Widow Jane’s much-lauded The Vaults is a mix of big, old bourbons. The whiskeys in the blend are 15 to 17-year-old barrels that are re-barreled in New York in Adirondack Oak casks for a final rest. Those whiskeys are then blended and bottled as-is with a touch of New York springwater.
Bottom Line:
This was another great whiskey. This could easily have been number one but felt a little smaller than the two bourbons on the list.
Stellum Bourbon was one of our favorite bourbons for 2021. Just as the year ended, we got another version of Stellum that’s sure to dominate lists this year. Stellum Black Bourbon basically takes the recipe from Stellum Bourbon and uses the reserve barrels (sourced from Indiana, Tennessee, and Kentucky) from the series to create this heightened blend. The whiskey is batched and bottled at cask strength to let those barrels shine through in every sip.
Bottom Line:
There was a lot going on here and it all made sense on the palate. It was bold and unique but still felt easy to drink and understandable. Moreover, this felt fresh and kind of new while maintaining a touch of classic bourbon feel.
Knob Creek is what Jim Beam becomes with a little massaging, the right aging locations in warehouses, and some luck from the whiskey angels. The juice is made from Beam’s standard 77 percent corn, 13 percent rye, and 10 percent malted barley mash. Then it’s left alone for 15 years in the Beam warehouses on specific floors in specific locations. The best barrels are then small batched and proofed down to 100 proof.
Bottom Line:
This was just so goddamn easy yet deep. It felt like listening to your dad tell a story on the porch you’ve heard a million times but still laugh at every time. The flavor profile was very classic but hit all those notes perfectly without overdoing the oak/age. This was just a great sipper.
Part 3: Final Thoughts
Zach Johnston
It’s hard to argue with Knob Creek 15. It’s just a stellar whiskey all around. Fred Noe, Beam’s Master Distiller, really hit gold with that expression. It’s just so goddamn easy-going but rewarding.
Overall, I stand by what I said up top, this really broke into two categories. The bottom five are all “fine” but not that engaging. The top five could have been tied for number one due to each having its own little nuances that stood out. In the end, Knob Creek won out, but I’d happily pour numbers two through five again anytime.
It’s pretty safe to say that everyone loves a good love story.
There’s a whole genre of music and movies dedicated to the idea of someone being swept off of their feet after circumstances tried to keep them from their true love. Romance novels could single handedly keep public libraries and bookstores afloat. Everyone loves “love” and the story of Betsy and Irv just takes the cake. Betsy Sailor attended Penn State University as a business major, which was almost unheard of in 1978 and Irv Pankey attended the university while playing football. The pair’s paths never crossed, until an unfortunate incident bonded the two forever.
That year, Betsy was at home singing and dancing with her refrigerator door as one does when looking for food, when she was sexually assaulted at knife point by none other than star Penn State football player, Todd Hodne. When Irv heard the evidence against Hodne during the trial, he knew he had to do something about it. In fact, he was the only one on the team who did.
After the assault Betsy moved back on campus, and that’s when she met Irv, a burly football player who understood what it was like to be outcast. He knocked on her door, introduced himself and offered to essentially be her protection as she traversed through campus. The pair were glued at the hip until graduation. Irv went on to play for the LA Rams and Betsy went on to work in human resources. They hadn’t spoken since, until 44 years later when ESPN decided to cover their unique bond that helped Betsy get through college.
Hear directly from Betsy Sailor and Irv Pankey as they discuss their relationship in my recent interview with them (created by director @nicole_noren ): 12/12pic.twitter.com/GmWVIYp38O
And that’s when this already compelling tale became a love story.
Irv and Betsy stayed in touch after the documentary was filmed, and when ESPN did an update, Betsy became emotional while talking about Irv. The two smiled and said they spend as much time together as possible. Irv said “We’re riding off into the sunset. Calling it a day. Peace out! I hope we can enjoy each other’s company for the rest of our lives and just move on,” He continued “We’re 65 years old. We ain’t got time to be messing around.”
If that isn’t a love story to write home about, then I don’t know what is. Best wishes Betsy and Irv. You both deserve a lifetime of happiness.
There’s a strange bit of hypocrisy going down in the state of Florida. During the COVID pandemic, it was a place where some protested lockdowns and mask mandates under the umbrella of personal freedom. But now, some of the same lawmakers in the state are doing an about-face and pushing to ban certain books in its public schools.
Last month, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law that allows parents to recommend certain instructional materials be banned from the schools. More than 200 books (mostly those that deal with race, sexuality or LGBTQ+ issues) have been banned in school districts across the state since the law took effect.
A Florida activist is asking state school districts to ban the Bible u2014 saying it’s not an age-appropriate book for kids and contains references to rape, bestiality and infanticide.https://n.pr/3ENOO2m
Stevens sent petitions to public school superintendents across the state asking districts to “immediately remove the Bible from the classroom, library, and any instructional material,” Stevens wrote. “Additionally, I also seek the banishment of any book that references the Bible.”
“My goal is to use the law as our expert politicians in Tallahassee intended,” Stevens said. “There were no carve-outs for religious texts, so I would assume they meant for them to be in play.”
Billy Epting, assistant superintendent of Leon County Schools, is taking the suggestion seriously and reviewing the complaint.
“If I don’t, that creates a situation where I’m showing favoritism or injecting personal opinion in the process,” he said. “The last thing I want to do is pretend or take something as a joke or satirical and it comes back to bite us.”
In Stevens’ letter, he gives numerous reasons why the Bible is inappropriate to have in Florida schools. One reason he claims is that the bible teaches “wokeness” which is a clear jab at the state’s recent ban on teaching Critical Race Theory.
“With the constant babbling concerns about teaching Critical Race Theory, should we not take stock of the Bible’s position on slavery? I am concerned our young white students will read such passages and wake up to civilization’s sordid past,” Stevens writes before referencing Paul’s pro-slavery Epistle to the Ephesians where he notes that servants should be “obedient to them that are your masters.”
Stevens also warns that the talk of bestiality in the Bible violates Florida law. “Taking a cue from Florida Statute Ch. 847.001 6(a,b,c), one should consider such discussions to be harmful to minors and obscene,” he writes.
BREAKING: My home county, Walton County, Florida has moved forward on banning 58 books from Walton County Public School Libraries. nnHere is the list:pic.twitter.com/IDjnq0XKNP
He also cautions that some of the positive, humane messages in the Bible may teach children “to show empathy for their classmates” and that could lead them one step closer to “getting their LGBTQ+ freak on.”
The self-proclaimed “stunt activist” successfully got several cities in the state to drop the religious invocations that open their city commission meetings seven years ago. Stevens demanded they either stop the invocations or allow him, a self-described “minion of Satan” to lead a prayer to the Prince of Darkness before meetings.
To avoid having to give equal time to a “Satanist,” the cities stopped doing religious invocations, with some switching over to a moment of silence.
“My activism in the past has been wildly successful,” Stevens said. “And, I imagine, will continue on a similar trajectory.”
DeSantis’ craven use of political power to give anyone with an ax to grind the right to silence the voices of people of color and diminish LGBTQ+ visibility is as regressive as it is short-sighted. Stevens’ campaign has brilliantly exposed the unintended consequences of DeSantis’ law. Once like-minded people begin to follow his lead, lawmakers will have to learn a lesson humanity learned decades ago: banning books is no way to create social change.
Dr. Strange might find himself in multiple universes, but probably not in Saudi Arabia.
Marvel’s follow-up to their 2016 hit starring Benedict Cumberbatch is set to introduce a new character named America Chavez, played by Xochitl Gomez. In addition to being able to punch holes through the multiverse (nifty power), America is openly gay in the comics and will be represented similarly in the film.
The Guardian reported that Saudi Arabia, which regards homosexuality as a capital offense, has asked Disney to cut “LGBTQ references” before screening. Egypt and Kuwait have already prohibited the movie.
Nawaf Alsabhan, Saudi Arabia’s general supervisor of cinema classification, told the Guardian that the cuts would amount to “barely 12 seconds” and include America referring to her “two moms,” but noted even that arguably-minute portion of the film would be “very tough to pass” according to the kingdom’s standards.
So far, Disney has refused the request. And it doesn’t look like they’re backing down.
Though the movie has not been officially banned, it would not be the first Marvel film to be stripped from Saudi Arabia’s theaters. In November 2021, “The Eternals” was not released and was removed from websites due to portraying a same-sex couple. The two married characters, Phastos (Brian Henry) and Ben (Haaz Sleiman) share a kiss. And only one month later, Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” suffered the same fate for having a nonbinary character.
💬Nawaf Alsabhan, Saudi Arabia’s general supervisor of cinema classification, said: “It’s just her talking about her moms, because she has two moms. Being in the Middle East, it’s very tough to pass something like this.”https://t.co/W2L1XKWNjX
Disney has received an increasing amount of attention (both in the form of praise and criticism) for its role in LGBTQ advocacy.
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On the one hand, the franchise offers an ever increasing amount of representation not only for the LGBTQ community, but for other marginalized, underrepresented groups. On the other hand, fans have also expressed feelings of betrayal over the company previously donating money to Republicans who supported Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay.” Some Pixar employees also came forward claiming the majority of inclusive scenes featured in the animated film “Turning Red” had been cut by studio executives.
So, is Disney’s refusal to cut these scenes from “Dr. Strange 2” simply pandering in order to maintain some kind of “woke” image? The film’s lead doesn’t seem to think so. In a press tour for the movie, Cumberbatch shared how the “expected disappointment“ of the ban further emphasized the necessity for inclusion.
“We’ve come to know from those repressive regimes that their lack of tolerance is exclusionary to people who deserve to be not only included, but celebrated for who they are and made to feel part of a society and a culture and not punished for their sexuality,” he said. “It feels truly out of step with everything that we’ve experienced as a species, let alone where we’re at globally more as a culture, but frankly, it’s just even more reason why this isn’t tokenism to include an LGBTQ+ community member.”
“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” promises a journey across alternate realities while confronting power foes. Hopefully by Disney maintaining its stance, we will get closer to our very own reality where there is more tolerance and compassion.
Anderson Paak is coming off a really big year due to his collaboration with Bruno Mars as Silk Sonic. The duo embraced throwback R&B, soul, and funk vibes with such full throated joy, that they even picked up the Grammy for Record Of The Year at this year’s ceremony, honored for the project’s kickoff single “Leave The Door Open.” Since the track also picked up Song Of The Year, you can imagine that Anderson is riding on cloud nine energy at the moment, and knows it’s the perfect time to strike while the iron is hot and release some new music of his own.
And what better way to cut through the noise of constant releases than by skipping a step and heading straight to the advertising world? Paak partnered with Budweiser to debut his latest track, “Yours To Take,” by featuring it in an ad for the beer company. In the clip, which runs just over ninety seconds, a bunch of different artists and creatives are featured doing their thing — including a female drummer, which is cool, and a nice nod to Paak’s on tenure behind the kit — before eventually gathering at clubs and different events. And what do they drink there? You guessed it — the king of beers. It’s not a terribly heavy-handed commercial though, as those goes, and the song sounds very much in line with classic Paak. Check it out up top.
If someone says, “let’s order a margarita flight” when you walk into a bar, you kind of have to do it. It’s not a law, but don’t be an asshole. Margaritas are, generally, great and a whole flight translates to “let’s have a good time, now!” (Should you bother making margarita flights at home? That’s a whole other question.)
Still, to test these recipes that’s essentially what I did — made a flight. I prepped four margaritas that I’ve seen smashing on Tiktok and Instagram — strawberry basil margarita, a ghost pepper mango margarita, a passionfruit margarita, and a classic margarita — and compared their merits. These are all shakers, so let’s get shaking!
Also Read: The Top Five Cocktail Recipes of the Last Six Months
1.5 oz. reposado tequila (plus a splash from the bottle)
0.75 oz. fresh lime juice
0.5 oz. orange liqueur
0.5 oz. cherry liqueur
0.25 oz. simple syrup
Ice
Basil (for garnish)
The ingredients on this one are pretty easy to source. I recommend a classic Genovese basil as it’ll have the broadest leaves for the muddle. Smaller form basil — like Thai or Greek — will get really bitter if you over-muddle them since they’re more concentrated.
Before we move on, for all of these recipes, I’m using Don Julio Reposado. I love this stuff for everything from a Ranch Water to shots to Palomas to classic margaritas.
What You’ll Need:
Rocks glass
Cocktail Shaker
Cocktail strainer
Juicer
Fine strainer
Pairing knife
Jigger
Muddler
Zach Johnston
Method:
Fill the rocks glass with ice.
Add the strawberries, basil, fresh lime juice, and simple syrup to a cocktail shaker, and use the muddler to mash the basil and strawberry to create a juicy base.
Add the tequila, orange liqueur, and cherry liqueur to the shaker with a handful of ice. Affix the lid and shake vigorously until the shaker is ice cold and frosted over.
Strain with a fine-mesh strainer into the waiting glass, making sure to remove all the basil and strawberry flesh.
Garnish with fresh basil.
Margarita 2 — Mango Ghost Pepper
Zach Johnston
Ingredients:
1.5 oz. reposado tequila (plus a splash from the bottle)
1 oz. mango puree
0.5 oz. fresh lime juice
0.5 oz. orange liqueur
4 dashes of ghost pepper chili sauce
Mango slice (for garnish)
Ice
Mango puree might be a little harder to find. This is a bar juice of sorts that you should be able to get at any real liquor store. Though some of these will have sugar added, you really need the “puree” to add the correct, silky texture to these sorts of drinks. The best stuff — and what good bars use — usually come in bags like this.
As for the ghost pepper chili sauce, I simply grabbed what was in my fridge (pictured below). I like these spicier, so I wasn’t short with my sauce in the cocktail. Dial in your own balance as you practice making these.
What You’ll Need:
Rocks glass
Cocktail Shaker
Cocktail strainer
Juicer
Sieve
Pairing knife
Jigger
Zach Johnston
Method:
Fill the glass with ice.
Add the tequila, mango puree, orange liqueur, chili sauce, and lime juice to a shaker.
Top up with ice, affix the lid, and shake until the shaker is frosted over.
Strain into a waiting rocks glass and garnish with a mango wedge.
Margarita 3 — Passionfruit
Zach Johnston
Ingredients:
1.5 oz. reposado tequila (plus a splash from the bottle)
1 oz. passionfruit puree
0.5 oz. fresh lime juice
0.5 oz. orange liqueur
Granadilla seeds from half of the fruit
Granadilla slice (for garnish)
Ice
The same goes for the passionfruit puree as the mango puree above. You can also find these on Amazon in a pinch.
As for the granadilla, that’s a type of sweet passionfruit that works better as a garnish as it better matches the color of the cocktail. Also, the seeds add a nice visual touch to the whole thing. If you can’t find them, regular passionfruit works fine.
What You’ll Need:
Rocks glass
Cocktail Shaker
Cocktail strainer
Juicer
Sieve
Pairing knife
Jigger
Zach Johnston
Method:
Fill the glass with ice.
Add the tequila, passionfruit puree, orange liqueur, lime juice, and seeds from half of a granadilla to a shaker.
Top up with ice, affix the lid, and shake until the shaker is frosted over.
Strain into a waiting rocks glass with a wide mouth strainer (which will allow the seeds through) then garnish with a half slice of granadilla
Margarita 4 — The Classic Margarita
Zach Johnston
Ingredients:
1.5 oz. reposado tequila (plus a splash from the bottle)
1 oz. fresh lime juice
1 oz. orange liqueur
Pinch of salt (about the size of a lentil between your fingers)
Lime wheel
Ice
This is all standard stuff. You should be able to get this at any liquor or grocery store. As for the orange liqueur, I’d go with a Cointreau. It’s a little pricier but worth it for the best marg.
What You’ll Need:
Rocks glass
Cocktail Shaker
Cocktail strainer
Juicer
Sieve
Pairing knife
Jigger
Zach Johnston
Method:
Add ice to the rocks glass.
Add tequila, lime juice, orange liqueur, salt, and ice to a shaker.
Affix the lid to the shaker and shake until the outside of the shaker is frosted over.
Strain the margarita into the waiting rocks glass and garnish with a lime wheel.
Bottom Line:
Zach Johnston
Okay, let’s talk about the margaritas first. These all were pretty damn good. One thing I did learn from this is that making a specialty marg isn’t that big of a deal, as long as you have all the ingredients you need for it in the fridge. Making the strawberry basil margarita only took 20 seconds longer than making the classic one, so there’s no real deterrent if that’s your flavor of choice.
In the end, the mango ghost pepper marg was my favorite. I love the silkiness of the mango and that sweet/spicy/almost woody edge. Then, I’d probably go with the classic marg with the strawberry basil and passionfruit tied for third.
Zach Johnston
As for making all of these at once, well: do you have a good bar set up? Knowing that is the only way I can answer that question. It’s a lot of work to set up your space to make a lot of drinks at once. It was fine and maybe took me five minutes from top to bottom, but I’ve also worked in hardcore cocktails bars.
Moreover, I have the gear (good shakers, strainers, juicers, etc.) to make four cocktails at once. You can 100 percent do this with old jars with lids, as I mentioned above, but you need to make sure to work fast to keep the fidelity of each cocktail high before the ice breaks.
Still, if you make sure to get quality ingredients, have enough grit to shake four cocktails at once, and can do it all pretty quick before the ice starts melting, then, sure, make these at home. Experiment with a million flavor combinations. Have a great time. Or, maybe, just grab a flight the next time you go into your favorite Tex-Mex or Oaxacan joint and save each of these margaritas for when you want a single one at home. That’s the easier pick, to be sure!
Wanda Maximoff might be the best character in the MCU, not just because she has a lot of power and whatnot, but because she is the only character who lost their accent between two of the movies and then just kept going with it. That is acting! She is also the focus of the latest Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness featurette, as fans get a taste of what’s to come when the movie hits theaters next week.
“Part of the madness of the multiverse is that we get to see different realities,” producer Kevin Feige says. “And we see different versions primarily of Doctor Strange, but we do see other versions of Wanda Maximoff.”
Elizabeth Olsen returns to the big screen after her hit Disney+ series WandaVisionbecame the first MCU television series. The show was set up as a prequel to the second Doctor Strange movie, so Wanda will seemingly play a big role in the movie, alongside Doctor Strange himself, Benedict Cumberbatch. “It’s magical. She owns that character so well,” Cumberbatch says of Olsen’s portrayal of Wanda. “It’s a very powerful performance with a very powerful character.”
Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness is the latest contribution to Marvel’s Phase Four of the post-Infinity War saga. AKA, everything after Robert Downey Jr. left to pursue his dreams of becoming a Christopher Nolan star. The movie hits theaters on May 6th. Check out the clip above.
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