It’s summer cocktail season and that means it’s time for true refreshing sippers. That means light, bright, and full of delight. Enter the spicy cucumber margarita — better known as the El Pepino. And trust me, it’s an extra delicious tequila drink for when the weather is hot.
This drink goes back to the early 2010s and maybe the late 2000s. It’s a modern classic that combines, cucumber, lime, a dash of sweetness, triple sec, fresh jalapeno, a little salt, and plenty of blanco tequila. While that all sounds like a lot, it’s really not too hard to make at all. Moreover, the cucumber adds this light and refreshing vibe that really amps up the sipability right now. The combo of chili spice and soft cucumber feels like it’s cooling you down with each sip. Who doesn’t want that?
Start with a good blanco tequila for any margarita. I like Don Julio because I like shooting it too. It’s tasty and makes a great base for a solid marg. I like using Cointreau as the triple sec element but you can use any decent triple sec.
The juices are from Fresh Victor which makes some of the best fresh juice mixers for cocktails out there. It’s real juice without any bullshit. If you can’t find it, you can also use fresh wheels of cucumber in the shaker but it’ll be a little less “fresh” on the finish.
I tend never to use sugar syrups in my margs but the savoriness of the chili pepper and cucumber fruits tends to mute some of the sweeter notes a tad too much. So use a little sugar syrup but use it sparingly.
Lastly, you should be able to find chili salt rimmers from any decent liquor store in the mixer/garnish section.
Zach Johnston
What You’ll Need:
Rocks glass
Cocktail shaker
Cocktail strainer
Fine mesh strainer
Jigger
Pairing knife
Zach Johnston
Method:
Add the tequila, juices, and Cointreau to a cocktail shaker with the fresh chili and a large handful of ice. Affix the lid and shake vigorously for about 20 seconds or until the shaker is ice-cold to touch.
Wet the rim of the glass with the lime wheel and dip the glass into the chili salt and then add fresh ice to the rocks glass.
Double-strain the cocktail into the glass, drop the lime wheel in the glass, and serve.
Bottom Line:
Zach Johnston
This is a refreshing AF cocktail. The savoriness of the cucumber just sneaks in with a big push of the chili pepper adding a sharp edge. Overall, this is going to cool you down quickly if you’re overheating in the sun this summer!
If you’re looking for a truly unique, fresh, and spicy marg to change things up this summer, this is the play. It’s super easy to make. You can find all the ingredients really easily. And it’s tasty with serious depth. You can’t beat it.
Nikola Jokic’s run over the past few seasons has led to basketball fans debating where he sits among the game’s all time greats. That is especially true after he led the Denver Nuggets to the first championship in franchise history, as Jokic was nearly unstoppable en route to being named the NBA Finals MVP.
Recently, Dwight Howard decided to chime in on this, as the former All-Star center laid out to Zion Olojede of Complex Sports why he believes that he was better than Jokic in his prime. While he made it a point to say that he loves Jokic and believes he is already one of the NBA’s great centers, “I’m not going to throw dirt on my own name.”
“Obviously, people going to say Jokic can score,” Howard said. “He got all those offensive skills. But at the same time, I was getting 38 and 20, 45-18, 19, 20, and I’m doing all this with twos. No threes, all twos. I’m doing this with lobs. I’m not getting a lot of post-up attempts like Jokic. He’s getting way more opportunities I would say as far as to show his low post game and all that stuff. And I was just in a different era.”
Howard made the case that he didn’t just need to use skill to score the ball, as he was able to beat opposing players with power and speed, as well. Whether he was better than Jokic, of course, is in the eye of the beholder, and this is where we’ll put the usual caveat that it’s exceedingly rare that an all-time great player will flat-out admit someone is better than them.
Olivia Rodrigo is in the midst of her grand return with the new single “Vampire” and the announcement of her sophomore album Guts. The song starts off small, beginning with just her gentle vocals and piano. It builds as it goes on, gaining momentum until it unfurls into a pulsating anthem.
However, the Sour star is back with a stripped-down version. It doesn’t lose any of it intensity this way; the lyrics come across as even more powerful against this more delicate sonic backdrop. Rodrigo’s knack for heart-wrenching ballads is showcased best in this intimate way.
Upon the original release of “Vampire,” she explained, “I was upset about a certain situation and went to the studio alone and sat down at the grand piano, and the chords and melody and lyrics just poured out of me — almost like an out-of-body experience,” she said in a statement. “It’s a song about feeling confused and hurt, and at first I thought it was meant to be a piano ballad. But when Dan and I started working on it, we juxtaposed the lyrics with these big drums and crazy tempo changes. So now it’s like a heartbreak song you can dance to.”
Listen to the stripped-down version above.
Guts is out 9/8 via Geffen. Find more information here.
Google Pixel, Mass Appeal, and Sony Music Entertainment Certified’s “Pixel RePresents” series continues with Flo Milli and her boisterous new single “Flo The Whistle.” As you’ve probably guessed, “Flo The Whistle” is a reimagining of Too Short’s 2006 hit “Blow The Whistle,” right down to Milli’s clever homage to the original’s cover art. However, where the original is mostly remembered for repeated refrains of Short’s favorite word, Milli’s is an empowerment anthem in which she boasts that she’s getting money and can have any man she wants.
Pixel RePresents launched late last month with Lola Booke, who reinterpreted “Grindin’” by Clipse with “Blind ‘Em.” The idea of the project is to have women in hip-hop recreate some of rap’s biggest hits, culminating in the Pix Tape EP, which will drop next month to commemorate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. It’s a way to acknowledge women’s oftentimes overlooked and underrated contributions to the culture.
Flo Milli, meanwhile, has been busy this year, dropping “Whole Family” with Saucy Santana, “Anything Flows” with Maiya The Don, 2Rare, and Kari Faux. Her career’s doing great, and continues to go up with each passing day.
Listen to Flo Milli’s new take on “Flo The Whistle” below.
Green Flash/Lagunitas/Ballast Point/Sierra Nevada/istock/Uproxx
There are few beer styles as divisive as the West Coast IPA. Still wildly popular, this is the kind of beer that you either love deeply or hate wholeheartedly. That’s because it’s known for its bold use of very dank hops. West Coast IPAs are aromatic and floral while packing a bitter, piney, dank, and very hoppy punch. They certainly aren’t for everyone, yet they’ve been massively popular for as long as the craft beer boom has existed.
The style can be traced back to two different California breweries. The first is San Francisco’s Anchor Brewing where Fritz Maytag decided to use American hops to make an English-style pale ale back in 1975. It was called Liberty Ale and is still available today. The other big name is Ken Grossman. He created the now iconic and industry-changing Sierra Nevada Pale Ale in 1980. This beer — brewed with Cascade hops — started the piney bitter beer movement that’s still rolling strong to this day.
While you can find West Coast IPAs all over the world now, there are a select few from California that have remained popular for years. We decided to take a closer look at some of these classic West Coast bangers and ranked them based on the overall flavor-to-bitterness ratio, which means that we’re looking for beers that still contain layered flavor notes that are not washed out by overly bitter hoppiness. Basically, we’re talking about overall complexity and depth with a tasty drinking experience. Specifically, each beer should be loaded with hoppy, citrus-forward, and earthy fruit aromas and flavors that are perfectly suited for summer sipping. Keep scrolling to see where your favorite IPA landed.
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Beer Posts Of The Last Six Months
First released in 1997, there are a few West Coast IPAs as well-known as Stone IPA. Known for its balanced, tropical fruit, citrus, and pine-centric flavor profile, it’s brewed with a symphony of hops including Magnum, Chinook, Centennial, Azacca, Calypso, Ella, and Vic Secret hops.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is filled with cereal grains, tangerine, lemon peels, grass, and dank pine. The palate is more of the same with orange zest, lemon, sweet malts, and a ton of resinous, dank pine. The finish is fruity and very bitter.
Bottom Line:
This is a classic West Coast IPA through and through. Citrus, pine, and bitter hops. There’s really nothing more to it though and it’s not quite as hard-hitting as it used to be.
This award-winning IPA is brewed with Crystal malts, barley, and wheat. It gets its piney, citrus, dank aroma, and flavor from the liberal use of Columbus and Cascade hops. It’s been one of the most popular West Coast IPAs since its first release in 1997.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is surprisingly fruity with some melon, tangerine, lemon, and of course floral resinous pine. Drinking it revealed freshly baked bread, lemon, orange peel, wet grass, and floral dank pine. The finish is bitter and hoppy making it a decent IPA, but it feels a little watered down.
Bottom Line:
This West Coast IPA ticks all the boxes, it’s just a little more muted in some aspects than we’d prefer in a summery IPA.
This year-round staple was first launched back in 1995. It’s been a mainstay ever since with its balanced profile featuring Caramel and Munich malts alongside Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, and Simcoe hops. It’s known for its mix of citrus, pine, and caramel.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a ton of citrus on this beer’s nose — grapefruit, tangerine, and lemon are very noticeable along with some floral pine. The palate is all candied orange peel, grapefruit, caramel malts, and dank pine. The finish is sweet and bitter.
Bottom Line:
All in all, this one’s a little toned down. Still, this is a well-balanced IPA. It doesn’t have the bitter, hoppy kick that some well-known West Coast IPAs have. It might be better for those looking to try the style for the first time.
Another IPA that’s been around since the 1990s, AleSmith IPA is consistently ranked as one of the best West Coast IPAs on the market. Known for its mix of sweet malts, citrus, and tropical fruits, it’s brewed with Columbus and Citra hops.
Tasting Notes:
A complex nose of caramelized pineapple, grapefruit, and aromatic, floral, dank pine greets you before your first sip. On the palate, you’ll find notes of freshly baked bread, pineapple, tangerine, and a ton of dank pine. The finish is pleasantly bitter and there’s more of a sweet malt backbone than many of the other West Coast IPAs on the market.
Bottom Line:
If you’re looking for a great balance in your beer, you definitely want to try this beer.
Ballast Point Sculpin is one of the most beloved and highest-rated IPAs on the market. Instead of Cascade or Centennial hops, Ballast Point opts for the fruitier and more tropical Amarillo and Simcoe hops.
Tasting Notes:
A lot is going on with Sculpin’s nose with a ton of dried apricot, caramelized pineapple, ripe peach, and dank floral pine. Drinking it brings forth cereal grains, sweet malts, apricot, orange zest, grapefruit, and a ton of pine. The finish is loaded with citrus zest and pleasant hop bitterness.
Bottom Line:
While many of the well-known West Coast IPAs have a citrus and pine-based flavor profile, Ballast Point Sculpin has more of a tropical vibe. That makes it a great outlier for the West Coast IPA curious.
The folks at Green Flash knew that their West Coast IPA was so good that they didn’t even need to give it a silly-sounding name. Simply called West Coast IPA, it’s brewed with six hop varieties as well as British Crystal malts. The result is a balanced IPA centered around pine, citrus, and caramel malts.
Tasting Notes:
Ripe tropical fruits, berries, grapefruit, lemongrass, and pine are big on the nose. The palate has a ton of berries, grapefruit, pineapple, lemon, wet grass, sweet malts, and very dank herbal pine. It all ends dry, crisp, hoppy, and totally bitter.
Bottom Line:
The use of six different hops and a gentle malt backbone make this one of the most balanced and well-rounded West Coast IPAs available today.
Named for one of the founders of Firestone Walker (the English-born David Walker), Union Jack is brewed with 2-row, Munich, and Crystal Light malts. It gets its notable hop presence from CTZ, Cascade, and Centennial hops in the kettle. It’s also dry-hopped with Cascade, Centennial, Simcoe, Citra, Amarillo, and Chinook hops.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find notes of ripe pineapple, caramel, orange, grapefruit, and a ton of dank pine needles. The palate follows suit with sweet malts, more pineapple, tangerine, freshly cut grass, and resinous dank pine. The finish is all pine resin and bitter hops.
Bottom Line:
Dry-hopping adds a different dimension to this highly complex and flavorful West Coast IPA. It’s the kind of beer that you’ll keep in your fridge at all times, especially in the summer months.
Sierra Nevada Torpedo might not be the oldest West Coast IPA on the market, but it’s our favorite. It gets its name because this citrus, dank pine, and tropical fruit-loaded IPA utilizes Sierra Nevada’s proprietary dry-hopping device called the “Hop Torpedo” with Citra, Crystal, and Magnum hops. The process is kind of like a continual hop application instead of a simple dump.
Tasting Notes:
Biscuit-like malts, candied orange peels, lemon, grapefruit, caramel, and a ton of resinous pine are heavy on the nose. Drinking it reveals more dank pine needles as well as bready malts, toffee, orange zest, grapefruit, and pineapple. The finish is loaded with caramel sweetness and hop-centric bitterness.
Bottom Line:
Instead of simply dry-hopping, the continual “Hop Torpedo” creates layer upon layer of flavor. You’ll need to come back to this beer again and again to unlock them all, which is part of the fun of this beer.
There used to be a big gap between spring and fall releases in the bourbon world. Today, that gap has a thick asphalt bridge connecting the super highway of bourbon from May to September so that new whiskeys can hit the shelves ever faster and constantly. These days, it just never ends. That means that finding new, unique, and interesting bourbons is easier than ever. It also kind of means that there’s more bullshit on the shelf too.
It’s time for another bourbon blind taste test, folks. This time around, I’m grabbing brand-new and unique bourbons that have just hit shelves. There’s a little bit of everything in this blind taste test from barrel-proof small batches to special mash bills, experimental releases, special oak finishes, bottles in bonds, and even a blend of Irish whiskey and bourbon whiskey. It’s a wide net.
That makes our lineup the following bottles of bourbon:
My wife was kind enough to shuffle and pour these for the blind tasting. After I tasted each one, I ranked these according to taste. That means I was looking for depth, balance, and overall enjoyment. Luckily, it wasn’t too hard as a few of these were absolute killers and stood out from the crowd very easily. Let’s dive in!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
Nose: Grandma’s butterscotch candies and leathery apricot drive the nose toward almost warm s’mores with gooey marshmallows, milk chocolate, and a fresh Graham Cracker with a nice touch of dry red chili.
Palate: There’s a sense of fancy dark chocolate peanut butter cups on the taste that leads to espresso beans, Red Hots, and a nice lush crème brûlée.
Finish: The vanilla cream keeps the finish soft as light winter spice, a hint of oak, and more chocolate and espresso round out the finish.
Initial Thoughts:
This is a really nice bourbon. It’s classic but goes further on the profile, providing serious depth and enjoyable moments.
Taste 2
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Salted caramel candies and dried apricot dominate the nose with a sense of old boot leather, sweet popcorn, and a hint of candied orange wedges.
Palate: The palate veers dramatically from the sweet candy toward dried lavender over spiced nut cakes with a hint of dried sage lurking next to old cedar cigar humidors.
Finish: That sage, cedar, and tobacco drive the finish toward a touch of mincemeat pie, old figs, and more leathery dried apricot.
Initial Thoughts:
This is a lush and fun whiskey. It’s delicious.
Taste 3
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Hints of chocolate malts mingle with dark caramel and old oily vanilla pods with a touch of apple/pear in the background with a note of woodpiles.
Palate: Spiced apple cider with a hint of sweet oak drives the palate toward vanilla cream with burnt sugars next to a hint of apple crumble with plenty of brown sugar, butter, and winter spice.
Finish: There’s a twinge of black pepper on the woody finish with dark vanilla and toffee next to a soft graininess and a hint more of that sweet oak and apple orchard.
Initial Thoughts:
This was nicely soft. It’s tasty but not overly memorable… yet.
Taste 4
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose bursts forth on this one with deep cinnamon candy, nutmeg-heavy eggnog, creme bruleé, salted caramel, and buttery croissant next to old cedar kindling, dark boot leather, and a hint of dusty old wine cellar.
Palate: There’s a Black Forest cake vibe on the front of the palate that leads to clove-studded oranges, leathery apricot, black-tea-soaked dates, and rich and moist pound cake just kissed with poppy seeds and vanilla oils.
Finish: The end leans into black cherry with a flake of smoked salt, dark orange, and fresh cacao with a return of that cedar kindling and old boot leather next to this faint note of old rickhouses full of well-aged barrels of whiskey.
Initial Thoughts:
This is f*cking great. Outstanding. Delicious.
Taste 5
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Rich, wet, and earthy masa drives the nose toward dark fruit leather, old spice bottles, and soft floral honey just touched with vanilla.
Palate: Freshly cut oranges are dipped in maple syrup on the palate with a sense of soft vanilla custard, pumpkin pecan pie, and plenty of winter spice that amps up toward black peppercorns.
Finish: That black pepper makes for a spiced finish as the pecan pie, orange, and custard all slowly fade away with a fleeting hint of an earthy cornfield after the rain.
Initial Thoughts:
This is really good too. It’s not “oh my sweet lord!” good but close.
Taste 6
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Thick vanilla custard and walnut cake drive the nose toward musty sherry oak still in the cellar next to dark raw sugar syrup over a spiced fruit cake.
Palate: The dark winter spices from the nut cakes drive the palate toward large stretches of cinnamon bark, old oak staves, and dark cherry with a hint of Meyer lemon and tart currants.
Finish: Mulled wine and salted toffee round out the finish with a return to the walnut cake and plenty of sherry-soaked old oak.
Initial Thoughts:
This is nice whiskey. It was very classic in all the best ways but didn’t go that extra mile.
Taste 7
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a medley of vanilla pods, caramel chews, and dry apple chips next to stewed peaches drizzled with floral honey and this light sense of dry sweetgrass and smudging sage.
Palate: The palate is light but full of cinnamon sticks and black peppercorns with a nice balance of that floral honey, more caramel, and plenty of vanilla with a whisper of rum raisin.
Finish: The spice pops on the finish for a moment before fading toward dried orchard fruits and a soft sense of honey and caramel.
Initial Thoughts:
This was fine but a little light overall.
Taste 8
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is very grainy with a sense of sourdough rye that hasn’t been baked yet next to Nutella, fresh orange zest, and salted caramel with a hint of marzipan.
Palate: Bright orchard fruits pop on the palate as fresh honeycombs (with a hint of earthiness) vibe with more marzipan, deep sourdough bread notes, and a good bit of old oak in old rickhouses just kissed with falling leaves and soft rain.
Finish: Leatheriness comes through on the finish with more of that oak and warehouse vibe next to orchard bark, dark winter spice, and creamy honey kissed with rum raisin but then kind of just disappears.
Initial Thoughts:
This is funky and fresh but kind of fumbles the landing.
Taste 9
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is light but runs deep with walnuts, vanilla flowers, soft custard cut with nutmeg and clove, and a light sense of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
Palate: The palate is like walking through a fruit orchard in full bloom with a hint of wet black tea next to buttermilk biscuits dripping with butter and honey.
Finish: The finish gets slightly dry with a sense of dry and barky winter spices, dried red berries, and apple chips next to a light sense of brandy-soaked oak staves.
Initial Thoughts:
This is light but in all the right ways. It’s fresh and funky but also fun and deep.
Taste 10
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with brandy-soaked holiday cake with a deep layer of rich vanilla, candied orange, candied cherry, stewed pear, and deeply sharp winter spices.
Palate: The taste is winter nut bread forward and spiced with real clove, allspice, and nutmeg next to apple-cider-soaked cinnamon sticks, eggnog creaminess, and floral honey.
Finish: The end really amps up those spices with a very barky vibe as the orange turns to marmalade and just keeps going and going until the heat overtakes everything and then crashes down, leaving your tongue buzzing.
Initial Thoughts:
There’s a lot going on with this sip of whiskey. But the finish just sort of takes it all away. Still, there’s a lot to like here.
We finally have a brand-new Weller release from Buffalo Trace (at an incredible cost). The whiskey in the bottle is an experimental wheated bourbon made from Emmer wheat (an ancient Egyptian strain). That whiskey is then left alone to mature for 12 years before batching, proofing, and bottling.
Bottom Line:
This was simply too one note with a flubbed finish. The grains were great but there wasn’t really anything else to grab your attention. There are simply better Weller products at a much more accessible price point.
This new Founder’s Collection release from Rabbit Hole is a doozy. The whiskey in the bottle is made from wheated bourbon, aged in well-charred Pedro Ximenez sherry casks from Spain’s renowned Casknolia Cooperage. Just 15 barrels were selected for this tiny small batch offering and bottled 100% as-is.
Bottom Line:
I wrote down in my tasting book “This is fine.” That should tell you everything. It’s just fine. Nothing special but it does taste, well, fine. Looking at the price now and it’s hard to justify.
8. New Riff Yellow Leaming Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled In Bond — Taste 7
This new release from indy-darling New Riff is made with heirloom corn as an experimental line. The mash bill starts off with 65% Yellow Leaming corn — which is an old Indigenous corn strain — that is grown by New Riff’s partner farmer Charles Frogg out in Greensburg, Indiana. The mash is supported by 30% rye and 5% malted barley. The whiskey is then aged for five years before batching and bottling at bottled in bond proof.
Bottom Line:
This too was just fine. It just didn’t pop on this panel. That said, this is tasty and interesting but very light. I’d recommend trying New Riff’s Blue Clarage Bourbon first.
This new release from Keeper’s Heart continues their tradition of blending Irish whiskey with classic American whiskeys. In this case, the whiskey in the bottle is a blend of triple pot still Irish whiskey (made with malted and unmalted barley) that aged for over four years in ex-bourbon barrels, a grain whiskey (made with corn and malted barley) that spent over four years in ex-bourbon barrels, and classic bourbon (made with 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley) that aged for four years before batching.
Bottom Line:
This was a nice pour of whiskey. It wasn’t exciting but got the job done. I can see using this for solid cocktails.
The second batch of Booker’s has arrived. This batch is named after the relationship between Booker Noe (who helped define Beam in the 20th century) and his mentor, Carl Beam, back in the 1950s. The whiskey in the bottle is a blend of a lot of barrels from prime spots in several warehouses across the Beam campus. The end blend ended up being 7+-year-old bourbon that’s bottled completely as-is without proofing or filtering.
Bottom Line:
This is a bold whiskey with a lot of heat. If there wasn’t so much going on before the finish, it wouldn’t be ranked this high. But there is a lot to enjoy here and this will definitely bloom with a rock in the glass or a little water.
5. Milam & Greene Very Small Batch Straight Bourbon Whiskey Batch 1.2 — Taste 9
This whiskey is from Master Blender Heather Greene who picked 75 barrels for the blend. The blend is a mix of contract-distilled Kentucky whiskey with Tennessee whiskey rounding out the mix. The batched barrels were vatted in a 1,000-gallon tank before being re-barrelled into French oak for a final rest.
Bottom Line:
This is a nice and almost summery whiskey with a good depth to it. I can see this shining in light but whiskey-forward summer cocktails.
The new Flagship release from Pinhook is made from a three-year-old set of barrels from Castle & Key. The bourbon is a contract-distilled mash of 75% corn, 15% rye, and 10% malted barley aged in the old Old Taylor warehouses. Those barrels were then batched and bottled at a lower cask strength.
Bottom Line:
This is getting into the good stuff. I liked this a lot. That said, this is classic and feels like the perfect whiskey to make your favorite cocktails with rather than a slow sipper. But I can see this working well over some ice too. Don’t get me wrong.
3. Still Austin Bottled In Bond Red Corn Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 5
This brand-new whiskey — the first is a series of four new releases — from Austin’s Still Austin is about special corn. In this case, Jimmy Red corn thrown in the mash. That makes the recipe 36% Jimmy Red corn, 34% white corn, 25% rye, and 5% malted barley.
Bottom Line:
This is really tasty and unique. Get this if you’re looking for something a little different that still delivers everything you want from a good bourbon pour.
2. Old Scout Single Barrel Straight Bourbon Whiskey Topflight Series by ReserveBar — Taste 2
This barrel prick from ReserveBar is from a six-year-old barrel stored out in West Virginia. The whiskey in that barrel was made in Indiana from a mash bill of 60% corn, 36% rye, and 4% malted barely. The barrel was sent out to West Virginia to age in the misty Appalachian hills before it was bottled 100% as-is.
Bottom Line:
This is just delicious. It’s deep and balanced with a killer profile. Drink it however you like to drink your whiskey.
This new release from Nevada craft farm distillery, Frey Ranch, is a true grain-to-glass experience. The mash is Frey Ranch’s classic four-grain mash of 66% non-GMO corn, 12% Two-Row malted barley, 11.4% Winter rye, and 10% Soft White Winter wheat — all grown on the ranch. After almost five years of aging in the mountains of Nevada, the whiskey was batched and bottled 100% as-is.
Bottom Line:
This is a great pour of bourbon. Great. It has everything you want from a slow sipper — depth, nostalgia, balance. I’d buy a case.
Part 3 — Final Thoughts on the New Bourbons
Zach Johnston
I’d say the top four whiskeys are the ones that you really want to focus on here. The rest were good to fine with the last two or three, honestly, being kind of disappointing (especially when I learned what they were).
Anyway, brass tacks, you want to get that Old Scout barrel pick or Frey Ranch release. They’re great bottles of whiskey that deliver. The best part is that you can get them fairly easily by just clicking on those price links (depending on where you live of course).
Taylor Swift jokingly sings about karma being her boyfriend, but protection is more fitting. The “Castles Crumbling” singer invites fans into her world through her music, yet that wasn’t enough for one supporter. According to TMZ, the musician’s security team heroically intercepted a fan as they attempted to enter Swift’s Rhode Island home.
In court documents retrieved by the outlet, the alleged perpetrator is 54-year-old Kimberly Meyer. After Meyer breached the property’s grounds, she was apprehended by security and asked to leave. However, it is being reported that Meyer refused, which led to the guards calling the local authorities.
Once police arrived on the scene, Meyer was arrested and later charged with one misdemeanor count of trespassing. Although Meyer is no longer in police custody, she is expected to appear in court on July 14.
While Swift is currently traveling around the world thanks to record-breaking The Eras Tour, sources told the publication that the singer had recently stayed at the house during the Independence Day holiday weekend. However, they could not confirm if Swift was present at the time of the incident.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time the entertainer has dealt with an over-jealous Swiftie. In fact, last month, one man was arrested for the same charge as well as intimidation, invasion of privacy, and harassment.
Welcome to SNX DLX, your weekly roundup of the best sneakers to hit the internet. If you’re a fan of classic sneaker silhouettes in the most coveted internet-breaking colorways … this, unfortunately, is not your week. It’s also not your week if you like a lot of variety. We’re just coming off a holiday weekend, so things are incredibly slow in the sneaker world right now. But the big brands are sneaking in a few gems this week before the summer season heats up again.
All of that said, if you’re all about the future of footwear, this week definitely delivers. Adidas is dropping a pair of sustainable sneakers by way of the brand’s latest collaboration with Sean Wotherspoon and the Adidas NMD-1, while also reaching into the vault and giving a forgotten classic skate shoe some shine. Elsewhere, Puma dropped its latest sneaker in the LaMelo Ball lineage, and Converse teams up with A-Cold-Wall for an ultra-sleek and futuristic take on the classic Chuck 70.
It’s a short week, but a strong one. So let’s dive into this week’s best footwear!
If last year was the Jordan 2 Renaissance, this year belongs to Penny Hardaway. Nike has been showing love to the Air Penny series of sneakers, and this week Penny’s Air Foamposite One gets a nice shiny facelift.
Featuring a metallic red upper with black contrast points, an icy outsole, and Penny’s signature logo, the Metallic Red Foamposite One is one of the sleekest sneakers to drop all summer. Best of all, this sneaker drops in a full-size run.
The Nike Air Foamposite One Metallic Red is out now for a retail price of $240. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.
Earthy, skate-ready, and cushioned, what’s not to love? The early 2000’s Adidas Adimatic is back, and it looks better than ever. Featuring a clay-inspired colorway, the Adimatic sports a zigzag midsole, wide-style three-stripes, a leather upper, textile lining, and rides atop a rubber outsole.
It’s made to take a beating while still offering control on your board. Not a skater? Even better, this sneaker looks great no matter where you take it and will last longer if you’re not beating up your pair trying to land that kickflip.
The Adidas Adimatic Wonder Clay is out now for a retail price of $120. Pick up a pair at Adidas.
Of the big sneaker brands, Adidas is dominating the sustainable sneaker market. The NMD S1 is another sneaker made with sustainability in mind with its yarn upper made from 50% Parley Ocean Plastic and 50% recycled polyester, with textile lining, BOOST midsole, and a sock-like fit for ultimate comfort.
The sneaker drops in two dope stealthy colorways, Cloud White and Grey Two.
The Adidas NMD S1 is out now for a retail price of $220. Pick up a pair at the Adidas webstore.
The corduroy king is back! Okay, at this point we can probably stop calling Sean Wotherspoon that considering he hasn’t made a corduroy sneaker in years, but who else could lay claim to such a title? Wotherspoon’s latest with Adidas, the Orketro, is made with sustainability in mind.
The textile upper is raw and undyed with a lightweight build, Adiprene cushioning, and a mix of 50% natural and renewable materials in an effort to not add to the insane amount of plastic waste in the ocean.
The Adidas Sean Wotherspoon Orketro is set to drop on July 7th at 8:00 AM PST for a retail price of $160. Pick up a pair via the Adidas CONFIRMED app.
AdidasAdidas
Puma x LaMelo Ball MB02 Fade Queen City
Puma
Price: $130
LaMelo Ball’s second signature sneaker is here with a super dope vibrant summer-ready colorway. The sneaker features a NITRO-infused midsole made from nitrogen-injected foam for extra cushioning without all the weight, with a non-slip rubber outsole, and a mid boot rise with a mesh upper and LaMelo branding.
It’s a great addition to the LaMelo Ball lineage.
The Puma x LaMelo Ball MB02 Fade Queen City is set to drop on July 7th at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $130. Pick up a pair via the Puma webstore.
A-Cold-Wall is dropping a new Converse Chuck 70 collaboration with a super sleek vibe. Featuring a waxed canvas upper and translucent details throughout, giving the classic silhouette a shimmering patina effect that gives the sneaker a futuristic edge despite its iconic shape.
The sneaker is dropping alongside a matching apparel capsule that features long-sleeve polos, t-shirts, and shorts in matching colorways.
The Converse x A-Cold-Wall Chuck 70 is set to drop on July 6th. Pick up a pair exclusively at the A-Cold-Wall store. A wider release is set to hit the Converse webstore and Converse retailers next week.
Steve-O had a run-in with the law after leaping off a famous landmark to promote his upcoming comedy special. While filming in London, the Jackass star figured it’d be a great idea to deck himself in Union Jack gear, grab an umbrella, and leap off the Tower of London bridge after stirring up the crowd. The police, on the other hand, were not so thrilled.
According to TMZ, the cops were mostly concerned about Steve-O sparking wave of imitators, who might not be as skilled as the comedian at sticking the landing. Also, apparently, the water is gross as heck:
Steve-O says he spent a good portion of the afternoon in a police car and says cops told him their issue with his stunt is it might encourage others to make suicidal leaps from the famed bridge. In the end, Steve-O says police let him go, and, as far as he’s concerned, the craziest part wasn’t the jump … it’s the state of the Thames. Steve-O says the river was absolutely filthy.
Steve-O posted photos from the jump on Instagram, which you can see below:
Naturally, the Tower of London Bridge isn’t the only place where Steve-O risked his neck. He also illegally jumped from a double-decker bus, which he told TMZ was “much worse” than the bridge jump. Turns out, water is more forgiving than pavement. Who knew?
The Rundown is a weekly column that highlights some of the biggest, weirdest, and most notable events of the week in entertainment. The number of items could vary, as could the subject matter. It will not always make a ton of sense. Some items might not even be about entertainment, to be honest, or from this week. The important thing is that it’s Friday, and we are here to have some fun.
ITEM NUMBER ONE – Listen to me
There are a lot of things that are pretty cool about The Bear. It’s a good show. It gets a lot of things right about working in a kitchen, which I say as a person who spent one summer working in a kitchen at a bar/restaurant inside the stadium where the Phillies play. (Expert analysis.) The performances are great and everyone is very sweaty and the music choices really hit the nail right on the head in a pretty fun way. I’ll repeat it for the record: The Bear is a good show.
There’s another thing I really dig about it, though. I love that most — not all, but definitely most — of the show’s episodes clock in right around 30 minutes, even though it is — probably, if we want to be technical about it — more of a drama than a comedy. It always struck me as weird that we do things that way, with 30 minutes for the funny shows and 60 minutes for the serious ones. What if you have a serious story to tell that you can wrap up quickly? What if you have too many jokes to squeeze into a half-hour window? We all went and created these dumb rules for ourselves and then stuck with them for many decades. Humans are strange creatures, man.
It’s even weirder that we still kind of stick to it now that streaming has taken over the television world. I can see why it was more important when advertisers were paying for commercials between chunks of action and wanted to know just about where their spots were hitting, but those kinds of parameters barely exist now. Make an episode of your show 24 minutes. Make it 53. Make it, like, 94 minutes if you really think you have to, but please, be careful here. I’ve already shouted at the movie people about bloated runtimes. I have this rant chambered at all times. Please do not make me pull the trigger. We don’t want to get carried away with all this. To quote a wise(…ish) man…
HULU
This is what The Bear gets right, though. It gets you in and out quickly, which works well for the show for a few reasons, the primary one being that the action is often pretty stressful — shouting, clanging, Richie always on the verge of calamity — and the shorter episodes cut the viewer loose before it goes from fun and frantic to nerve-frying chaos. I hope more shows learn from this. Or at least try it. Longer does not always mean better. There’s something to be said for an action movie that goes hard for 90 minutes and then cuts to the credits, too. Go watch Nobody again this weekend if you need a reminder.
My points here, summarized:
The Bear is a good show
Dramas can be lil half-hours, too
Not made of time over here, people
Thank you.
ITEM NUMBER TWO – Someone please give Margot Robbie a high-five
warner bros.
The press tour for the new Barbie movie — which, as we have discussed, still has not been released in theaters despite feeling like it might have come out six months ago, which, as we have also discussed, is not so much a comment on the movie itself (it looks good and fun and weird) as it is the media and paparazzi fascination with it — continued this week. Specifically, for our purposes here, it continued with an interview with director Greta Gerwig over at Rolling Stone.
The interview is good and you should go read it. Greta Gerwig is a smart lady who makes me think about things from a slightly different angle than I had previously thought about them. That’s pretty cool. But it’s not the thing I want to talk about. The thing I want to talk about is this, from one of her answers.
How Barbie operates in Barbieland is she’s entirely continuous with her environment. Even the houses have no walls, because you never need to hide because there’s nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed of. And suddenly finding yourself in the real world and wishing you could hide, that’s the essence of being human. But when we were actually shooting on Venice Beach, with Margot and Ryan in neon rollerblading outfits, it was fascinating because it was actually happening in front of us. People would go by Ryan, high-five him, and say, “Awesome, Ryan, you look great!” And they wouldn’t actually say anything to Margot. They’d just look at her. It was just surreal. In that moment, she did feel self-conscious.
A couple of things are important to note here…
The first is, like, I kind of get why this happened. I think. It was probably a combination of a few things, starting with Margot Robbie feeling like a big fancy movie star that people are nervous around in a way they’re not as nervous around a fun goof like Ryan Gosling, continuing to her being in costume as Barbie on the Barbie movie and that maybe throwing people off a bit in the moment, and undoubtedly circling just the general thing in society where people treat men and women differently in ways that kind of stink sometimes. There are entire college degrees that focus on this. I’m not doing it justice in a single paragraph. But you get it, I hope.
This brings us to the second thing, though, which is a lot simpler: Maybe give Margot Robbie a high-five some time. Not all the time. Not if she looks busy or if she’s trying to eat dinner or anything. But if you see her — to choose a relevant example — out rollerblading and smiling and having a blast, maybe just hold your hand up in the universally-accepted high-five position as she zooms past you. Don’t be weird about it. Don’t yell or be creepy. Just offer Margot Robbie a high-five if she looks like a person who might be open to one.
Maybe a “hell yeah,” too.
Everybody loves getting a high-five and a “hell yeah.”
Lord knows I do.
I must stress again that you not be weird about it, though. That’s a very important part of this. Just be cool. Please. Just a quick high-five and on with your day/life.
ITEM NUMBER THREE – Tom Cruise will not rest until he has mangled his entire body in support of the movie theater experience
Getty Image
Tom Cruise is a maniac. You know this. We all know this. The man has been heaving his body off of and into and through things on movie sets for something like 40 years now. He’s been doing it in the Mission: Impossible movies alone for something like 30 years. That’s barely an exaggeration. The first one — the one where he was dangling from the wires, the one that was somehow directed by Brian de Palma — came out in 1996. He’s still out here quite literally tossing himself off of mountains in 2023. Again, a maniac.
“Harrison Ford is a legend; I hope to be still going. I’ve got 20 years to catch up with him,” Cruise said. “I hope to keep making ‘Mission: Impossible’ films until I’m his age.”
See, the thing here is that you’re tempted to chuckle at the idea of an 80-year-old Tom Cruise… oh, I don’t know… let’s say jumping out of a flaming helicopter and onto a passing speedboat (the speedboat is also on fire). But think about it this way: Harrison Ford is still doing Indiana Jones things — pretty well! — at age 80. And Tom just drove a motorcycle off of a mountain at age 61. Let’s go ahead and file this one under “possible, if not probable.”
There is one place where Tom will never catch up to Harrison, though. Tom Cruise could never pull off something this cool.
Honestly, though, I don’t think any of us could. Let’s not give Tom too hard of a time about this one. He might take it as a challenge and try to commit so hard to being cool that it finally becomes the thing that kills him after decades of tossing his body willy-nilly into danger.
ITEM NUMBER FOUR – Important mustache news
This is the trailer for an upcoming movie titled Corner Office. It stars Jon Hamm as a man who works in who I am kidding look at Jon Hamm’s mustache in this sucker.
LOOK AT IT
LOOK AT JON HAMM’S MUSTACHE
LIONSGATE
HAMM MUSTACHE
HAM MUSTACHE
MUSTACHE MADE OF HAM
HAMMSTACHE
MUSTHAMM
THAT ONE DOESN’T WORK AS WELL
BUT STILL
The official position of The Rundown remains as follows: It is deeply cool that Jon Hamm played the most serious man who ever lived on Mad Men and since then has mostly played weirdos and goofballs and Fletch and sometimes guys with bushy mustaches. Good for Jon Hamm, man.
But especially good for his mustache.
ITEM NUMBER FIVE – Well, here’s a fun little brain exercise
20th Century
Background, quickly…
There’s a podcast called 50 MPH that focuses entirely on the movie Speed, which is just kind of an awesome thing in general. On the last episode, host Kris Tapley talked to a former Paramount executive named Don Granger, who revealed that back when things for the movie were getting all gummed-up in pre-production, he actually pitched it as a Beverly Hills Cop sequel, just to try to get it made.
“I really wanted to try to mount the movie, and my last-ditch effort was … I pitched it at our chairman’s lunch as a possible script for ‘Beverly Hills Cop III,’” Granger said. “I got about 15 minutes of traction before it was dismissed, because that was back when the mandate was to find a ‘Beverly Hill Cop III.’ So I was like, ‘Let’s put Axel Foley on the bus.’ It was a Hail Mary, man.”
The primary takeaway here is that Hollywood is a fascinating and perplexing place. But there’s a second takeaway that I want everyone to focus on for a minute, too. This potential Eddie-Keanu swaperoo, the one that would have put Axel Foley on a speeding city bus, opens the door to a hypothetical situation where the two actors switch careers entirely.
Eddie in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure
Keanu in Trading Places
Eddie in Point Break
Keanu in The Nutty Professor
Eddie in John Wick
Keanu in Dreamgirls
And so on. Some of these don’t really work — Keanu in Coming to America leaps out here — but it’s still a fun little ride to go on anyway. My gift to you.
READER MAIL
If you have questions about television, movies, food, local news, weather, or whatever you want, shoot them to me on Twitter or at [email protected] (put “RUNDOWN” in the subject line). I am the first writer to ever answer reader mail in a column. Do not look up this last part.
From Joe:
I know you have a regional bias on this one, but where do you rank “Tim Robinson and Sam Richardson throwing out the first pitch at a Detroit Tigers game and the team’s Twitter account leaning into the ITYSL of it all” on the “Chase Utley throws out the first pitch to Rob McElhenney from It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia after years of discussing it on the show” scale? I feel like it has to be pretty high.
Oh, buddy. Oh, it is really high. It would’ve been high even if it was just the two of them throwing out the pitches, too, if only because they’ve represented the city so proudly for years now. (WATCH DETROITERS. IT IS SO GOOD AND FUN. I AM TYPING IN ALL-CAPS BECAUSE THIS IS IMPORTANT AND TRUE BUT ALSO BECAUSE I AM STILL MAD IT ONLY LASTED TWO SEASONS. COME ON.) But then, as you mentioned, the team’s official Twitter account got in on the fun. Look at this.
That’s just really excellent work all around. For those of us who are in on the joke, at least. It’s pretty funny to think about some like 65-year-old guy who just wants to watch a baseball game and doesn’t understand why a bunch of 33-year-old fans are shouting obscenities at a person named Bart Harley Jarvis who doesn’t even appear to be a player on the other team. I enjoy that.
Still behind Mac and Utley, though. For me. You are correct that my bias is showing here. Might have helped if they had the Phanatic there.
Hundreds of collectible plastic cups designed by Dallas rapper Post Malone were apparently stolen last week from a Galleria-area Raising Cane’s restaurant, according to photos of a police report posted to social media.
Well, this is about to be the only this I care about for a while.
The report shows that 249 limited-edition cups were taken from the fast food restaurant’s location inside the Galleria, with an estimated value of $6,150. Thieves also stole cleaning supplies, including nearly four gallons of Dawn dish soap.
See, your first instinct here is to assume that this is the work of amateurs. Just some goofs who broke in and ran off with whatever they could find. Cups, soap, anything they could carry. Real smash and grab operation.
But.
Think about this.
What if they stole the dish soap so they could wash all the stolen cups before they sold them off on the black market?
What if they’re just responsible and hygienic and thorough, like a real professional operation?
Makes you think.
There are four different cup designs, meant to be released one at a time in two-week cycles. The first drop began on June 21, just a day before the theft took place. The next drop starts on July 6. A quick scan of eBay shows the first cup design reselling for between $15 and $30.
I choose to believe these cups are being sold with “WASHED AND CLEANED BEFORE SHIPPING” in the description field and I will absolutely not under any circumstances go do any research to ruin this for myself.
Please do not take this away from me.
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