Category: News

The Pick Me Up is a classic cocktail that’s perfect for New Year’s Eve sipping and partying. You can make these one at a time with a loved one or you can batch the base for easy pouring while you party this weekend. However you do decide to make this cocktail, rest assured that you’ll be drinking a classic and very tasty elixir to ring in 2023.

The Pick Me Up has its roots all the way back in the 1920s/1930s Paris cocktail scene. The modern adaption is largely attributed to the Ritz-Carlton in Paris and includes fresh orange juice, grenadine, and cognac with a champagne topper. The orange juice and cognac really drive this drink into a boozier mimosa territory.

Over the years, that recipe has been refined to give it a higher-end cocktail feel instead of the brunch feel it once had. That’s largely accomplished by jettisoning the OJ for a spritz of orange oils over an elegant mix of cognac, grenadine, bitters, and champagne. That’s the version I’m mixing up below, so let’s get into it!

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Pick Me Up

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. cognac
• 0.5 oz. grenadine
• 2 dashes of Peychaud’s Bitters
• Brut champagne to top (make sure it is very cold)
• Ice
• Orange peel

This is all pretty straightforward. I’m using a nice cognac and quality champagne both in the $50 range. You should be able to get all of this at any good liquor store right now.

What You’ll Need:

• Champagne flute (pre-chilled)
• Mixing glass/jug
• Cocktail strainer
• Barspoon
• Jigger
• Peeler

Method:

• Add the cognac, grenadine, and bitters to a mixing glass with a handful of ice. Stir until the glass is ice-cold to the touch.
• Strain the cocktail base into the pre-chilled champagne flute. Top with champagne.
• Express the oils from the orange peel over the glass and discard the peel. Serve.

For a Batch:

• 22 oz. cognac
• 4 oz. grenadine
• 4 oz. water (this replaces the water from the stir/dilution in a single serving)
• 20 dashes of Peychaud’s Bitters

***

• Combine all ingredients in a bottle and stir well. Store in fridge.
• Add 3 oz. of batched liquid to a pre-chilled champagne flute and top with champagne, express orange oils, and serve.

Bottom Line:

This is a great, sweet, and boozy champagne cocktail that’s sure to wow. The deep red of the fruity grenadine really adds a nice base for the cognac to pop with a brandy-butter and raisin vibe that’s part fruit cake and part fruit orchard on a sunny day.

The champagne adds a lightness that really shines. The yeasty nature of the brut brings forth a slight scone vibe with berry compote. It’s really refreshing and… almost nourishing (a strange thing to say about alcohol).

The orange oils tie the whole cocktail together and help it really snap on the senses. Overall, this is a complex yet very refreshing and light drink that packs a nice and boozy punch. Basically, it’s exactly what you need in your hand as 2023 dawns.

Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine is fast approaching the one-year mark, and Russian troops aren’t seeing any light at the end of the vodka-soaked tunnel. Recent reports have indicated that soldiers are drunkenly shooting each other on accident, but things must be growing even worse than they already are in Ukraine. Early on after the invasion, leaked audio revealed a mutiny, in which soldiers refused to follow a general’s orders and even threatened to blow him up. Now that even Putin has publicly admitted that he’s failing to supply the basics (on the medical-related and ammunition fronts), the atmosphere has spawned more mayhem.

The Daily Beast now passes on word from a local Russian news site, which revealed how Putin’s massive draft (in which he called up hundreds of thousands of variously ranked troops) led to a deadly altercation between two men. In the end, a commander lost his life after a sergeant got drunk and beat the holy hell out of him. The incident took place on a military train, and the beating was so severed that the “commander was pronounced dead at the scene.” Yikes:

A military court in Magnitogorsk announced Wednesday that the soldier will remain in custody for two months on charges that carry a sentence of up to 15 years, local media reported. The incident occurred last Friday, when investigators say the inebriated staff sergeant attacked his commander, who had also been called up under the Russian president’s order.

Although this report (given that it involves a death en route to the battlefield) stands out, these Russian-on-Russian deaths only appear to be increasing. Business Insider recently reported that Putin’s soldiers are taking each other out at a rate that might even exceed those who are killed by Ukrainian soldiers. The Russian army desertion rate has also grown so high that a commander was reportedly “threatened with execution” because he couldn’t stop his soldiers from fleeing. That’s possibly a natural result of being forced to use degraded ammo that could kill them when fired, along with being told that feminine hygiene supplies are the only available medical supplies. Putin doesn’t appear to be giving up this war anytime soon, though, so we can probably expect similar reports into the new year.

(Via The Daily Beast, Business Insider, & Newsweek)

Andrew Tate, a right-wing “misogynist” who was banned from Twitter in 2017 for making comments like rape victims “bear some responsibility” for putting themselves in a position to be assaulted, recently had his account reinstated by Elon Musk. Outside of imploring his dude-bro followers to “Escape the Matrix” (the Wachowskis must be thrilled), the former-kickboxer is using his platform to pick on a teenage girl, of course.

“Hello @GretaThunberg,” Tate tweeted to climate activist Greta Thunberg, “I have 33 cars. My Bugatti has a w16 8.0L quad turbo. My TWO Ferrari 812 competizione have 6.5L v12s. This is just the start. Please provide your email address so I can send a complete list of my car collection and their respective enormous emissions.” Thunberg was not impressed by this Extremely Cool Guy’s collection of cars. “yes, please do enlighten me,” the master troll replied. “email me at [email protected].”

Who knew Thunberg was such a big Chris Elliott fan?

Unable to fathom that Thunberg not only doesn’t find his collection of expensive cars fascinating but also has zero interest in engaging in conversation with him in any capacity beyond calling out his SDE, the only response Tate was able to come up with was a question of disbelief: “How dare you?!”

If only the heat from that burn could be turned into renewable energy.

(Via Rolling Stone)

While recapping the events of the past year last night (December 28), producers of ABC’s The Year: 2022 made a rather embarrassing mistake. When honoring rapper Takeoff during the program’s In Memorium portion, a picture of his Migos bandmate, Quavo, was shown. As one could expect, fans were not thrilled about the mix-up.

“So I’m watching #TheYear on @abc and was caught off guard by the disrespect and ignorance of the programming,” said one Twitter user. “All black people don’t look the same and y’all got this one wrong, the person is the picture is clearly, clearly [Quavo], do better.”

Another Twitter user said the mistake shouldn’t have occurred, given that Quavo had a long, prolific run of notable guest verses a few years ago, and should therefore be easily recognizable.

“This sh*t lame as hell,” they said. “This man Quavo was the face of popular music 3-4 years straight. Ain’t no way y’all confused this man for Takeoff.”

After several fans voiced their chagrin about the mistake, ABC corrected the video and has since issued a statement on social media.

“We apologize for the unfortunate error in a previous version of ‘The Year: 2022,’” said ABC News Studios in a tweet. “It has been corrected.”

A couple in the UK, Hannah and Tomas Mazetti, hates a classic holiday song SO much that they’re trying to own the rights… with the hopes of banning it from existence forever. The song in question is Wham!’s 1984 hit, “Last Christmas.”

Mazetti spoke to South West News Service (via Daily Mail) recently and said that her disdain for the song started when she was at work as a 20-year-old. She is now 33, but it seems the hatred has only grown.

“The owner of the cafe had planned for a super cozy holiday season and had his own made CD with a number of ‘hits’ on it,” Mazetti said. “He was only in now and then, so he didn’t fully appreciate the agony the rest of the staff felt when ‘Last Christmas‘ played for the 111th time of the working day.”

“Then someone told us it was theoretically possible to buy the rights to the song and then take it off all streaming platforms!” she added. “We asked around among our friends and word spread. It’s fun because people either love or hate the idea! Maybe next Christmas will be the last Christmas!”

So far, the couple has raised about £51,500 (around $62,200) from 330 donations, so it turns out that they’re not the only ones who don’t like it. However, the official rights to the song have been reported to cost £15 to £20 million (about $18 to $24 million) — so, thankfully, fans of “Last Christmas” still have some hope before the Mazetti’s try to send the tapes to a nuclear waste site in Finland.

Last year also marked the first time that Wham!’s “Last Christmas” hit No. 1 in the UK, so it seems the love for the classic jam is only growing stronger.

This year has been yet another momentous one for rap superstar Drake. Despite a few distasteful rap bars aimed at Megan Thee Stallion, the rehashing of an old beef with singer DRAM, and a lawsuit from Vogue magazine, the certified lover boy has had a great year. His latest collaborative album, Her Loss, with 21 Savage, earned one billion streams, and he surpassed Eminem to become the highest-selling artist in terms of singles.

However, there’s still one element of his craft, at least in the public’s eye, he perhaps hasn’t mastered — songwriting. Drake has praised other recording artists like SZA for her songwriting abilities and even spoke about the writing process with 21 Savage on their album. Still, since Meek Mill alleged recording artist Quentin Miller wrote all of Drake’s raps, it has stained his work in many people’s eyes. TMZ is stepping in to show that the Toronto native has always been a songwriter at heart.

The outlet got its hands on a few images of Drake’s early lyric books, which are now up for auction thanks to the charity, Moments In Time. Fans of the entertainer can purchase the item starting at $20,000.

Retrieved from the dumpster of Drake’s uncle’s Memphis furniture factory, the lucky purchaser will own several pages of handwritten lyrics from Drake. One of the pages revealed the lyrics to a song called “Come Spring,” which would later become “Come Winter” off his debut mixtape Room For Improvement.

Now that Drake and Meek Mill have reunited and with this lyric book sale, we wonder if the rumor of Drake not writing his own music will die off.

Taylor Swift’s 10th studio album, Midnights is continuing to break records more than two months after its release. Its latest is a rather unusual feat. According to a report from The Guardian, Midnights has become the first album since 1987 to sell more vinyl records than compact discs.

Since its release, Midnights has reportedly sold 800,000 vinyl copies. Last year, only 14 million CDs were sold globally, and the number is continuing to decline.

“It’s a watershed moment for the entire music industry,” said Kim Bayley, the chief executive of the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) in a statement to The Guardian. “After the CD came along and pretty much wiped out the vinyl business, few of us would have believed a renaissance like this was possible.”

Still, experts don’t believe that the days of the disc are over. As vinyl has had a renaissance over the past few years, some experts believe CDs may experience a similar resurgence in popularity in the near future.

“Will the CD disappear? Of course its prospects don’t look good right now, but it offers a permanence and robustness and quality which is unique,” said Bayley. “Given how wrong we were about vinyl, it would be foolish to write off the CD forever.”

This last year brought a ton of anticipated pop releases, as A-list stars shined with their album cycles this year, including Beyoncé’s Renaissance, Taylor Swift’s Midnights, Harry Styles’ Harry’s House, and more. It appears, though, the next few months of the new year will belong to everyone’s favorite pop newcomers and established K-Pop acts. The pop world never slows down, so listeners won’t be feeling the blues any time soon with this strong slate — whether it’s confirmed, teased, or in some cases, pure speculation and hope.

Here are the most anticipated pop albums of 2023

Monsta X – Reason

January 9

Monsta X are coming back in January with their twelfth mini-album, Reason. After months of a brief hiatus, fans still got to catch the group during their spring US tour, but globally, others are ready to hear the brand-new songs.

Ava Max – Diamonds & Dancefloors

January 27

Teased with early singles “Weapons” and “Million Dollar Baby,” Ava Max is taking on 2023 with a vengeance. Her January album is just as shimmery as the title suggests. “It’s like a new wave of pop music, and it was needed. I love it,” she told Uproxx last year about her distinct disco-inspired sound.

Sam Smith – Gloria

January 27

Sam Smith’s fourth album, Gloria, arrives next month and will build on the momentum of their chart-topping “Unholy” collab with Kim Petras. Other features include Ed Sheeran, Koffee, and Jessie Reyez, as Smith aims to document a motivational journey of self-discovery.

Raye – My 21st Century Blues

February 3

Raye decided to bet on herself after leaving her record label to become an independent artist, and the results have paid off tremendously. Her debut, My 21st Century Blues, drops in February, featuring her viral lead single, “Escapism.”

Caroline Polachek – Desire, I Want To Turn Into You

February 14

Caroline Polachek officially pulled fans into her next era this month with “Welcome To My Island,” one of the singles off her second solo endeavor. Arriving on Valentine’s Day, Polachek experimented with a range of producers and genres, including flamenco (“Sunset”) and bouncy electropop (“Bunny Is A Rider”).

Lana Del Rey – Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd

March 10

Lana Del Rey is returning to her California roots on the breezy upcoming album. Boasting a song titled “American Whore” and collaborations with Bleachers, Jon Batiste, and more, she is setting the bar high for the Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd era.

Anitta

While Anitta already dropped her fifth album, Pieces Of Me, in April, fans are anticipating even more from the beloved Brazilian singer. Plus, she’s up for a Best New Artist nomination at the 2023 Grammys, giving her all the more reason to possibly release some new music.

Billie Eilish

Billie Eilish wraps her Happier Than Ever world tour this week, and then, it seems, her third album cycle will begin. She and Finneas confirmed they had started the writing process last winter. Between the stadium-made rock ballad of her previous album’s title track, “Happier Than Ever,” and the calming quality of 2022’s Guitar Songs EP, Eilish is constantly surprising fans with an unpredictable direction.

Chloë

Chloë — half of the R&B group Chloë x Halle — is stepping out for her debut solo album next year. While her sister is starring in The Little Mermaid, Chloë’s record has been finished since at least March. She’s also hinted that it’s “definitely more pop” compared to the duo’s 2020’s Ungodly Hour.

Dove Cameron

Dove Cameron has delivered some serious dance anthems ahead of her debut album. A rising pop star to watch, she channeled her inner Charlie’s Angel on the Y2K bop “Girl Like Me” and calculated relationship risks on “Bad Idea” throughout this year.

Dua Lipa

While it might be difficult for Dua Lipa to follow her Future Nostalgia era (and one hell of a pop record), she does have a plan to try. “It’s like I’m coming into my power and not afraid to talk about things,” Lipa told Vogue. It also has a title — but Lipa is keeping it a mystery… for now.

Halsey

Fans have started speculating that Halsey is working on her fourth album. As the alt-pop star only dropped a radio single this year, it seems they’re intending on a full-length 2023 drop. Particularly, one that’s been theorized to be shoegaze-inspired and in the style of 2020’s Manic.

Jennifer Lopez — This Is Me… Now

Jennifer Lopez seems to be reflecting on her past and present on the upcoming This Is Me… Now album. The record will feature the viral “Dear Ben Pt. 2” — a follow-up to the 2002 romantic track she wrote for the Dunkin’ king. Don’t be fooled, this album is not a sign to text your ex.

Kali Uchis

In April, Kali Uchis revealed that she has not one, but two albums (in English vs. in Spanish) at the ready… It just depends on what the fans want first. “I just want to show all the different sides to me and that I’m multi-dimensional,” she shared.

Maisie Peters

Maisie Peters posted she turned in her second album on the same day the snow fell in London — a situation that feels like pure fate. She put out a handful of singles this year, between the addictively biting “Not Another Rockstar” and a love song for her best friend’s sibling with “Cate’s Brother.” If this is just a glimpse of Peters’ LP2, we can only imagine how impressive the rest will be.

Normani

Fans of Fifth Harmony have been begging for Normani’s solo album since the band dissolved in 2018. Things seemed promising with 2019’s “Motivation,” but the singer’s music has long been speculated to be at a standstill due to label issues. Here’s hoping she finally gets to release her full-length LP.

Olivia Rodrigo

Building off the massive success of 2021’s Sour, Olivia Rodrigo has returned to the studio with the album’s producer, Dan Nigro, with plans for her sophomore return. Given the global reach that “Drivers License” had to make her a household name, only time will tell if she’s able to recreate it — or will go in a different, rock-influenced direction.

Rihanna

Contributing two songs (“Lift Me Up” and “Born Again”) to the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack, Rihanna’s fans finally rejoiced after getting their first new music from her in years. As she’s also scheduled as the Super Bowl halftime performer in February, it seems there are more surprises in store.

Selena Gomez

Selena Gomez is tired of singing “sad girl” songs, she teased on a recent Tonight Show appearance. Instead, Gomez is going full pop icon. “I’m ready to have some fun, and I think people are going to like it,” Gomez hinted.

Seventeen

Seventeen are confirmed to be dropping a new album in early 2023, although the title and tracklist are still TBD. The 13-piece band increased their global impact this year, earning their first Top 10 album on Billboard‘s albums chart.

Sky Ferreira

Sky Ferreira has found herself on every anticipated album list for, well, a decade since her debut, Night Time, My Time. However, 2023 does look somewhat more promising on the heels of her summer single, “Don’t Forget.”

Twice

In mid-November, JYP Entertainment revealed Twice will be returning as a full group in early 2023 — before also debuting a Japanese sub-unit later next year. The band is heading on a “large-scale” tour, leading fans to speculate that a new album will follow.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Diddy recently welcomed a new child, Love Sean Combs, with a woman named Dana Tran. The news shocked many, as the rap mogul had seemingly been in a relationship with City Girls’ Yung Miami.

He spent the holidays with Tran and his new daughter it seems, as he posted the first images of Love to his Instagram.

“Baby Love,” Diddy captioned the cute pics of her in a car seat and hugging him.

He also uploaded some snaps of his entire family celebrating together, as he has multiple older children. Everyone in the photo — except baby Love — donned matching striped pajamas and Santa hats. “Merry Christmas from my family to yours! LOVE,” he wrote.

Diddy previously announced the birth of his daughter on December 10. “I’m so blessed to welcome my baby girl Love Sean Combs to the world. Mama Combs, Quincy, Justin, Christian, Chance, D’Lila, Jessie and myself all love you so much! God is the Greatest!”

Following Diddy’s announcement, fans and others in the rap industry had a LOT of thoughts. One of those was DJ Akademiks, who got in a heated social media debate with Yung Miami, as she denied being Diddy’s side chick. It drew so much attention that the new father himself had to step in.

“@yungmiami305 is not my side chick,” Diddy wrote. “Never has been, never will be. She’s very important and special to me, and I don’t play about my Shawty Wop. I don’t discuss things on the internet and I will not start today.”

These days, musicians (and celebrities more broadly) use social media as an easy way to connect with their fans and promote their work. Kendrick Lamar, though, isn’t exactly posting on Instagram and Twitter every day: His Instagram is currently blank and his tweets are mostly dry promotions of his creative output. Online dispatches from the rapper are rare, and now he has offered some insight into why that is.

In a recent New York Times interview, he explained, “My social media, most of the time, is completely off, because I know, like… I can easily smell my own sh*t. I know. […] Like, I’m not one of those dudes that be like, ‘Oh, yeah, I know how good I am,’ but I also know the reason why I’m so good is because God’s blessed me with the talent to execute on the talent, and the moment that you start getting lost in your ego, that’s when you start going down.”

On that note, Lamar also cited collaborator Dave Free as somebody whose honestly has helped him develop and succeed as a creator, saying, “What I know for sure is we have this unconditional love to allow each other to grow. I always allowed him to have his room to grow, and he always allowed me to have room to grow in mine.”

Read the full interview here.