Hugh Freeze is returning to the SEC, as word broke on Monday that the former Ole Miss head coach and current Liberty head coach was headed down to Auburn after the school was unable to poach Lane Kiffin from Ole Miss.
Auburn is finalizing a deal to hire Liberty coach Hugh Freeze, sources tell @SINow.
Freeze would return to the SEC, where in 2017 Ole Miss fired him amid NCAA and personal scandal. In 12 years as a college head coach, he’s had one losing season.
BREAKING: Liberty coach Hugh Freeze is coming back to the SEC, per source. Auburn is hiring him as its new head coach. @RossDellenger first reported the move.
It doesn’t come as a significant surprise, as Freeze had been rumored as a candidate at Auburn for months, but considering how his tenure ended in Oxford, with him being resigning in disgrace after committing various NCAA infractions as well as calling escorts on his university issued phone, it certainly didn’t take long for him to return to one of college football’s top jobs. Freeze has, as many will be quick to point out, won everywhere he’s been, as evidenced by an 83-43 career record, but while programs have been quick to succeed under Freeze, maintaining the level of winning Auburn expects has not been something he’s done particularly well.
Ole Miss peaked in his third and fourth seasons, going a combined 19-7 and reaching a high of third in the AP Poll in both seasons, but the next year he went 5-7 (helping lead to his ouster). At Liberty he quickly got them to a 10-1 year in 2020 with an NFL prospect at the helm in Malik Willis, but has stumbled to 8-5 and 8-4 seasons since, most recently suffering losses to UConn and New Mexico State in succession to end his tenure with the Flames.
It’s not a surprise that Auburn would overlook the off-field scandals and NCAA violations committed at Ole Miss to hire a splashy name, that’s how college football works, but even accepting that as the way the world works, there’s still an issue with this hire in Freeze not a coach with such a great track record that you can feel confident he’ll get Auburn to the highs they want to reach for anything approaching a sustained period of time.
“Yeah, I do, and… it’s really cool, and I’m really excited and I’m really happy about it. I managed to get my way to a point in my life where I not only was known by a person that I thought was the hottest f*ckin’ f*cker alive, but pulled his ass. Are we kidding me? Can we just [claps]… round of applause for me. Thank you. Jesse Rutherford, everyone. I pulled his ass, all me. I did that sh*t. I locked that motherf*cker down.”
She also reflected on what the yearly Vanity Fair videos mean to her, saying, “It’s just so cool to get to do this every year. I don’t know, I feel like… sometimes people are like, ‘You’re still gonna… you’re doing it… you’re gonna go back and keep doing it?’ And I just, I love… I just like it. It’s just like a really cool… ah, they mean so much to me. Every year, I watch these and I’m just like… ah, it just feels really… it makes me really happy.”
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special follows Drax and Mantis as they travel to Earth to find Kevin Bacon and bring him to Star-Lord, who misses Christmas while traveling the universe with a talking raccoon and a big tree. (More holiday specials should involve aliens kidnapping Earth celebrities — and talking raccoons.) The premise is the second best reason to watch the Disney+ one-off. The best reason: Swole Groot.
Look at my big happy boy:
disney+
When asked on Twitter if the reason that Groot’s head is “so big [is] because he’s still growing into it or because that’s just the way this Groot is and not at all like the slim OG Groot,” Guardians of the Galaxy writer and director James Gunn replied, “Well, YA Groot, or Swoll Groot, as we call him, is getting bigger, outward as well as upward. As you can see by now he has a different, stockier physiology (and a more outgoing personality) than his father did.” He added that Swole Groot is “100% computer generated.” You don’t get those kind of muscles without some kind of assistance.
“He’s jacked man, he’s jacked. I think he’s like the collegiate, like excitable football Groot. I think you can see now that he’s very much a different Groot than the original Groot”
The Mandalorian better not get any ideas. We do not want Swole Yoda, or Swoleda.
Cocaine Bear speaks for himself. You don’t ask about Cocaine Bear, he presents himself to you. In your time of need, Cocaine Bear will appear out of thin, slightly powdery white air, to remind you that you should follow your dreams if you see something you decide you want to eat. In all of us, there is a Cocaine Bear, waiting for its moment to shine. Cocaine Bear is a legend that will be told for years to come, generations from now, we will all remember where we were when Cocaine Bear came to reign. And that time……….. is now.
You might be thinking to yourself, “Cocaine Bear…what does it mean?” and that question simply cannot be answered in under 1000 words, so here is the short version: Cocaine Bear is based on a true story (!) from 1985 in which a black bear died after consuming over 70 pounds of cocaine (!!) that was found in a duffle bag that fell from a plane that was being piloted by a convicted drug smuggler (!!!) who died himself while parachuting out of the plane and ended up landing in someone’s driveway (!!!!). The bear was found dead, surrounded by 40 opened containers of cocaine. RIP Cocaine Bear.
But he was not forgotten. His light keeps shining, and he keeps inspiring hope. Cocaine Bear is the symbol of what can happen when you have a dream, access to a plane, and a ton of drugs. And also happen to be a bear. His movie will be an inspiration to others! It will be Peak Cinema! Just look at his impact.
Don’t forget that the Elizabeth Banks-directed film about a bear that eats a lot of cocaine is giving us a reunion of Elizabeth, Philip, and Claudia from The Americans. https://t.co/ravAkNmmxqpic.twitter.com/SbdEtXtKhR
J. Rieger/Woodford Reserve/Heaven Hill/Buffalo Trace/istock/Uproxx
There are a lot of bourbons on the market. Some were crafted to be sipped neat, on the rocks, or with a few splashes of water; some were created solely to be mixed with. A choice few nail both designations. While we could spend all day sorting bourbons into various categories, today we are most concerned with the first section: easy-drinking, mellow, sippable bourbons.
While there are many great bourbons well-suited to drink straight, there are certainly some that stand above others. But with so many options, it’s difficult to pick just one or two. Heather Wibbels, managing director of Bourbon Women in Louisville agrees.
“This is like asking me to choose a favorite child,” she says. “In general, the best bourbons to sip neat depends on the palate of the person drinking. We all know that finding that great bourbon is highly subjective. For me, the best bourbons to drink neat are the ones I sip with friends and family to celebrate a great occasion or tell a fun story.”
Since we understand how complicated picking the right sipping bourbon can be, we decided to go to the experts for help. We asked a handful of well-known bartenders and mixologists to tell us the best bourbons to drink straight. They didn’t disappoint with their warming, flavorful selections.
Angel’s Envy
Angel’s Envy
Miguel Chambers, bartender at Broken Shaker at Freehand in New York City
I love port wine and I love bourbon so naturally, bourbon aged in Port barrels always has my attention and Angel’s Envy is my recommendation. It’s mellow, complex, and filled with flavor.
Tasting Notes:
It’s great to sip on because you get chocolate vanilla notes with hints of maple that don’t overwhelm or undermine the sipping experience.
I am a big fan of J. Rieger & Co out of Kansas City. A few months ago, I tried their Bottled in Bond Bourbon which they will release more widely next year (in 2023).
Tasting Notes:
It’s big, fruity, spicy, and rich on the palate. It’s six years and it is definitely worth the wait.
Heaven’s Door Cask Strength Single Barrel
Heaven’s Door
Cosimo Bruno, beverage curator at Daxton Hotel in Birmingham, Michigan
A bourbon that I am particularly high on right now is Heaven’s Cask Strength Door Single Barrel. It is very rich, forward, and full of personality. After breathing a bit, the full notes of the bourbon come alive and make this a great sipper to enjoy during a cool fall afternoon – or if you need something to help warm up during the winter months.
Tasting Notes:
Notable flavors of toasted coconut, chocolate, honey, toffee, cinnamon, and vanilla make this is a great sipper.
Calumet farm 15-Year Single Rack Black. It has a good profile for the palate. The longest aged of all of Calumet Farm’s expressions, all of the barrels come from the center cut rack in the barrel house.
Tasting Notes:
You get hints of vanilla and oak with occasional nut flavor. The cherries also allow you to get a fruit flow and make the drink smooth however you choose to drink it.
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof
Elijah Craig
Heather Wibbels, managing director of Bourbon Women in Louisville
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is always a great pick for me. The high proof means that I can sip neat in the winter to warm myself up, and it does well on the rocks if I’m sipping in summer. It’s a complex, classic pour, and the higher proof means that it’s much more variable as you nose and sip it – there are more flavors to pull out and more aromas to detect.
Tasting Notes:
Each bottle is a little different, but every bottle tastes delicious, although we always have our favorites that we nurse along as long as possible. Caramel, oak, candied orange, and vanilla.
Weller 12-year wheated bourbon is the best sipping bourbon on the planet — 100%. Every flavor in the bourbon palate can be found in the Weller 12 year.
Why is it such a great sipping bourbon? Everything from mouthfeel to proof makes it elegant and decadent at the same time.
Tasting Notes:
Caramel, nutty, molasses, oak, but none in any overwhelming way. Everything works together in unison.
The best Bourbon would have to be Woodford Reserve. This classic, surprisingly well-priced flagship expression from Woodford Reserve is well-balanced and complex.
Tasting Notes:
It contains subtle hints of citrus, cinnamon, cocoa, toffee, and caramel. In my opinion, it has one of the smoothest finishes of any bourbon I’ve ever had in my life.
Michter’s US-1 Bourbon
Michter’s
Robert Kidd, head bartender at La Cavalier in Wilmington, Delaware
Michter’s Small-Batch Bourbon is a great spirit to sip on. The bourbon comes in a touch higher than 90 proof, that’s a nice, sweet spot for bourbon to be enjoyed neat. The small batch entry level is great, and there are plenty of other options for those that want to see what more the distillery has to offer.
Tasting Notes:
Michter’s small batch has a wonderfully rich inviting note and a great balance of sweet caramel and spice on the palate.
Elijah Craig Small Batch
Elijah Craig
Nicholas Bennett, beverage director at Porchlight in New York City
I am drinking the Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon at home right now. I love the nutty and grassy aromas that are noticeable throughout. And if I am drinking it straight, I’m usually not reaching for anything too high-proof.
Tasting Notes:
Orange peels, vanilla beans, caramel, oak, and honey, are just a few of the flavors found in this popular expression.
Eagle Rare 10
Eagle Rare
Adam Montgomerie, bar manager at Hawksmoor in New York City
For sipping neat I really like Eagle Rare 10-year-old. It’s not quite as easy to find as it once was but it is outstanding value for money. It has great depth of flavor and complexity which makes it ideal for enjoying neat.
Tasting Notes:
Notes of caramel, honey, vanilla, apple, and ginger are all present and it also has a lovely long, lingering finish.
Henry McKenna Single Barrel. This sometimes hard-to-find bourbon checks all the boxes. It’s aged 10 years, bottled-in-bond, and single barrel. It’s produced by Heaven Hill Distillery, so you know it’s a good juice.
Tasting Notes:
Charred oak, burnt brown sugar, honey, and a touch of rye spice. While I usually search out complexity in a whiskey, Henry McKenna is just so perfectly balanced there’s no need to look elsewhere. And while it can be tough to find, when you do find a bottle, it won’t break the bank.
Woodford Reserve Double Oaked
Woodford Reserve
Jack Beguedou, bartender at Proof 192 in Omaha, Nebraska
Woodford Double Oaked is a can’t-miss bourbon. The proof and flavor are completely balanced. It gets its flavor because it’s matured in two different charred oak barrels. The second barrel is toasted and only lightly charred to impart rich, memorable aromas and flavors.
Tasting Notes:
A lot is going on with this bourbon’s aroma and flavor. Nice brown sugar on the front palate, baking spice, and caramel note on the finish.
After industry heavyweights such as Hitmaka and Sony Digital offered their thoughts regarding the low album sales of Saweetie‘s latest EP, The Single Life, YouTube personality DJ Vlad decided to chime in as well — only it didn’t go exactly as he planned.
The “Don’t Say Nuthin” rapper’s EP dropped on November 18 and reportedly only moved 2,000 unit equivalents in its first week of release. Many people faulted Saweetie’s team for not doing enough promotion and marketing, but others, including DJ Vlad, suggested that it’s the Bay Area rapper herself who is responsible.
The YouTube personality went on Twitter to share his thoughts regarding the situation late last week, writing, “If Saweetie did a VladTV interview, she would have easily done 10x her first week sales, which was 2000 copies,” said Vlad. “We actually reached out through one of our people and were told ‘she won’t do Vlad.’ Her loss.”
If Saweetie did a VladTV interview she would have easily done 10x her first week sales, which was 2000 copies. We actually reached out through one of our people and were told “she won’t do Vlad”. Her loss.
The Icy Girl wasted no time offering a response, revealing that she was actually a fan of VladTV, and even showed screenshots of episodes she had recorded on her phone.
“Actually, I been a big fan & have screen recorded my favorite episodes,” she wrote back on Twitter. “So if anyone ‘reached out’ it wasn’t to me or my team, Dj Vlad. Happy Thanksgiving.”
Actually, I been a big fan & have screen recorded my favorite episodes. Here’s one of them. Dates on the top. So if anyone “reached out” it wasn’t to me or my team, Dj Vlad. Happy Thanksgiving https://t.co/Wq5mQib2WWpic.twitter.com/P4KJWg5Oyd
DJ Vlad responded to Saweetie in a series of tweets, thanking her for her kind words but noted that when he reached out to her team, the rapper’s publicist turned him down. He followed that message up with a screenshot of a text message from Shirley Ju — a journalist who recently interviewed Saweetie — that read: “her publicist doesn’t like vlad. she told me she wouldn’t ever have her artists do it. i’m sorry.”
Thank you for the kind words, but actually, it is your team. Your publicist at Warner Bros is the one who blocked the interview. Same publicist who set up your interview with Shirley Ju. This is what happens when you have bad people in your corner making decisions on your behalf. pic.twitter.com/hyZ9f1Xxhj
He later named the rapper’s publicist allegedly responsible, Warner Music’s Senior Vice President of Publicity Aishah White, before condemning label executives for “creating bad relationships with media outlets.”
The YouTube personality eventually apologized to the rapper, who has yet to respond directly. Saweetie did, however, send a cryptic tweet about a “hate parade.”
“hate parade… i must be that b*tch!!! ” she wrote.
In 2017, Billie Eilish sat down for a filmed interview with Vanity Fair. At the time, she likely didn’t know how big a part of her life this would become. As fans know, once a year since then, Eilish has reunited with the magazine and answered the same set of questions, a process that highlights the changes in how she has felt about herself and the world. The 2022 installment is the sixth one in the series and it was released today (November 28).
Among the immediate quantifiable highlights is the progression of Eilish’s social media presence. In 2017, she had 257,000 followers, a number that is now up to 106 million. Beyond that, it’s always fascinating and fun to watch Eilish reflect on her wild journey through the lens of her past self… especially the moments she now cringes at or isn’t so sure about anymore, or the ones where something she previously said fills her with joy today.
Also in the video, Eilish speaks about what this series has come to mean to her, saying, “It’s just so cool to get to do this every year. I don’t know, I feel like… sometimes people are like, ‘You’re still gonna… you’re doing it… you’re gonna go back and keep doing it?’ And I just, I love… I just like it. It’s just like a really cool… ah, they mean so much to me. Every year, I watch these and I’m just like… ah, it just feels really… it makes me really happy.”
The NFL is celebrating its Latino fans with the Por La Cultura Mixtape: Volume 1 that was released on Friday (November 25). For new football hype jams, Latin acts like Snow Tha Product, El Alfa, and Anthony Ramos were tapped. The Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am also got involved with the project.
Back in September, the NFL launched its Por La Cultura initiative with hit-maker Tainy’s NEON16 collective. That month, “Rómpela” was released at the first single from the mixtape. Reggaeton music courtesy of pioneer Yandel collided with dembow beats by way of rising Dominican star El Alfa. will.i.am and One Six also featured on the feel-good anthem.
“The Por La Cultura Mixtape: Volume 1 is one of many league efforts to connect more deeply with Latino fans, especially through music which is consistently shown to be a leading passion point for this community,” said Javier Farfan, Cultural Strategist at the NFL, in a statement. “NEON16 as the premier Latin music powerhouse was the perfect partner to bring this concept to life and imbue the energy, passion and overall football vibe to each track that, at its core, connects high energy and high impact sounds with youth and pop culture.”
Ramos, who starred in In the Heights last year, recorded the bilingual banger “Latino Activo.” Mexican-American rapper Snow Tha Product blended elements of Mexican banda music with trap beats in her swaggering track “Pa’ Atras.” Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Kris Floyd let his sensual flow run wild in the sultry “Ballin.” In another standout moment, Argentine rapper Trueno mixed reggaeton and hip-hop in his contribution “Quién Si No.”
Por La Cultura Mixtape: Volume 1 also features music from Aux, Jodosky, Chicocurlyhead, and Dj Cornetto.
Por La Cultura Mixtape: Volume 1 is out now via NEON16. Listen to it here.
Canned, bottled, “pre-made,” or ready-to-drink cocktails have been around for about as long as cocktails themselves have existed, though they’re certainly gaining in both market share and prestige. The popularity of pre-made cocktails has peaked and waned over centuries and right now we’re in a pretty big peak with seemingly every brand — new and old — putting out some form of ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktail in a can, bottle, or even pouch.
Cards on the table, the vast majority are pretty trash. As someone who judges these things, I can tell you that there are a lot of companies out there delivering shit products with too much sugar and too little refinement (this is often where brands hide the cheap booze they make). Still, that’s not to say there aren’t great ready-to-drink cocktails. There are… a few.
Below, we’re calling out some canned, bottled, and pre-made cocktails that don’t actually suck. These are the ones that break through the void of overly sweet, overly manufactured, and overly messed with and actually have a nice, subtle, and tasty flavor while delivering what’s promised on the label. Let’s dive in!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
Stone Buenafiesta Tequila Margaritas are made by a beer company but actually hit the mark really well. The RTDs are made with actual tequila from Jalisco that’s blended with a touch of real habanero and pineapple in the vat when they’re making the drink.
Tasting Notes:
The tequila comes through on the nose with a sense of roasted vegetal agave next to fresh green chili pepper and a hint of grilled pineapple. That tropical fruit gets juicy and fresh on the palate with a cut of lemon oils and spicy habanero on the very end, plus a twinge of lime juice and maybe a hint of that roasted agave popping back in.
Bottom Line:
This did have a mild sweetness but that was cut by the hefty citrus and habanero spice. It has a truly nice balance of flavors and actually kind of feels like a real margarita. If you poured this over some rocks with a salt-rimmed glass, you’d be pretty satisfied.
This product is a little bit of an outlier because as you can see — it’s $150 per bottle. And you can get one hell of a bourbon (or rye) for that money. So to pay that much for a bottle that is not simply “all alcohol” is going to feel… a little odd to many consumers.
With that said, this is a beautiful midcentury Don Draper bottle — a bar cart centerpiece — built around quality ingredients. The whiskey blend isn’t known but features 15-year Kentucky Straight Bourbon, 9-year Kentucky Straight Bourbon, and 6-year Indiana Straight Rye. The saffron is ethically sourced from Afghanistan, the vanilla comes from Tahiti, the cacao is from Equador, the gentian flower extract comes from France. This is a world tour in a bottle.
As a truly nice touch, the bottle comes with an “orange zest atomizer” to spritz over the glass. Def a cool look at parties.
Tasting Notes:
If you bought some big ice cubes, poured this directly into the glass, and spritzed the orange zest over the top as you delivered each glass, you would have a show-stopping opener to any party. The nose picks up the orange zest plus a nice warming whiskey and plenty of the fair trade demerara syrup. The palate has a nice whiskey warmth with some of the more exotic flavor notes — vanilla and saffron — landing near the finish. The close is sweet. And while this is a tad sweeter than I’d make an old fashioned, it’s certainly not sweeter than what the average drinker expects or what is served at the average bar.
Moreover, I don’t think you’d do much better at most whiskey bars and you’re definitely not getting 10x 75ml old fashioneds on the coast for less than $150 (especially if you tip well).
Bottom Line:
I hosted a party where I knew I couldn’t mix bespoke drinks during the arrival rush. I poured this out to the first 10 guests and it was an absolute hit.
Created back in 1932 in Milan, this is the granddaddy of ready-to-drink cocktails. The deeply red elixir is a mix of one part Campari and two parts fizzy soda water (the good stuff from northern Italy). The balance is perfect for pouring over some ice or simply drinking from an ice-cold bottle.
Tasting Notes:
Rich botanicals and herbal notes subtly appear on the nose with a sense of almost salty mineral water and a touch of orange essence. The palate is dry and full of woody botanicals and soft citrus, especially tangerine and pomelo with a hint of chinotto bitterness.
Bottom Line:
This is a great and refreshing pre-made cocktail. It’s wonderful on its own but really shines over some rocks with a topper of prosecco, creating your own easy spritz.
I picked this particular expression, but to be honest I love the entire Cutwater Heaters series. I think a big part of why is that I like hot cocktails this time of year but always make too much and they’re sort of a menace to clean and generally a hassle to prepare. Visually impressive, sure, but sort of a bear all around. Plus, while Cutwater’s canned series is pretty sugary for my palate, hot drinks are supposed to read as sugary-syrupy — which made me curious about these.
The Heaters series is made up of four pour-over RTDs — you pour hot water over a shot of the mix and you’ve got a drink. That solves the problem of making too much and also allows folks to make theirs a tad stronger or weaker, depending on personal preference.
Tasting Notes:
This reads as buttery without it tasting synthetic or chemical-y. It’s warming and holiday-ish. All wins. The mid-palate has a nice whiskey punch — 80% abv isn’t bad for an RTD (it gets proofed down by the water but mine still felt like a nice, stiff pour). The backend is sweet, there’s no avoiding that, but it’s butterscotch sweet in a way that works and doesn’t feel unbalanced and there’s enough warmth (from the hot water and the booze) to mitigate it.
Bottom Line:
Not sure I could do more than 10% better from scratch. And avoiding the cleanup is far more valuable to me than that last 10% of performance!
This canned cocktail from Kentucky blends classic Jim Beam bourbon with a touch of seltzer water and a drop of citrus oils.
Tasting Notes:
The bourbon shines through on the nose with hints of woody spice, vanilla beans, and cherry candy. The palate is full of that bourbon-y goodness while the seltzer offers a sharp fizziness accented by hints of rich orange and lemon oils.
Bottom Line:
This is shockingly good for a canned highball. It’s easy drinking and full of classic whiskey highball flavors.
I’ve always gotten a great response about Golden Rule. I think the reason why is 1) they taste even more potent than they are (in a good way), and 2) they are one of the few canned cocktails that aren’t overly sweet. I suppose those two things are related (as alcohol potency is typically masked with sweetness) but regardless — these little guys are tasty!
Tasting Notes:
This tastes like an espresso martini. Sorry for not being more involved but… does an espresso martini ever taste either better or worse than an espresso martini? I don’t think so, personally. I mean, unless you’re really brewing espresso in your house. Then… maybe? Not even so sure.
Does that make these tasting notes poorly written? I say “no!” It tastes like a mix of sugar, vodka, and espresso and that’s what you wanted.
Bottom Line:
Buy these. Pour them into martini glasses. Float an espresso bean or cocoa powder on top. Claim you made them from scratch. If someone notices, I’ll reimburse you.
This canned cocktail is made with Jack Daniel’s signature Jack Tennessee Apple, fizzy soda water, and a touch of citrus essence.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a clear sense of apple orchards with a hint of Granny Smith and honey lurking underneath on the nose. The palate melds honey apple crisps with light lemon zest and a twinge of orange pith for a bright and refreshing sipper.
Bottom Line:
This is a bit like Martinelli’s Apple Cider turned up a notch. The sweetness is dialed back a bit and feels like real honey, not sugar syrup. The light citrus really jives with the tart apple and creates an easy drinker.
Maryland’s Sagamore Spirit created a whole line of new RTDs with their award-winning rye whiskey. In this case, the pre-made cocktail is Sagamore Spirit rye cut with orange juice, lemon juice, lime juice, and natural orange flavor along with fizzy soda water.
Tasting Notes:
This is like a boozy orange creamsicle in a can. There’s a sweetness on the nose that’s tied to the orange. The palate has a nice and lightly spiced whiskey base with a hint of rye breadiness and burnt orange that plays well with the creamy vanilla and orange that’s the star of the show.
Bottom Line:
This is the sweetest of my picks. But it works here since this is about an “orange crush” and not a simple rye highball. It delivers what’s on the label while going deep enough to feel like something real and nostalgic, even straight out of a chilled can.
George Dickel Social Hour Harvest Whiskey Sour – Zach Johnston
This brand-new canned cocktail from George Dickel is a killer. The actual booze in the drink is 13-year-old George Dickel Tennessee Whisky, which is wildly good whiskey to put in a pre-mixed cocktail in a can. The mix is a combination of that old whiskey plus Honeycrisp apple, Meyer lemon, cinnamon, maple syrup, and cardamom with a whisper of fizziness.
Tasting Notes:
The whiskey and Meyer lemon pop on the nose with a sense of spiced apple cider (the good stuff with a murky body). The palate is bold and hits you with a light whiskey sense that’s part whiskey sour and part spicy apple cider. The dark cider, woody cinnamon, and whole cardamom pods really last on the palate with a nice citrus counterpoint. Moreover, there’s an actual finish that lasts and meanders through the woody spice and real apple cider — with a hint of cinnamon butter — back toward the feel of a good, wintry whiskey sour.
Bottom Line:
This is straight-up delicious and really feels like you’re drinking a cocktail. It’s boozy, full of real-feeling flavor notes, and doesn’t at all taste like it’s out of a can.
Aubrey Plaza is known for her punchy sarcasm and witty one-liners, all sprinkled with a little bit of charm and a lot of creepiness, almost like a real-life Wednesday Addams or a Chucky doll with a better fashion sense. Even though she insists she’s not like that in real life, her co-stars seem to disagree.
For example, while filming The White Lotus,the cast and crew were often spending long hours in their hotel rooms and unsurprisingly became a little bored. Sure, some of them were totally fine spending the time doing vocal warmups, but not everyone was calm and collected.
“I was a suspicious character for these Italians,” Plaza said of the hotel staff. “They thought I was sketchy. Which I am.” Plaza seemed to lean into her natural gift of weirdness by pranking her co-star Adam DiMarco. The actress decided to arrange reed diffusers in a “large Blair Witch-style symbol” in DiMarco’s dressing room, as well as her own in order to feign suspicion. Or maybe she just wanted to conjure some spirits, who’s to really say?
Then, as the power slowly went to her head, Plaza started slipping notes that said “here lies…” under people’s doors, effectively creeping everyone out and wondering why they decided to be in this television show in the first place. When confronted, Plaza would basically gaslight DiMarco “over bottles of red wine” and pretend she had no idea what was going on. “Adam was so innocent, like a baby bird,” Plaza said. “It was really sick, what I was doing to him. I got him to the brink of a psychological break.”
Plaza’s stunt was foiled by the hotel’s staff, who showed him footage of Plaza and her pranks. DiMarco said that he was “definitely questioning my reality for a while there,” before Plaza’s plan was revealed. Just wait until we find out the kind of pranks she will be pulling on the set of Agatha: Coven Of Choas! Hopefully, Kathryn Hahn was warned.
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(MSRP $7.99) (@anthelonious) 
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