Sabrina Carpenter really went for it with the “Feather” video she released in October. The clip starts with Carpenter getting followed on the street by some creepy men, but they quickly meet a gruesome and sudden demise. Elsewhere in the video, Carpenter similarly tries to live her life unbothered, and the leering men around her also find themselves not doing too well when it comes to being alive.
Ultimately, the video ends with a black-clad Carpenter dancing around a church at an apparent joint funeral for the deceased dudes. This was all filmed at a real Catholic church, and now the priest who gave it the OK has landed in water that’s more hot than holy.
As Billboard reports, the final scene was filmed at Our Lady Of Mount Carmel-Annunciation Parish in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Msgr. Jamie J. Gigantiello, the priest who approved the filming, was later relieved of his administrative duties involving oversight of the church. Bishop Robert J. Brennan told the Catholic News Agency he is “appalled at what was filmed at Annunciation Of The Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Brooklyn. He added, “The parish did not follow diocesan policy regarding the filming on Church property, which includes a review of the scenes and script.”
In an apology letter shared on the parish’s Facebook page, Gigantiello told his side of the story, writing in part:
“The parish was approached in September by a locally based film crew, scouting a location for what was presented as a ‘production featuring Sabrina Carpenter.’ In an effort to further strengthen the bonds between the young creative artists who make up a large part of this community and the parish, I agreed to the filming after a general search of the artists involved did not reveal anything questionable. Please know that while I was not present for the filming, I did remove the Blessed Sacrament from the church earlier that day. The parish staff and I were not aware that anything provocative was occurring in the church nor were we aware that faux coffins and other funeral items would be placed in the sanctuary. Most of the video was supposed to be filmed outside, near the church, which it was.
While I take full responsibility for the erroneous decision to allow the filming, I want to assure you that I had no knowledge that such a scene would be filmed in our church which we worked so hard to restore to its present sacred beauty. I further affirm that a lapse in judgment such as this will never take place again as I fully devote my every action to preserving the sanctity of the parish and faith community with which I am entrusted, as I have done over my 7 years as pastor at Our Lady of Mount Carmel-Annunciation.”
Right now the #1 buzzword in tequila is “additive-free.” Drinkers are opting for bottles that are distinctly agave-forward and not full of filler and brands are rushing to declare themselves additive-free ASAP in order to satisfy the demand. This can be… annoying. Mostly because brands aren’t always completely honest about being free of additives and they don’t have to be — according to the Consejo Regulador Del Tequila, producers are allowed to use up to 1% of certain additives including glycerin, sugar-based syrup, caramel coloring, and oak extract without disclosing it. Also because it’s a #trend right now, some people will write off a quite good bottle of tequila just because it isn’t additive-free.
So let us just say this: There are good bottles of tequila with and without additives. You can find some here!
That said, there is a reason a preference for additive-free tequila is growing. Brands like Casamigos and Clase Azul are beloved by casual drinkers because of their ease of drinkability and there’s a sweet, vanilla-forward quality to these tequilas that makes them come across as pleasing to the palate. But as casual drinkers get more and more interested in tequila they start to value the spikey, bright, and earthy flavors of agave — flavors that are softened and even blurred completely by the inclusion of additives that big brands likely use to get those “smooth” and pleasing flavors.
If you’re reading this article, you’re probably interested in bottles with a more agave-forward and unaltered flavor profiles. So to help introduce you to the world of additive-free tequila, we’re running down some of our favorite bottles that fall under $50. We figure this is a good price point to start with to see whether or not you even like additive-free tequila (we have a hunch you will, welcome to the club).
These bottles have all been confirmed additive-free by Tequila Matchmaker, a site that has an official independent additive-free verification program. Please note, that a brand has to actually submit for verification from TMM, so there will always be brands that haven’t taken the time to seek out third-party verification or brands that simply don’t want to open their books to a third party. If you want to confirm the validity of a brand’s claim of being additive-free but can’t confirm it on a site like Tequila Matchmaker, Uproxx’s own Zach Johnston has a pretty neat trick:
“Pour a touch of tequila into your hands and rub them like you’re using hand sanitizer,” he notes. “If your hands are dry at the end, it’s an additive-free tequila. If your hands are a tad sticky or feel soft and oiled, then there are additives like extra glycerin at play.”
Okay, enough talk — let’s drink.
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Tequila Posts Of The Last Six Months
Chamucos is an interesting brand because, in a weird way, its origins stem from a celebrity. The brand was first conceived in 1992 by Oscar-nominated Mexican film director, Antonio Urrutia, and his friend, the hand-blown glass bottle artist, Cesar Hernandez.
During a visit to Hernandez’s glass factory, US importer Mark Howard saw a concept bottle of Chamucos, and two years later, the brand introduced its first expression, a Reposado. Its celebrity connections are less firm than a brand like 818, Casamigos, or Teremana, but what really sets this brand apart from those is the lack of additives.
Chamucos is produced at NOM 1586, Destileria Casa de Piedra, using stone brick ovens, roller mill extraction, and stainless steel pot distillation. It is an organic, non-GMO, additive-free tequila.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The alcohol is prominent here, it has a scent not unlike nail polish remover, but after that initial aroma pleasing bright agave and lime notes come forward.
Palate: A lot of lime rind, cooked agave, and a slight floral sweetness.
Finish: Salty with more citrus notes and minerality. It comes across as very earthy and natural.
The Bottom Line:
Salty and citrusy, with some natural floral sweetness.
Tequila Ocho’s agave is hand-harvested sometime between 7-10 years and slow cooked in brick ovens for 48 hours and rested for 24 before being crushed by a roller mill. The juice is then fermented in wood vats and twice distilled, the second time in a small copper pot.
There aren’t many brands in the $30 price range that utilize this slow process, and it gives the tequila a silky quality that punches above its weight.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Fresh-peeled orange rind and roasted agave dance on the nose in equal parts.
Palate: Zesty and earthy, I’m getting cracked black pepper and a rush of fresh herbal flavors. Almost cilantro-like.
Finish: Mint and pepper with a gentle spice that builds on the aftertaste.
The Bottom Line: Naturally sweet and fruity, Tequila Ocho is a great starter bottle for those looking to try their first additive-free tequila without spending an inflated price.
Produced at NOM 1139, the famed La Alteña distillery, Tapatio is made from agave harvested at peak maturity, and slow-cooked in masonry ovens. Tapatio removes the bud in male plants, which the brand claims “adversely affect the flavor of tequila”.
The cooked agave is roller mill extracted and fermented in open-air wood vats with native wild yeast for 72 to 96 hours, and finally distilled in copper pots.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Cooked agave leads to wet grass and a hint of key lime.
Palate: A medley of citrus notes dominates the palate, I’m tasting tangerine, grapefruit, and a bit of orange. There is also a subtle hint of licorice.
Finish: Long and peppery.
The Bottom Line:
A natural grassy and citrus-forward tequila with a mix of licorice-like spices on the aftertaste.
El Tequileño is made with agave sourced from the highlands of Jalisco cooked in steam-pressure autoclaves and roller mill extracted. The tequila is made with mineral-rich volcanic spring water that flows through the distillery from the Volcan de Tequila.
To get to its reposado state, the tequila is aged for 8 months in American oak and blended with a touch of the brand’s añejo.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Ripe banana and tropical mango with some cooked agave and a bit of oak.
Palate: Vanilla notes greet the palate before morphing to a black pepper earthiness, some cinnamon, and butterscotch.
Finish: The finish is fast, you don’t really get to savor the flavor here which is a shame. Oak and cinnamon dominate the finish but they fade way too soon.
The Bottom Line:
Tropical fruity flavors, a touch of vanilla, and a smooth oak-rich finish. This is a well-rounded repo that is great for sipping and mixing.
Tepozan is a small batch tequila hailing from NOM 1584, Tequila El Tepozan, and is made from estate-grown blue agave that is hand-harvested and peak maturity and cooked in a pressurized brick oven.
The juice from the cooked agave is extracted with a roller mill and fermented in open-air still tanks before being twice distilled. After the first distillation, the tequila is clarified using volcanic rock water, and then further refined.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Roasted agave gives way to clay and wet earth and a bit of cinnamon that makes it way through the nose and onto the palate.
Palate: An initial spicy hit kicks the palate awake with cooked agave notes, a hint of cracked black pepper, cinnamon, and vegetal brightness.
Finish: That vegetal quality dominates the finish with some minerality and a buttery aftertaste.
The Bottom Line:
Very natural and earthy with a bright and spiky agave-forward flavor. You can almost taste the purity here.
I’ve long sung the praises of Mijenta, it’s one of my favorite tequila brands right now but while I’ve said a lot on this site about the reposado and añejo bottles, I haven’t ever highlighted the blanco.
This is a great bottle, though I’ll admit it’s my least favorite expression from the brand. The agave here is harvested from the highlands of Jalisco, cooked in a low-pressure autoclave, and roller mill extracted before being fermented in stainless steel tanks and distilled in a stainless steel pot.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: White pepper and agave. There is an initial funkiness to this that shifts into a floral honey tone as you inhale deeper.
Palate: Rich and buttery with cooked agave, black pepper, and a dash of vanilla.
Finish: Cinnamon and anise with a slight fruitiness that lives on the aftertaste.
The Bottom Line:
Buttery and earthy with a nuanced level of sweetness. I love this less for mixing in a cocktail.
G4 comes from fourth-generation master distiller Felipe Camarena and is produced at NOM 1579, Destileria El Pandillo. The agave is cooked in stone brick ovens, tahona extracted, and made with natural spring and rainwater.
A lot of people tend to write this brand off because of the name and bottle design. That’s a huge mistake, this is a truly great bottle of blanco tequila, and in my opinion, the brand’s best expression.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: A warm and inviting agave aroma swirls above this pour with some sinus-tickling black pepper and citrus notes.
Palate: That smell perfectly translates to the palate, I’m getting a lot of black pepper and citrus, with green grass notes.
Finish: Warm and slightly nutty. The mouthfeel is silky.
The Bottom Line:
Warm and agave rich, with a luxurious finish. A great bottle to sip.
LALO has a strict commitment to tequila blanco, and that singular focus is working for them. The agave for this tequila is hand-harvested at 6-7 years from the highlands of Jalisco, it is then cooked in brick steam ovens for 20-32 hours and rested an additional 18 before being roller mill extracted.
The juice is then fermented for 3-4 days using a proprietary Champagne yeast. The result is a wonderfully bright and pure-tasting unaged tequila. If you’re all about the flavor of agave, you’re going to get a lot of that with LALO.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Cucumber and citrus rind, there is a noticeable juicy freshness here.
Palate: Agave and citrus with some light caramel notes, a bit of vanilla, and cracked cinnamon.
Finish: The vegetal quality of the finish is strong here. It feels fresh and grassy with more citrus at the back end and some roasted agave.
The Bottom Line:
A vegetal and grassy agave forward tequila. It’s bottles like this that have given “additive-free” tequila its good name.
You don’t have to be a hardcore tequila snob to know about El Tesoro. If someone in your circle knows tequila and you’ve asked for recommendations, no doubt you’ve heard the name “El Tesoro,” and that’s because each expression is pretty great. We recommend you start with the Reposado.
This tequila is produced at NOM 1139, La Alteña, and is made from mature agave cooked in stone and brick ovens and tahona extracted. It is fermented in open-air wood tanks and twice distilled in copper pots. The repo is aged for nine to eleven months in American oak ex-bourbon barrels.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: A rich oakiness mixed with agave and a warm vanilla.
Palate: Butterscotch and honeydew, a strange but interesting combination of flavors with some cinnamon and citrus.
Finish: Vanilla and roasted agave, with a smooth finish and a lot of oak.
The Bottom Line:
A rich and naturally smooth oak-forward tequila with hints of spices and citrus zest.
It feels a little obvious to give Fortaleza the top spot on a tequila ranking but, credit where credit is due, this is simply some of the best tequila you’ll ever have, at any price.
The agave here is slow-cooked in stone brick ovens, stone crushed and double distilled in copper pots before being poured into hand-blown bottles.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There is so much going on here, it’s a real treat for the senses. A bouquet of roasted agave, vanilla bean, citrus, and salt. On the smell alone, it’s mouthwatering.
Palate: Cooked agave with warm vanilla, a hint of lemon, herbs, and a bit of grassiness.
Finish: Buttery with a dry earthy finish and a slightly bitter aftertaste.
The Bottom Line: Citrus forward and stunningly easy to drink.
After The Last of Us delivered a blockbuster first season that fully adapted the first game, Season 2 will start tackling the even more sprawling narrative found in the critically-acclaimed sequel The Last of Us Part II. That story is so big that showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann will most likely take two seasons (if not more) to adapt the video game sequel for HBO.
While fans of the zombie series will have to wait a while for The Last of Us Season 2, Druckmann, who also co-created the games, has teased a chance for players to catch a glimpse of what to expect from the new season. In January 2024, a remastered version of The Last of Us Part II will arrive with a bonus feature called “Lost Levels” (think deleted scenes, but for video games) that could influence Season 2.
“As a tease, I will say there is at least one element from a cut level that is planned [for] the show,” Druckmann told Entertainment Weekly. “I say that with the caveat that we haven’t started filming the show yet and all things are subject to change based on what we ultimately feel will be best for the show.”
On top of giving The Last of Us fans a chance to see how Season 2 could expand beyond just the core narrative in the sequel game, the deleted scenes will also serve as a fascinating treat for gamers who are curious about how a massive epic like The Last of Us Part II is made.
“Think of these as levels left on the cutting room floor, that for various reasons didn’t make it into the final game,” Druckman said after revealing that the Lost Levels will also feature commentary and interactive elements. “These are a new attempt from us to lift the curtain on the development process, and I hope players appreciate the insight into what did and didn’t make it into the final game.”
The Last of Us Season 1 is available for streaming on Max.
The Phoenix Suns stumbled out of the gates to a 4-6 start, largely due to the absences of two of their three top stars. Bradley Beal has played in three games before returning to the injury report with a back injury, while Devin Booker missed eight games with a foot injury. That left a team that already had serious point guard concerns without their two best backcourt creators, and unsurprisingly, that wasn’t a recipe for success, despite some stellar play from Kevin Durant.
On November 15, Booker returned to the lineup against the Timberwolves and the Suns haven’t lost since. Phoenix is 7-0 with Booker back in the lineup (8-1 with Booker this season), and if he keeps up his current pace, he should find himself in the MVP conversation. Booker has taken full control of the Phoenix offense, putting to rest any question of whether he could thrive in the lead creator role for a top team. He’s averaging 29.4 points, 8.9 assists, and 5.4 rebounds per game with just 3.1 turnovers per game on the best shooting efficiency of his career (49.7/43.5/91.8 shooting splits). The scoring comes as little surprise, as he’s long been one of the league’s premier bucket-getters (and, for my money, has the most aesthetically pleasing jumper in the NBA), putting that shot-making on display to beat the Knicks without KD on Sunday night.
What has been most impressive to me has been his development as an on-ball playmaker and the conductor of an offense. Booker has played the point guard role before, but has never done it this well or this efficiently. In the two years before the arrival of Chris Paul, he was often in charge of running the offense and did so solidly, but had issues with turnovers and was often looking to score first and pass second. This season, you can see the improvement from him in terms of his feel for the game, patience, court-vision, understanding when to seek out his own shot, and how to keep everyone else fed too.
During this 7-game streak with Booker back in the lineup, Phoenix has averaged 3.4 more assists per game and 3.7 fewer turnovers per game than in the first 10 games of the season. Having Booker pulling the strings for the offense is the biggest reason for that improvement, as he has become an excellent facilitator. That growth shows up a lot when watching his drives to the paint, as he recognizes when help is coming off of his shooters and rifles passes into the shooting pocket on the outside and finds dropoffs inside to Jusuf Nurkic and his bigs.
Booker also has become quicker in his decision-making when doubles come his way on the perimeter, knowing where the open teammate will be based on where the second defender is coming from, and being decisive with his passes to exploit that space.
When Booker is on the floor, he has his fingerprints on everything and has been efficient at just about everything. His usage rate is 33.9 percent, the highest of his career. His true shooting percentage is 62.8 percent, the highest of his career. His assist percentage is an astronomical 47.7 percent (meaning when he’s playing, nearly half of the made shots by his teammates are coming off of passes from Booker), with a turnover rate of just 11.7 percent, the third lowest of his career (only behind two seasons playing with Chris Paul). What he’s doing is truly outrageous, and what makes the Suns so hard to stop is he’s not alone in taking strides as a playmaker for others.
Kevin Durant is also off to a preposterous start to the season, averaging 31.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game on comical 53.3/52.2/89.1 shooting splits. Over the Suns seven-game winning streak, he’s played in five of the games and averaged 34.2 points and 7.2 assists per game, as he’s embraced more of a flowing offensive style with Booker back in the lineup. Durant is as lethal a shooter as there is in the NBA, and he’s looked terrific both creating for himself off the bounce and knocking down catch-and-shoot looks (at least a couple of Booker’s assists each game are tossing it out to a semi-guarded KD who rises, unbothered by a soft contest, for three).
However, Durant is also now showing full trust in the rest of his Suns teammates and the result is Phoenix’s offense operating as an absolute buzzsaw, boasting a 128.4 offensive rating over their winning streak. Durant, like Booker, is embracing the attention defenses are paying him and letting it create easy baskets elsewhere, with some slick feeds off drives and also putting defenses in rotation with quick skip passes when doubles come to him in the high post.
When they play together, the Suns have also leveraged the attention each commands to put opponents in a bind. Their growth in the two-man game has been impressive, and creates some easy assists thanks to how each can knock down shots when given just a little bit of space.
Phoenix’s overall team shooting also opens things up for the two-man game between Booker and Durant, as they are third in the league in three-point percentage, led by Booker and Durant, but also are getting great spacing from Grayson Allen, Eric Gordon, and Yuta Watanabe. Frank Vogel has been able to take advantage of that to create a real conundrum for defenses by putting Booker and Durant on the same side of the floor to work off each other, which naturally tilts defenses towards sending help to that side, which frees up one of those shooters on the weakside. That’s when Durant and Booker’s trust in their teammates comes into play, as they are willing to throw skip passes or drive with the intent of kicking it out when the defense collapses further, trusting that the shot they create will get knocked down.
We often see teams with multiple superstars take turns on offense, and while there are certainly times where the Suns let Durant or Booker go to work, they typically are running some type of actual action or set, even in late game situations. That requires stars who are willing to operate within a structure, and a coaching staff to build a structure and system that puts them in the spots they want to be in. The shotmaking of Durant and Booker always stands out, as they’re two of the best in the league at hitting pullup jumpers, but hat’s making the Suns click right now is those two aren’t simply relying on their ability to hit tough shots. Instead, they’re making the right play constantly, which, when coupled with their teammates knocking down open shots, makes them impossible to defend.
There are a few good TV doctors out there (Patrick Dempsey, Hugh Laurie, and Doc McStuffins), but there is only one doctor who is portrayed by David Tennant, and that’s the most important one.
Tennant donned his signature converse/bow tie look once again to return to the Doctor Whouniverse, alongside returning cast member Catherine Tate, for three new specials, all written by Doctor Who veteran Russell T. Davies. The last time Tennant reprised his role was for the 50th anniversary special in 2013, when Matt Smith was just a little baby-faced time lord. Now he’s in cahoots with the dragons over on HBO.
The three new specials will air over the next month. Episode one dropped last week, which was a win for Tennant fans all over as well as BBC, who finally saw a big ratings boost. But the fun is not over yet!
The second episode of the three-part special, titled “Wild Blue Yonder,” will premiere on Saturday, December 2nd on Disney+. Meanwhile, episode three, titled “The Giggle” lands on December 9th.
Finally, the traditional Doctor Who Christmas Special The Church On Ruby Road will air on Christmas Day when Ncuti Gatwa will make his first appearance as the fifteenth doctor. Doc McStuffuns could not be reached for comment.
You can stream older episodes of Doctor Who on Max.
A tell-tale sign of someone getting older is when they confuse names. I frequently call one of my cats the name of my other cats, and I’m still in my 30s. Also, I’m not running for president like 77-year-old Donald Trump, who has mixed up Barack Obama and Joe Biden during numerous speeches.
Earlier this month, Forbes reported that Trump confused “two of his political nemeses, President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama, for at least the seventh time in recent months Saturday — the latest in a series of gaffes by the 77-year-old former president that’s made him the target of a line of attack typically used against the 80-year-old president.”
Trump responded to the errors in a typically rambling post on Truth Social.
“Whenever I sarcastically insert the name Obama for Biden as an indication that others may actually be having a very big influence in running our Country, Ron DeSanctimonious and his failing campaign apparatus, together with the Democrat’s Radical Left ‘Disinformation Machine,’ go wild saying that ‘Trump doesn’t know the name of our President, (CROOKED!) Joe Biden. He must be cognitively impaired.’ No, I know both names very well, never mix them up, and know that they are destroying our Country,” he explained, sounding like a student try to convince their teacher that a dog ate their homework.
Trump continued,
“Also, and as reported, I just took a cognitive test as part of my Physical Exam, and ACED it. Also ACED (a perfect score!) one taken while in the White House. Biden should take one so we can determine why he wants Open Borders, No Energy Independence, A Woke Military, High Inflation, No Voter I.D., Men playing In Women’s Sports, Only Electric Cars & Trucks, A Weaponized DOJ/FBI, and so many other CRAZY things!!!”
Stephen Colbert had to take some time off from hosting The Late Show last month following a positive test result for COVID (Taylor’s Version). He’ll go on another health-related break this week after his appendix burst.
“Sorry to say that I have to cancel our shows this week,” a post on The Late Show‘s Instagram account reads, according to Variety. “I’m sure you’re thinking, ‘Turkey overdose, Steve? Gravy boat capsize?’ Actually, I’m recovering from surgery for a ruptured appendix. I’m grateful to my doctors for their care and to [his wife] Evie and the kids for putting up with me. Going forward, all emails to my appendix will be handled by my pancreas.”
This is the second time The Late Show has had to go off the air since it returned to CBS in early October after the end of the Writers Guild of America strike. Later that month, Colbert hosted one episode from his home after testing positive for COVID before the rest of the week’s shows were canceled.
Colbert’s guests this week were to include Jennifer Garner, Baz Luhrmann, Patrick Stewart, Kelsey Grammer, and Blue Eye Samurai inspiration Barbra Streisand. Maybe, now that they have the free time, the five of them can record a podcast together. I would love to know what Streisand thought of Elvis.
Every Monday, Billboard unveils the top 10 songs on the latest Hot 100 chart. The most recent rankings, for the chart dated December 2, are out now, so let’s run down who had this week’s biggest hits.
10. Tyla — “Water”
What a breakout year for Tyla: The South African artist has herself a breakout hit with “Water,” and now it is one of only relatively few songs ever to find itself in the top 10 of the Hot 100, after rising from No. 15 last week. Remixes with Marshmello and Travis Scott released on November 17 gave the track the boost it needed this frame.
9. Taylor Swift — “Is It Over Now? (Taylor’s Version) [From The Vault]”
8. Brenda Lee — “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree”
The holiday season really makes time irrelevant: Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” celebrates its 65th anniversary this year, and here the Christmas classic is in the top 10 of the Hot 100.
7. Tate McRae — “Greedy”
Like Tyla, McRae just had her first top 10, although “Greedy” achieved the feat last week. Now, its success continues as the song rises up a spot from No. 8 to No. 7.
Bryan and Musgraves’ collab has been a multi-genre force over the past few months: Aside from maintaining a Hot 100 presence, it’s currently No. 1 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and Hot Rock Songs charts for a 13th week and on the Hot Country Songs for a ninth.
5. SZA — “Snooze”
“Snooze” is thriving right now, as SZA’s hit remains in the top 5 of the Hot 100 while leading the Hot R&B Songs chart for a 17th week.
4. Mariah Carey — “All I Want For Christmas Is You”
Yes, it’s starting again. Every year, Carey’s 1994 holiday hit had a major leap this week, rising from No. 17 all the way to No. 4. At this point, it’s appears to be only a matter of time before the frosty favorite reclaims the top spot for yet another holiday season.
3. Doja Cat — “Paint The Town Red”
It’s appropriate a song about the color red is thriving on the first December-dated Hot 100, but that’s not new, as it’s been at or near the top of the chart for some time now.
2. Taylor Swift — “Cruel Summer”
After spending five total weeks at No. 1 so far, Swift’s revived 2019 hit is taking a break from the throne as it slides down to No. 2 this week, thanks to a surging newcomer.
1. Jack Harlow — “Lovin On Me”
Last week, Harlow’s “Lovin On Me” was the chart’s biggest debut at No. 2. Now, it has managed to knock Swift off the top spot and rise to No. 1, becoming the rapper’s third career No. 1 single (following “First Class” and the Lil Nas X collab “Industry Baby”).
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Thanksgiving is behind us and it’s officially the “holiday season.” That means holiday parties, gatherings, and extra trips to bars are inevitable as we barrel toward 2024. We all need a throughline — a signature cocktail if you will — to hold it all together over the next four or five weeks.
Today, Uproxx is offering a great one — the Tuxedo No. 2.
The Tuxedo No. 2 is a bit like the Corpse Reviver No. 2 in that it’s a bright cocktail with an absinthe wash for the glass. They’re both gin and blanc vermouth-based with a touch of orange. The Tuxedo No. 2 stays very clean and bright with a touch of cherry liqueur instead of fresh lemon juice in the Corpse Reviver — and that makes a massive difference.
Before we dive into this delicious cocktail, let’s get a little context. The Tuxedo Cocktail — gin, sherry, and orange bitters — hails all the way back to the 1800s and the famed Waldorf Astoria in New York City, which named the cocktail after/for the Gilded Age aristocracy (like William Waldorf Astor) who partied up at the Tuxedo Club in Tuxedo, New York, along the Hudson. Interestingly, the name is a Lenape word for “crooked river” that much later became synonymous with the white jacket and black tie attire the Tuxedo Club members were required to don when doing said partying.
By the early 1900s, the Tuxedo was a mainstay of the Martini circuit at any good bar and then, of course, adapted for the times. The sherry was 86’d and replaced with an absinthe wash and cherry liqueur, and here we are.
The best part of this drink is the flavor. The Blanc Vermouth is a mid-way point between dry and sweet vermouth with a hint of vanilla. The absinthe adds a deep winter spice note that leans into star anise and allspice with a hint of dry herbs. The orange layers give you an orange-anise holiday vibe with the cherry sweetly lurking with the vanilla in the background.
Here’s how to make one!
Also Read: The Top Five Cocktail Recipes of the Last Six Months
You really need to start with a good dry gin for this one. I recommend an American dry gin we absolutely love — Farmer’s Organic Gin. It has a nice balance that makes it perfect for this martini variation in that it holds its own against the bold flavors of the recipe.
Blanc vermouth should be in any good liquor store right next to the dry and sweet vermouth. Lillet Blanc is a great go-to.
Lastly, make sure to get real “absinthe” and not “absinth.” The real stuff is spelled with an “e” while the knock-off versions are not.
The rest should be easy to find otherwise.
Zach Johnston
What You’ll Need:
Cocktail glass, Nick and Nora, or coupe (prechilled)
Cocktail mixing glass
Cocktail strainer
Jigger
Barspoon
Paring knife
Swizzle stick
Zach Johnston
Method:
Remove the glass from the freezer and add the absinthe. Roll the spirit around the bowl of the glass and pour off the excess. Set aside.
Add the gin, vermouth, maraschino liqueur, and orange bitters to the mixing glass. Add a handful of ice and stir until well-chilled (about 25-30 seconds).
Strain the cocktail into the waiting glass. Express the oils from the orange peel over the cocktail.
Garnish with a speared cherry and serve.
Bottom Line:
Zach Johnston
This is so fresh and light with a deep flavor profile. The cherry and orange mingle with the spices, botanicals, and herbs of the vermouth and absinthe in the best ways. There’s a light sense of heavily spiced cherry holiday cakes with a ginny base that’s just kissed with vanilla and sweet rock candy.
The overall vibe is still light though. This isn’t a nog or creamy dessert holiday cocktail. It’s an effervescent masterpiece that’s stood the test of time (literally centuries) and it’s very easy to see why from the first sip.
The real best part is that this was easy as hell to make. It took all of, say, one minute to stir up and serve. That makes this a very easy go-to for the rest of the 2023 holiday season. Be merry and bright!
HBO sure knew what they were doing when they decided to shelve that Bloodmoon prequel (to Game of Thrones) in favor of letting the messy Targaryen history soar on House of the Dragon. Not only do viewers now get to see fire-breathing beasts but also their riders as the earlier posturing for the Iron Throne led to the downfall of the long-ruling house. Naturally, much of this was down to King Viserys‘ knack for making bad decisions, but he wasn’t the only Targaryen lacking judgment, and he won’t be the last, either.
HotD Season 2 will feature many more clusterf*cks, which will be pushed into overdrive by Aemond’s decision to scare the holy hell out of Luc before Vhagar went rogue and enjoyed a snack. This, of course, could lead to bad strategy moves from Queen Rhaenyra, but she surely cannot outdo King Aegon II in that department. After all, there’s a reason why George R.R. Martin called the show’s source material Fire and Blood, but we already know how the Targaryen bloodline ends. How does Season 2 help it get there?
Plot
The show has already slightly departed from GRRM’s writing by starting the timeline about 50% of the way through the Fire and Blood book. This leaves room for an Aegon The Conquerer show in the future, and it also drops us into the part of the Westeros history when sh*t really started to hit the fan. Following Luc’s death, Rhaenyra will be kicked into vengeance mode, and the story leaves Dragonstone and King’s Landing to focus more elsewhere. That includes more action of figures from Driftmark and more blanks filled in about The Stepstones, which are islands that formed following the flooding of a land strip. In the below video, GRRM is shown filling readers in with areas that we should see onscreen, and that includes parts of Old Valyria, Dorne, and various paths along the Narrow Sea.
Will we see Winterfell in Season 2 as well? This happens at a few points in the Fire and Blood book, but there’s no telling whether Season 2 will have room for too much Stark focus.
Essentially, the new season will set up several new lords and show lots of civilians having their lives destroyed by the silly yet devastating Targaryen war. Winter Is Coming did some detective work and found that a casting call for amputees in Wales could point toward the adaptation of scenes where those without the blood of the dragon were invited to tame beasts and join the war on Team Black. As you can guess from the description, some hopefuls lost life and limb in the process.
To be certain, Team Black will have enough dragons to outnumber those of Team Green, but Aegon’s side starts with the advantage of being in King’s Landing. As well, Green has the largest dragon, Vhagar, but she’s also clearly a loose cannon and not willing to always do Aemond’s bidding. And we also know that Game of Thrones began in a Westeros where dragons were all but extinct, so get ready for casualties of the human and fire-breathing variety.
Eventually, the show will leave us in a place where A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight begins, at least chronologically. However, GRRM has revealed that Hedge Knight is in development, so there’s no reason why both shows could run concurrently at some point.
Cast
The show settled into adult versions of several characters already, which means that Emma D’Arcy will be back as Rhaenyra Targaryen, and Olivia Cooke returns as her former friend-turned-nemesis, Alicent Hightower. As well, Ewan Mitchell (Aemond Targaryen) and Tom Glynn-Carney (Aegon Targaryen) will keep bringing us the saltiest sons, and that’s especially the case for Aemond, who desperately wants to be like Matt Smith’s Daemon.
Steve Toussaint (Corlys “Sea Snake” Valaryon) will likely regain his strength, hopefully after recovering from that fever while accompanied by Eve Best as the Queen Who Never Was, Rhaenys Targaryen. Expect to see even more of these actors as non-Targaryens who are particularly adept at maneuvering: Sonoya Mizuno (Mysaria/that White Worm) Fabien Frankel (Ser Criston Cole the terrible), and Rhys Ifans (Otto Hightower).
What of new characters, though? Via Winter Is Coming, rumor has it that Lord Moogan (an ally to Rhaenyra) shall be portrayed by Turlough Convery, and the role of Cregan Stark will be picked up by Tom Taylor. Additionally, a surprisingly pivotal character — although this may or may not become apparent in Season 2 — will be Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin). She is a healer and a prolific wet nurse of Harrenhal, which is one of the first castles to head over to Team Black within the Fire and Blood book.
As well, key characters including Ser Simon Strong (Simon Russell Beale), Ser Gwayne Hightower (Freddie Fox), and Alyn of Hull (Abubakar Salim) will do their part to help (and possibly harm) a divided kingdom in Season 2.
Release Date
Hollywood largely went into disarray throughout 2023, but the good news is that HotD stayed largely immune to the recent turmoil. Production continued without interruption in Europe with scripts already set in place before various strikes, and that all adds up to an early Summer 2024 debut for Season 2. At present, the show’s in post-production with CGI touches going into one of the more important parts of the series: those damn dragons. Without them, the Targaryens would simply be pretty people in questionable wigs, and no way would they have held onto the Iron Throne as long as they did. And we will see their fire again in a few months.
Trailer
We await an official trailer, just like you.
HBO’s first ‘House of the Dragon’ season can currently be streamed on Max.
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triples in OT! 
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