Category: Worldwide

The Star Wars show everyone is talking about these days is The Mandalorian, but more are on the way and are being shot despite the still-ongoing coronavirus pandemic. One of those is the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi TV show, with Ewan McGregor apparently reprising his Episode I-III role as the Jedi Master on Disney+.

Casting information for any Star Wars show has been tough to come by in the Mandalorian era. But it seems some details about where the latest Star Wars TV show will film has leaked out, and people are having a lot of fun with the news of one reported filming location. The Boston CBS affiliate reported Thursday that the Disney+ show is scheduled to shoot in The Hub in early 2021.

It looks like “Star Wars” is coming to Boston. A posting by the Film & Television Industry Alliance on productionlist.com says “Star Wars: Kenobi” is set to shoot in Boston on Jan. 4, 2021.

…

“Tatooine-a harsh desert world where farmers toil in the heat of two suns while trying to protect themselves and their loved ones from the marauding Tusken Raiders. A backwater planet on the edge of civilized space. And an unlikely place to find a Jedi Master in hiding, or an orphaned infant boy on whose tiny shoulders rests the future of a galaxy,” a project summary states.

It’s weird to imagine Star Wars filming anywhere that’s tethered to this Earth, but it has to film somewhere despite looking like a galaxy far, far away. Boston is one of the most architecturally interesting cities in America, partially because it’s one of the oldest. But while there are some locations in the city that may pass for a temple, it’s unclear where in the city they’ll recreate Tatooine.

Still, the idea of the franchise setting up shop in Boston mostly had people thinking not about what Boston looks like, but stereotypically what it sounds like. Which is why a lot of people made jokes in a Boston accent on Thursday when they learned the news.

There was also plenty of room for sports-adjacent jokes.

As a number of people pointed out, Bill Burr’s Boston accent has already entered the Star Wars canon thanks to The Mandalorian, so it’s entirely possible that Beantown itself is in the Star Wars universe.

Once the show’s CGI wizardry is all said and done, there probably won’t be many signs of Boston or London in the finished product of Star Wars: Kenobi. But it is fun to think of the Star Wars galaxy actually existing somewhere much closer to our own.

After an entire year away from the hip-hop game, Amine made his return this year with his Limbo album. The 14-track effort was an incredibly strong release from the Portland native, which served as a successor to his 2018 effort, OnePointFive. UPROXX named Limbo as the 27th-best album of the year and the ninth-best hip-hop album of the year. Looking to give the album one last push before the year ends, Amine returned with a deluxe re-issue of Limbo and one of its early highlights comes on a track with Saba.

Connecting for the first time in their careers, Amine and Saba flex some muscle on “Talk.” The track finds them both emphasizing their needs to back up their proclamation: talk the talk and walk the walk. For Amine this is a requirement because the last thing he wants is for the competition and other spectators to think he’s “out here for f*cking jokes.” After the “Compensating” rapper leads the way with bars of his own, Saba follows suit with a second dose of confidence and a reminder that he’s achieved so much while others struggle to do half as much as he has.

The Limbo deluxe comes with seven additional songs and guest appearances from Toosii, Valee, and Unknown Mortal Orchestra.

You can listen to “Talk” in the video above.

Limbo (Deluxe) is out now via Republic. Get it here.

Kamaiyah quickly rose to fame back in 2017 thanks to a string of strong songs and guest appearances, most notably “Why You Always Hatin?” with YG and Drake. Signed to the My Krazy Life rapper’s 4Hunnid imprint at the time, Kamaiyah departed the label to do things her own way. The result? Two projects in the span of seven months: February’s Got It Made and September’s Oakland Nights. To most, a pair of releases would be enough in a calendar, but not to Kamaiyah as the West coast native returned with a new song and news of a third project set to arrive by the end of the year.

Looking to end the year on a high note, Kamaiyah announced that No Explanations — her third project of the year — would arrive next week December 11. The news came with the release of the project’s lead single, “Still I Rise” with Jackboy. The song is a boastful effort that finds Kamaiyah and up and coming rapper confident in their abilities to fight through adversity and life’s hard moments as its something they’ve done below. “Still I Rise” also comes with a matching music video that… As for No Explanations, the upcoming project stands as an 11-song effort with an additional feature from fellow West coast rapper Mozzy.

You can watch the “Still I Rise” video above and check out the No Explanations artwork and tracklist below.

01. “Big Step”
02. “Still I Rise” Feat. Jackboy
03. “Bend Da Corner”
04. “Art Of War”
05. “Go Crazy”
06. “Scared To Lose”
07. “Momma Said” Feat. Mozzy
08. “Chosen”
09. “The Distance”
10. “Cash On Delivery”
11. “Bape Hoody”

No Explanations is out 12/11 via Grnd.Wrk/Empire. Pre-order it here.

The high school football playoffs are underway around the country, producing some wild highlights and, on Thursday night in Texas, a scary scene involving a player and a referee.

Edinburg High School’s Emmanuel Duron was ejected from their playoff game against PSJA High for a late hit on the quarterback and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, and after the referee announced the ruling, the defensive lineman sprinted onto the field and hit the referee before his coaches and others could get to him.

Duron was escorted off the field by police, who reportedly did not offer any comment on the incident after or any potential charges in the immediate aftermath. The referee who was hit was carted off the field and underwent evaluation for a concussion and possible shoulder injury, per Andy McCulloch who was covering the game.

It is a reprehensible act by Duron, who McCulloch notes is one of Edinburg’s best players both as a defender and as their primary kicker and punter. Edinburg would go on to win the game, 35-21, but they figure to be without Duron for what one would think would be the remainder of the playoffs no matter how long they continue. No matter what the frustration was with the decision to eject him, it’s entirely unacceptable to run on the field and hit the referee and hopefully the referee was not seriously injured in the incident.

Donald Trump’s time in the White House is coming to an end, and those in the administration are searching for new jobs. That includes other members of the Trump family, and according to a report one of Trump’s sons is looking to make a pretty big move.

According to a Business Insider report, Trump Jr. is reportedly considering a bid to take over as leader of the National Rifle Association. The outlet published a reporter that said a small team has looked into whether Trump Jr. could take over for current NRA president Wayne Lapierre.

As The Independent pointed out, Trump Jr. would not be able to simply say he wanted the gig and make it happen. There’s also some legal woes the NRA itself is currently dealing with that may not make it the most enticing of job options.

The NRA’s board chooses its leadership, not the membership. One of the Republicans who spoke with BI said the board was filled with people loyal to Mr Pierre, so it is unlikely Mr Trump Jr could simply express his interest and ride his name to the top.

Taking over the NRA might also prove more of a headache than Mr Trump Jr is willing to take on; the organisation has been wracked with infighting and legal battles for the better part of a year.

It’s not the only thing that Trump Jr. is weighing in the wake of his father’s impending departure from the White House. As CNN reported in November, the oldest Trump son apparently has also expressed interest in a spot with the Republican National Committee along with his girlfriend, former Fox News anchor Kimberley Guilfoyle. That move could set up for another run at the presidency from Trump, who has been rumored to want another crack at a second term four years from now.

Trump Jr. and Guilfoyle could seek leadership roles at the RNC to position the committee for a comeback run for the President in 2024, the sources said.

“Don Jr. and Kimberly have an eye on the RNC, through themselves taking over or somebody close to them taking over,” a well-placed Republican Party source close to the White House said.

Despite all the rumors and reports of Trump Jr. and his interest in the NRA, there’s even some doubt expressed in the initial report from some sources that he would want the job. Trump Jr., fittingly, tweeted on Thursday that the story was “fake news” though he did say he is a big fan of the organization. It’s often tough to know what’s real and what’s not from the Trumps, but what is certain is that his father will also be looking for a new job next month, too.

After a few weeks in the wilderness, Week 12 was a nice bounce-back in this space when it comes to NFL handicapping. Even with Aaron Rodgers and company running wild on Sunday evening, a 4-1 week isn’t something to (ever) complain about, and that brings a bit of optimism for the final five weeks of the slate.

Week 13 should be quite interesting but, before we get to this week’s group of five selections, let’s take a glance at the full-season progress.

• Week 12: 4-1
• 2020 Season: 31-27-2

Come get these winners.

Cincinnati Bengals (+11.5) over Miami Dolphins

The Bengals really miss Joe Burrow. Everybody knows that. This number is still out of control. Miami has a good defense, and they do have some weapons, but the Dolphins are not the kind of offense that should be laying double figures against another NFL team. Sometimes, you have to stand on principle and this is one of those times.

Cleveland Browns and Tennessee Titans UNDER 53.5 points

Derrick Henry and company are legitimately good on offense and I wouldn’t say otherwise. However, this number is a few points too high after what Tennessee did to Indianapolis last week. The Browns are pretty good on defense and, almost more importantly, Cleveland is keen on running the ball and keeping the clock moving. Give me punts, field goals and a lot of handoffs.

Arizona Cardinals (+3) over Los Angeles Rams

At a full three, the Cardinals are the only side you can have in their own building. Arizona hasn’t been quite as explosive, and Kyler Murray may not be 100 percent, but the gap between these two teams isn’t large enough for the Cards to be getting a field goal at home. It’s that simple on this one.

Los Angeles Chargers (PK) over New England Patriots

It makes me want to throw up to take the Chargers here, but we have to do what we do. Los Angeles is maddening, not particularly well coached and used to losing games in horrific fashion. New England has the best coach of all-time. That’s scary, but I am not a believer in the Pats and the Chargers are undervalued because of all of their nonsense. Send help.

San Francisco 49ers (PK) over Buffalo Bills

I believe in the getting-healthy Niners. That defense is legitimate, and this is still priced like it would’ve been three weeks ago when San Francisco’s roster situation was dire. I know the game is in Glendale (and you should know that too!) but we’re getting a good price on the Niners. I firmly believe that here.

The Los Angeles Lakers enjoyed a busy and fruitful stretch on the transaction front this week. First, the news broke at a surprising time that LeBron James agreed to a two-year extension to remain in Los Angeles. From there, Anthony Davis was next, with the talented big man inking a brand new deal that will keep him with the Lakers through his prime years and guarantee him nearly $200 million. As you may expect, the atmosphere was celebratory by all involved, from James to Davis to Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, who negotiated deals as the agent for both players. However, there were others who were in quite a good mood on Thursday, and that includes Davis’ daughter, Nala.

After news of the contract broke, Davis jumped on a Zoom interview with Chris Geeter McGee of Spectrum SportsNet and, after a question about why he chose to sign the five-year deal, he began to answer in typical fashion. In an instance of perfect timing, Nala then interjected, making for a tremendous moment when she noticed that her father happened to be on video.

The new contract will pay Davis $190 million over five years, with an early termination option after the 2023-24 season, assuring Davis and his family are in L.A. for the foreseeable future, which seems to have his daughter pretty pleased.

While David Fincher’s Mank finally hits Netflix this weekend, it’s worth noting that it’s not the first film about the production of Citizen Kane. Mank focuses specifically on co-writer Herman J. Mankiewicz, played by Gary Oldman, during the pre-production of Kane and Mank’s feud with Kane subject William Randolph Hearst. Yet before Mank there was 1999’s RKO 281, a made-for-HBO movie directed by Benjamin Ross, which starred Liev Schreiber as Orson Welles and focused on the battle to get Citizen Kane made and released. The two make an ideal double feature.

Or at least they would, if RKO, that year’s Golden Globe winner for best miniseries or TV film, was available anywhere online. I had to order mine as a physical copy from Amazon, which seems to have once been owned by a library. Logistical hurdles aside, the two films are contradictory and complementary, two iconic depictions of the complex personalities who clashed and collaborated to create one of the original Great American Films.

Unfortunately, some backstory is probably in order first. Both films depict, to some extent, Kane‘s credited co-writers Herman J. Mankiewicz and Orson Welles. But the battle for that credit is an epic story in and of itself, one that can and has filled multiple books. Mank‘s initial script, written by David Fincher’s father Jack, who died in 2003, was said to have been heavily influenced by Raising Kane, a book-length essay written by Pauline Kael originally published in 1972. That essay, intended as a belated attempt to reclaim Mankewicz’s rightful glory, was later discredited, for factual errors, plagiarism, and “ethical breaches.” Raising Kane in turn spawned “The Kane Mutiny,” a point-by-point rebuttal written by Peter Bogdonovich (a close friend of Welles) published in Esquire in 1972. Six years later there was a book by Robert Carringer, The Scripts Of Citizen Kane, which also leaned towards Welles as the “true” author, not to mention the countless Welles biographers and Kane scholars with books of their own.

Suffice it to say, Welles vs. Mankiewicz is an 80-year pissing contest that has long since outlived its initial participants (not to mention Jack Fincher and Pauline Kael). To their credit, both Mank and RKO 281, regardless of their origins, seem to understand that Mank vs. Welles isn’t a zero-sum game.

Whereas the black and white, often austere Mank depicts Orson Welles mostly as a voice on the telephone, hectoring the bedridden Mankiewicz while the latter struggles with “his” script, RKO 281 gives us Orson the auteur, starring a lushly saturated Liev Schreiber in what might honestly be his ideal role.

In 1939, Welles was the 24-year-old “boy wonder” coming to Hollywood to fulfill a generous contract, eschewing constant exhortations to make an adaptation of War Of The Worlds his first film. Like Welles, Schreiber’s booming baritone — which has since gone on to narrate everything from Hard Knocks to Wes Anderson’s Isle Of Dogs — is the foundation for Welles’s entire persona. Schreiber, as Welles, is a master of a certain kind of earnest, vaguely overwrought gravitas. Or as Hearst’s mistress Marion Davies (played by Melanie Griffiths) describes Welles in the film, “attractive, in a hammy sort of way.”

Mank, meanwhile, is a stylistic homage to Kane — complete with black and white cinematography, brutalist compositions that evoke German expressionism, wipe transitions, and comedic 30s pitter-patter dialogue. Where Mank eschews auteur theory and the traditional biopic, RKO 281 is unabashedly traditional. It is open in its artifice, to the point of employing, at one point, the ultimate in inauthentic expository dialogue: “you just don’t get it, do you?”

With a script by John Logan, which was actually adapted from the 1996 PBS documentary, The Battle Over Citizen Kane, RKO 281 also happens to be one of those wonderfully-written films that uses artifice and shorthand so well that it reminds you why those things exist in the first place. The dialogue is pithy, but so good at cutting each interaction to the quick of its conflict that it feels somehow both purely Hollywood and entirely true to the spirit of events. Logan’s words are spare and pointed, creating the illusion that what we’re watching is simply a more succinct version of the real events, where all that’s been cut is the fat. In that way, it retains the spirit of Citizen Kane itself just as strongly as Mank does without being such an obvious stylistic parody.

As Mankiewicz, played here by John Malkovich, tells Welles in RKO 281, “You’re about to be the youngest never-was in the history of Hollywood.”

“Better than the oldest has-been,” Welles shoots back.

“Is it?”

For all the books written about Citizen Kane’s authorship, could you ever boil it down better than those three lines? RKO 281 is full of moments like that. Mank admirably attempts to give Mankiewicz the credit he was mostly denied while he was still alive (everyone knows that Hollywood always screws the writer, then and now), but RKO 281 is so thoroughly fair to both Welles and Mankiewicz that it feels like the version you want to believe, regardless of the truth.

RKO 281 focuses more on the studio side of Citizen Kane, with Roy Scheider playing RKO studio head George Schaefer, whereas Mank, naturally, deals more directly with Mankiewicz and his direct circle — his writing assistant, played by Lily Collins, wife played by Tuppence Middleton, etc. The two films overlap most notably in their depictions of William Randolph Hearst and his Brooklyn moll-ish mistress, Marion Davies.

Davies is the kind of role all actors seem to love, the bubbly, tacky Brooklyn party girl who calls Hearst “Pops” and loves to shock the old stiffs she’s always surrounded by, both deliberately and by accident. She’s Guys and Dolls meets Harley Quinn with an awardsy sheen. Some said “Rosebud” was Hearst’s pet name for her clitoris. In Mank (with Davies played by Amanda Seyfried), Davies is a slightly bigger part, covering her close relationship with Mankiewicz and his guilt over having to betray her to write Citizen Kane. RKO 281‘s Davies is played by Melanie Griffith in an equally wonderful performance, who cries the first time she sees Citizen Kane (“How could they do it to us, Pops?”). Though once she calms down, she privately admits, ruefully, that the filmmakers probably got her right. It’s hard to choose a favorite between the two versions of Davies, though it would’ve been nice to see Seyfried in saturated color.

Meanwhile, Hearst, who was the subject of Citizen Kane in the first place, is obviously a complicated figure. Born wealthy (in Kane, he’s adopted off to live with the family’s banker) he went on to become a powerful newspaper publisher in the era of Yellow Journalism. Initially part of the progressive movement, Hearst supported, then turned on FDR, and eventually became a staunch conservative, like Rupert Murdoch today, only much more powerful. Mank‘s Hearst is played by the great Charles Dance (previously Tywin Lannister, among other roles, now becoming a name actor after a career as a prolific one). Partly by virtue of its flashback structure, Mank‘s Hearst comes off as arguably a little more nuanced. This Hearst, at various points, does still seem to delight in ruffling the feathers of his fellow rich men, keeping Mankiewicz around as a kind of exotic pet, to sic Mank’s caustic wit on unsuspecting partygoers for laughs. The film pivots on Mankiewicz’s disillusionment, sparked by the 1934 governor’s race and Hearst’s part in torpedoing Mank’s favored candidate, Upton Sinclair.

RKO 281 offers a much more straightforwardly spiteful and evil Hearst, played by the also-great James Cromwell (Babe, Six Feet Under).

(Incidentally, it’s interesting that RKO, from a British director, features a mostly American cast, while Mank, from an American one, has a mostly British cast. That may have something to do with the aura of ersatz exoticism — and thus, prestige — we assign to our fellow English speakers across the ocean. Which is also illustrated by Citizen Kane‘s entire cast speaking in that peculiar mid-Atlantic accent that was so ubiquitous in the thirties and forties, whose main quality is simply making you believe that the speaker was born “somewhere else.” Presumably some place more sophisticated and cool than whatever pig pen you happened to wriggle out of.)

Cromwell’s Hearst is far more straightforwardly dour and bitter than Dance’s Hearst. The contrast between Dance’s pale eyes, always sparkling gleefully, and his gaunt face, give him an air of wickedness that is his most salient feature. Cromwell, six foot seven and beaky, plays terse and morose much more often. Yet in a way, RKO 281′s Hearst might be more true to just what a son of a bitch the real Hearst was. To illustrate this, RKO 281 relates, through Mankiewicz, the story of Thomas Ince, a silent movie director who officially died on Hearst’s yacht, but who, according to a rumor, Hearst actually shot and killed. Accidentally, according to Malkovich’s Mankiewicz, though Hearst then supposedly used his publishing might to bury the story while paying off all the witnesses to keep silent. While this Hearst, who later tries to blackmail Hollywood’s studio heads into killing Citizen Kane using pictures of gay sex parties and threats to whip up anti-semitism, is clearly more of a pure antagonist, RKO 281 does eventually round him out with a bit of pathos.

In another one of John Logan’s beautiful, self-consciously iconic lines, Hearst tells his mistress Marion, “There is nothing to understand but this: I am a man who could have been great, but was not.”

The two movies, three if you count Citizen Kane, are in many ways inseparable. Mank the definitive portrayal of Mankiewicz, RKO 281 the definitive portrayal of Welles making his masterpiece — Kane the infamously damning portrait of William Randolph Hearst. RKO 281 manages to capture the iconic spirit and unabashed “movie magic” of Citizen Kane without being a direct stylistic parody, while Fincher, in getting so carried away with his stylistic homage, manages to evoke Welles’ single-minded pursuit of his vision even while barely showing Welles himself.

They’re both triumphant films that end on a somber note. In Mank, with Mankiewicz struggling to claim credit for his masterpiece. In RKO 281, with Welles cursed to forever wonder if he’s peaked at 26. In the latter’s final scene, it’s Mankiewicz who consoles Welles over a drink. “All stars burn out, Orson. It’s the flame that counts.”

‘Mank’ is available via Netflix December 4th. ‘RKO 281’ is available wherever old DVDs are sold. Vince Mancini is on Twitter. You can access his archive of reviews here.

When it comes to cold-weather cocktails, it’s really hard to beat the classic and simple hot toddy. This combination of whisk(e)y (usually Scotch), hot water, lemon juice, and honey is not only delicious and warming, but it may also ease the effects of the common cold.

We’re not kidding about that. Lemon, honey, and hot water have been known to ease cold symptoms. While the alcohol doesn’t help, it’s not a cocktail without your favorite rye, bourbon, or Scotch whisky. Besides, while booze as a pain “killer” is a lie, booze as a pain distracter is 100% real.

We want to help you pick the right whiskeys for your soon-to-be favorite fall, winter, and early spring cocktail, so we made a list of eight of the best whiskeys to mix into a warming, simple hot toddy. If you need a recipe, we’ve got you covered there, too.

Ardbeg An Oa

ABV: 46.6%

The Story:

Named for the Mull of Oa on the island of Islay (where Ardbeg is produced), this just might be the most well-rounded offering from the famed distillery. It’s matured in Pedro Ximénez sherry butts, charred virgin oak barrels, and ex-bourbon casks.

Tasting Notes:

After the first nosing, you’ll quickly realize this is a different kind of Islay malt. Instead of just peaty-smoky, you’ll be treated to scents of brown sugar, dried cherries, and almonds. The first sip is filled with caramel cake, orange peel, and sugary vanilla.

It all ends in pleasing warmth with a nice gulp of peat smoke.

Bottom Line:

If you’re a bourbon fan looking to try Scotch in your hot toddy, this is the bottle for you. The smoke and sweetness work in unison with the other ingredients.

Wild Turkey 101 Rye

ABV: 50.5%

The Story:

When most people think of Wild Turkey, they don’t think of rye whiskey. But if you’re looking for straight rye to mix into your hot toddy instead of the usual Scotch whisky, you could do much worse than Wild Turkey 101. It’s high proof, subtly smoky, well-balanced, and guaranteed to warm you inside and out.

Tasting Notes:

Before you pour this whiskey into your hot toddy, give it a nice nosing to get acquainted. The first sniff brings you aromas of spicy cinnamon, charred oak, and just a hint of peppery spice. From the first sip, you’ll be treated to notes of maple syrup, baked apples, caramel, and cooking spices. The finish is long, warming, and ends with a pleasing hit of white pepper.

Bottom Line:

If you’re looking for a high proof, spicy whiskey to pair with the soothing ingredients of a hot toddy, make it Wild Turkey 101.

Tullamore D.E.W.

ABV: 40%

The Story:

If Irish whiskey is more your thing, Tullamore D.E.W. makes a great base for your hot toddy. It’s triple distilled, crazy smooth, and matured in a combination of oak casks, ex-bourbon barrels, and sherry butts. The result is a complex, easy to drink whiskey well suited to the combo of lemon, honey, and hot water.

Tasting Notes:

If you nose Tullamore D.E.W., you’ll find the aromas of dried fruits, caramelized sugar, and sticky toffee pudding. The first sip brings you sweet sherry, cinnamon, buttery shortbread, and cover honey. The finish is long, subtly warming, and ends with more caramel and vanilla.

Bottom Line:

Some of the choices on this list are as high proof as they are high in spice or smoke. If you’re looking for a mellow, more subdued hot toddy, Tullamore D.E.W. is for you.

Glenmorangie The Original

ABV: 40%

The Story:

There’s a reason Glenmorangie’s flagship 10-year-old Scotch whisky always makes the list for best whiskies. It’s matured in first as well as second fill American white oak casks for a total of 10 years. The result is a velvety smooth, creamy, subtly sweet whisky as suited for slow sipping as mixing (into a hot toddy).

Tasting Notes:

Take a whiff of this expression before taking a sip or mixing with it. If you do, your nostrils will fill with subtle tropical fruit flavors, cooking spices, and dried fruits. This well-balanced whisky begins with sweet vanilla, and caramelized sugar, before moving on to the cinnamon, brown sugar, and just a hint of coffee beans.

The finish is long, very warming, and ends with a final kiss of candied orange peel.

Bottom Line:

You’ll be happy you bought this reasonably-priced Scotch. You can mix it into a hot toddy or spend the rest of the fall and winter sipping it. You’ll be completely happy either way.

The Famous Grouse

ABV: 40%

The Story:

We could easily fill the whole list of hot toddy whiskies with blended Scotches. But instead, we only picked one. The Famous Grouse is a great pick because it’s consistently mellow and finished in both sherry and bourbon casks to give it an extra hint of sweetness that pairs perfectly with the ingredients in a hot toddy.

Tasting Notes:

Normally, you might not nose a cheap blended whisky. If you do, you’ll find hints of dried orange peel, butterscotch, and creamy vanilla. The first sip is mellow and memorable with notes of cinnamon, charred oak, and rich caramel. The finish is long, smooth, and ends with a nice hit of clover honey.

Bottom Line:

The Famous Grouse is as cheap as it is reliable. You always know what you’re going to get for your $15 or so. It’s smooth, rich, and perfect for mixing.

Buffalo Trace Bourbon

ABV: 45%

The Story:

The flagship bourbon of Buffalo Trace is so named for the majestic bison that encountered by American pioneers. While there are a lot fewer buffaloes in 2020, this well-rounded, complex, always-mellow whiskey is widely available and perfect as the base for your hot toddy.

Tasting Notes:

While a bargain bourbon, Buffalo Trace deserves a nosing before sipping it or mixing it into a hot toddy. You’ll be delighted to find hints of molasses cookies, brown sugar, and cinnamon. The first sip is filled with charred oak, leather, sticky toffee pudding, and dried fruits. The finish is long, warming, and ends in a nice final flourish of cinnamon spice.

Bottom Line:

If you’re a fan of bourbon, you probably already have a bottle of Buffalo Trace in your liquor cabinet for mixing and slow sipping. Throw some in a hot toddy and enjoy the complexities of the sweet corn flavors mixing with the honey and lemon.

Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon

ABV: 45%

The Story:

This complex whiskey is a blend of a handful of small-batch bourbons, each specifically selected by its master distiller. While the overall flavor changes subtly based on each batch, it’s always filled with high-corn bourbon that’s a well-rounded combination of sweet, rich, and malty.

Tasting Notes:

Enjoy a nice nosing before you mix or sip this whiskey, where you’ll be met with a large dose of toasted caramel, subtle spicy rye, and cinnamon sugar. From the first sip, you’ll get hints of sweet cream, caramel, sweet corn, and cooking spices. The finish is long, full of pleasing heat, and ends with sweet toffee and charred oak.

Bottom Line:

You might pay a little more for this bottle, but you won’t mind. It’s a great bottle to add to your collection and the sweet corn and charred oak flavors work well with the other hot toddy ingredients.

George Dickel Rye

ABV: 45%

The Story:

This super high rye (95%) whiskey is spicy, sweet, and well-suited for hot toddies. Just like the rest of the whiskeys at George Dickel, it’s charcoal-mellowed to create a truly smooth, easy to drink, yet spicy rye whiskey.

Tasting Notes:

Give it nosing before taking a sip. Surprisingly, the spicy rye is subtle while hints of charred oak, sweet vanilla, and dried orange peel are prevalent. The first sip brings hints of toasted marshmallow, caramel, and cinnamon. The finish is long, dry, and ends with a kick of cracked black pepper.

Bottom Line:

If you’re looking for great rye to mix into a hot toddy, George Dickel Rye is a perfect choice. Especially if you’re under the weather. It’s a well-rounded whiskey that gives your hot toddy the extra kick of peppery heat to really clear the sinuses.

“With the gangster shit… Death Row? You had to earn it man. If you ain’t earn it, you pay for it.”

On the newest episode of People’s Party, set to release this coming Monday, Talib Kweli and Jasmin Leigh sit down with legendary West Coast rapper Kurupt to talk about his early days grinding it out in the West Coast hip-hop scene and how he first got signed by Death Row Records.

If you know anything about Kurupt, you’re no doubt familiar with his vivid wordplay and gift for storytelling — which is on full display here as he runs Talib and Jasmin through a hilarious story that involves a shit-talking older sister egging Snoop Dogg into hearing her little brother rap, which then leads Snoop to introducing Kurupt to Dr. Dre, who brings him to Suge Knight who forces him into performing a freestyle rap for a person he has never met before or risk being thrown into a pool. It’s a tale deserving of its own song.

“’Make a birthday rap for BJ, if you wack we throwing you in the pool…’” Kurupt says, quoting Suge. “I said ‘Well shit, what happens if I’m good?…’ He said ‘you got a record deal.’ Boy, it was the rap of a lifetime because otherwise, I’d be in that pool. And I have a feeling if I got out of the pool they were going to try and mop me… They were into that type of shit, it was a real gangster environment. Throwing in the pool was just the first part.”

We haven’t even mentioned that Kurupt does impressions for every character in this story, and they’re f*cking golden. Watch the full story above and check out the newest episode of People’s Party with Talib Kweli when it drops here.