In these strange times, it’s nice to have something to look forward to. Most of us are working from home (if we’re fortunate enough to still have jobs) and haven’t seen much of the outside world in weeks. It’s starting to get downright monotonous. We’re daydreaming about warmer spring days to come and the end of the national quarantine.

With boredom and anxiety levels both on high, we find ourselves extra excited for random booze-related holidays. Whatever they are, at this point we’re in. Well, reserve a Zoom room for April 9th, because its National Gin & Tonic Day and we’re going to get our drink on.

Besides being delicious and refreshing, there are few classic cocktails easier to make than the iconic G & T. This simple combination tonic water, gin, and lime is perfectly suited for early spring weather. But with gin booming in recent years, the selection has widened. To help you pick which bottle to have delivered, we asked some of our favorite bartenders to name the best gins to mix into a gin & tonic.

Plymouth

Mary Cooksey, bar manager at Oak Bar in Nashville

Although this may be a somewhat unpopular opinion, gin is actually an incredible spirit to drink neat. Plymouth gin is the gin you need to be drinking straight (or mixed into a g & t). It’s incredibly fresh and aromatic, while only slightly bitter. Its botanicals have a floral quality, as well as big notes of lemon peel, coriander, and, of course, juniper berries. I love how this gin is bright and crisp, with layers of complexity. It’s difficult to not appreciate it straight honestly.

The Ozark Mountain Daredevils Gin

Cody Dillon, general manager at Florblanca in Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica

My favorite gin is The Ozark Mountain Daredevils Gin. It is a small-batch “London Dry” style gin, and it is distilled in Springfield, Missouri. Elderberry is a native berry to this region of the state, and the gin is infused with this which is an added bonus for immunity! I enjoy this with tonic water — “Daredevil and tonic” is how I call it.

Watershed 4 Peel

Courtney Everett, bartender at O-Ku Sushi in Atlanta

I like Watershed Distillery’s 4 Peel Gin for a gin and tonic. It’s citrusy, approachable and not too piney, and they’re a great company with thoughtful practices so I like supporting them.

Cutwater Barrel Rested Old Grove Gin

Cody Goldstein, founder of Muddling Memories in New York City

Cutwater Barrel Rested Old Grove Gin is a favorite of mine currently because of its unique finish in charred oil barrels which lends this really distinct cinnamon note. The gin is very smooth from being rested in the barrels and a hint of smoke as well. It makes a truly unique gin and tonic that is unlike any other g and t I have tried. I like to garnish it with a smoked cinnamon stick and lime to bring out the botanicals. Cutwater also makes great canned ready-to-drink cocktails including a gin and tonic for those who like convenience.

Hendrick’s

Kevin Moran, general manager at Seagar’s Prime Steaks & Seafood in South Walton, Florida

Hendrick’s Gin is my personal favorite because it has the nice botanicals that you expect from gin while also being balanced enough to give tonic water just enough of a partnership to be delicious.

Berkshire Mountain Greylock Gin

Josh Saphier, bartender at Eighteen36 in Houston

My favorite gin is another little guy out there on the market. Greylock Gin from Berkshire Mountain Distillers. It’s defined as a London Dry style which typically means juniper-forward. When I sip on this, I get much more floral notes on the front which is American style. Since it’s being mixed in a drink the tonic is just as important. For this, I prefer Fever Tree from London.

Beefeater 24

Josh Streetman, bartender at Motor Supply Co. in Columbia, South Carolina

I like Gin and Tonics for the diversity and individuality a bartender can bring to highlight their own style. Also, Ingredients play well and differently to express seasonality, regional terroir, and the botanicals in each gin. I’ve got to be honest, dealers choice. But I keep Beefeater 24 in my freezer.

Gin Mare

Natalie Migliarini, mixologist behind Beautiful Booze on Instagram

Gin Mare, which is a Mediterranean Gin. The herbaceous tasting notes makes it perfect for a Spanish style gin and tonic.

Prescribed Barrel Aged Gin

Bryan Long, assistant director of food and beverage at Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa in Palm Beach, Florida

Prescribed Barrel Aged Gin from Fort Lauderale is a small batch gin that has the botanical notes of a gin with the added notes of bourbon from the barrel it was aged in.

Fords

Nate Simmons, bartender at Garden & Grain in Pensacola, Florida

I always go with Fords Gin for a g and t. It’s floral and citrus round out a nice juniper base, and it plays very well with a quality tonic.

The Botanist

Mazzarie Parker, bar manager of Maypop Restaurant in New Orleans

My go-to gin would have to be The Botanist Islay Dry Gin. I love a spicy, floral, herbal gin. The distiller hand-forages the botanicals used in production, which translates beautifully in the complex flavors of this spirit. Pair this gin with homemade tonic and sprig

Tanqueray No. 10

Zsolt Ducsai, food and beverage director at Serafina Beach Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico

My choice will be on Tanqueray No.10. Excellent make of many different botanicals. Not overwhelmed with typical flours in it. Perfect choice to have with a grapefruit in it.

Silent Pool

Piero Procida, bartender at The London West Hollywood in Los Angeles

Silent Pool Gin. The quality behind this English gin is just amazing. Moderately priced but certainly worth every penny. It’s not overly herbaceous as many gins are so does not overpower you but is full-bodied enough to ease the bite of tonic. It uses over 24 botanicals but is strong on the Juniper, yet all work well together to create a complex flavor that tonic will compliment.

Green Hat

Joseph Palminteri, director of food and beverage at Via Sophia in Washington, DC

Green Hat. Local right here in the heart of DC, hand-made from grain to glass, each numbered batch of Green Hat Gin is crafted step-by-step over a one month period, featuring a clear juniper nose, hints of citrus lightness and coriander spice, a vague recollection of root botanical earthiness, a subtle note of grains of paradise peppery-ness, an herbal whisper of celery, and a rewarding complexity. The result is a super-premium gin that excels both in the finest cocktails and with a small cube in the gin lover’s neat glass.

The last place you’d expect to see Hollywood megastar Brad Pitt is on one of the countless home improvement shows on HGTV, but the Once Upon A Time In Hollywood actor apparently jumped at the chance to work with the Property Brothers on their new spinoff Celebrity IOU. The series will feature celebrity guest stars like Pitt, Viola Davis, and Rebel Wilson as they chip in on home improvements for their loved ones.

In the premiere episode, Pitt enlists brothers Drew and Jonathan Scott to spruce up the house of the actor’s longtime makeup artist and dear friend Jean Ann Black, who is reportedly the “secret weapon” behind Pitt’s dreamy looks. The goal is to turn her freestanding garage into a luxury space for Black’s guests and clients, and it doesn’t take long for Pitt to start swinging a sledgehammer alongside his new helpers. On top of being a handy craftsman, Pitt is still just as suave on a work site as he is on set, according to Vanity Fair‘s advance review of the episode:

Wearing his signature newsboy hat, artfully tousled hair, and a genuine smile every time he talks about his long-standing friendship with Black, Pitt is exactly as relaxed and casual as he pretended to be during every awards acceptance speech earlier this year. “I love the sound of a construction site,” he says, not long after dropping that he knows the zoning laws for how close you can build to the property line. “I’m extremely tactile,” he says, picking out engineered hardwood samples like they’re crown jewels.

Needless to say, Black ends up loving the renovation, and her big appearance at the end lives up to the hype of Pitt talking her up to “high heaven” throughout the episode. The two friends also share some tender moments that HGTV fans will sure to enjoy during the handsomely rugged premiere on Monday, April 13.

(Via Vanity Fair)

Multiple guests have been involved inthe rollout for Hayley Williams’ solo album Petals For Armor. That includes Phoebe Bridgers, who, along with fellow Boygenius members Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker, sing on “Roses/Lotus/Violet/Iris.” Williams can’t seem to get enough of Bridgers: Today, she shared a video of herself covering Bridgers’ “Smoke Signals,” from her 2017 album Stranger In The Alps.

Williams dedicated the performance to photographer and friend Lindsey Byrnes, writing, “woke up today a lil heavy. didn’t know why, just some days are like that. but then realized i am inextricably connected to my friend @lindseybyrnes who’s sweet father just passed away. one of her favs is Phoebe Bridgers so this self-serenade is actually for her since i can’t hang with her or hug her tight. check on your friends and send them your love. just because we are all isolated right now doesn’t mean we aren’t as close. our connection to each other defies space and time. ps @_fake_nudes_ im sorry for butchering your beautiful guitar parts. and also, this is just a perfect song.”

Phoebe was on the opposite end of a cover recently: Last week, she shared a cover of Conor Oberst’s “Mamah Borthwich (A Sketch)” to help raise money for Los Angeles’ Bootleg Theater.

Watch Williams cover “Smoke Signals” above.

Patrick Stewart could read the phone book and people would listen, so it’s not entirely surprising that folks are going gaga over him reading Shakespeare’s sonnets. Stewart has been reciting #ASonnetADay from his home, much to fans’ delight.

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There’s something particularly soothing about the Star Trek and X-men actor reciting poetry to us during a pandemic quarantine. Perhaps it hearkens to a quainter time, when people would sit and read to one another by firelight instead of arguing over Twitter about who’s the worst human being in Tiger King. Stewart’s attempt to elevate our entertainment to something beyond the banal and the sensational is admirable.

If reading Shakespeare during a global crisis seems out of touch somehow—perhaps too uppity or elitist—remember that Shakespeare lived during the plague era. A quarter of the population of his hometown was wiped out from bubonic plague during his childhood, and several more outbreaks wreaked havoc on the society in which he lived as he grew older.

As an article in The Conversation points out, “Epidemic disease was a feature of Shakespeare’s life. The plays he created often grew from an awareness about how precarious life can be in the face of contagion and social breakdown.” He was also a provincial commoner—just a normal guy, who also happened to have extraordinary writing capabilities. So Shakespeare’s writing really isn’t so far removed from our current reality—in fact, he probably had a better handle on what we’re experiencing than most modern day artists.

So enjoy Sir Patrick Stewart sharing Shakespeare’s love poems in his beautiful baritone voice, and follow him on Twitter to get a your daily dose of #ASonnetADay.

He occasionally skips a sonnet because it’s too difficult to read or because he simply doesn’t like it. You do you, Sir Patrick.

And he frequently gives an intro about the specific sonnet or about Shakespeare’s poetry in general. Sir Patrick bringing the learnin’.

So far, he’s brought us to Sonnet 18, the famous “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day…” poem. Just beautiful. Thank you, Sir Patrick, for using your voice to soothe us through this pandemic with one of humanity’s greatest works.

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Last week, Disney updated its release schedule, including new dates for nearly every Marvel Cinematic Universe movie and pushing back Indiana Jones 5 an entire year. (Harrison Ford will be 80 years old when it comes out.) The company also announced that Artemis Fowl, a $125 million adaptation of Eoin Colfer’s novel, is going straight to Disney+, where it will rest alongside Mr. Boogedy and junk like Beauty and the Beast. That might not be the only upcoming Disney movie to be released straight on the streaming service, according to Disney executive chairman and former-CEO Bob Iger.

“There are some we’ve decided to put on Disney+. We already announced one, Artemis Fowl, that would have been released in theaters. Others we’ve simply delayed. In some cases we’ve moved things onto Disney+ faster than we would have,” Iger told Barrons, referring to Frozen 2 and Onward, among others. He continued, “In terms of movies going ahead after Artemis, there may be a few more that we end up putting directly onto Disney+, but for the most part a lot of the big tentpole Disney films, we’ll simply wait for slots. In some cases we’ve announced new ones already, but later on in the calendar.”

What direct-to-Disney+ movies could Iger be referring to? Nothing from the Marvel Cinematic Universe or Pixar, obviously; Mulan, Jungle Cruise, and Cruella are almost certainly off-limits, too. Maybe The One and Only Ivan, a live-action/CGI hybrid starring Bryan Cranston, Sam Rockwell, Angelina Jolie, and Danny DeVito that I’ve never heard of until now, or Raya and the Last Dragon, which actually sounds good. Then there’s The New Mutants, the most cursed movie in existence. A deal would have to be reached between Disney and HBO for the frequently-delayed X-Men universe spin-off to come out on Disney+, although, at this point, I would watch it in 10-minute chunks on Quibi.

Please someone, anyone, release The New Mutants.

(Via Barrons)

Brokeback Mountain (2005) earned eight Oscar nominations (and three wins, although it lost Best Picture to Crash), including nods for Heath Ledger (Best Actor) and Jake Gyllenhaal (Best Supporting Actor) in the romantic drama. Notably at the Academy Awards ceremony, Gyllenhaal appeared as a presenter while Ledger declined to do so. Or at least, he declined to do so according to Jake Gyllenhall, who opened up for the first time on the subject while speaking with Another Man magazine.

The topic arise when Brokeback Mountain came up, specifically about how some old TV interviews about “gay cowboys” appeared to be rather homophobic with jokes and banter. Gyllenhaal then brought up how Ledger was bothered by that perception of the film, and he put his foot down with the Academy, which wanted to play up the humorous feel during the show’s opening. Here’s what Gyllenhaal said:

“I mean, I remember they wanted to do an opening for the Academy Awards that year that was sort of joking about it,” he says. “And Heath refused. I was sort of at the time, ‘Oh, okay… whatever.’ I’m always like: it’s all in good fun. And Heath said, ‘It’s not a joke to me – I don’t want to make any jokes about it.’” I say how smart of Ledger that seems, in retrospect. “Absolutely,” says Gyllenhaal.

Ledger obviously went on to earn more awards acclaim by winning a posthumous award for portraying the Joker in 2008’s The Dark Knight, and his legacy shall continue. The above instance can only build upon that legacy with Ledger standing firm and saying plenty by refraining from (publically) saying anything at all about a planned Oscars opening number that would not have gone well.

(Via Another Man)

Ever wished you could be one of the people who creates Disney theme park attractions? Disney has released a fantastic online course that teaches you how its famous Imagineers work their magic. The class also lets you take a shot at creating your own.

Imagineering in a Box comes at a perfect time when children are stuck at home and schools are closed across the country. It’s a great way to stimulate their imagination while teaching valuable science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills.

The online course was created in a partnership with Pixar and The Khan Academy.

The curriculum includes 35 online videos featuring actual Imagineers and their projects.

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via Khan Academy

The course is a great way to inspire you and your family’s creative spirit. It’s also a lot of fun to learn the secret techniques that Disney uses to create its signature magic.

One great technique they use — that can cross-apply to countless other disciplines — is “Blue Sky” brainstorming. At the beginning of creating something new Imagineers let their imaginations soar as far as they like to come up with the most amazing ideas possible. Cost and practicality are not a concern.

The three main topics of the course are “Creating worlds,” Designing attractions,” and Bringing characters to life.”

In each section, actual Imagineers explain in detail how they apply their craft. After watching the videos, course-takers can try their hand at designing attractions, characters, and creating environments.

The curriculum provides exercises to help you create your own land.

via Imagineering in a Box

It also has a ride simulator for you to design your own roller coasters.

via Imagineering in a Box

Your new land and rise need characters. So it also has a simulator that lets you create animatronic characters for your attractions.

via Khan Academy

The videos include the behind-the-scenes work of creating actual attractions to use as examples.

The Imagineers featured in the video reveal that processes they use to create Cars Land at California Adventure, Pandora: The Land of Avatar in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Treasure Cove in Shanghai Disneyland.

The videos do a great job of explaining how STEM skills are invaluable tools that bring Disney’s art and imagination into reality.

You may have a great idea for a roller coaster, but it takes a team of engineers to figure out how to move 700 people a day through the ride safely.

Disney Imagineers want to see the wonderful creations of those who take the online course.

So, after you’re done creating a spectacular theme park, you can upload your work to Instagram using #Disney, #BetterTogether, and #ImagineeringinaBox; and tag @WaltDisneyImagineering. Some responses will be shared on the official Walt Disney Imagineering Instagram page.

A “motivational” message has been circulating during the coronavirus lockdown, which is allegedly supposed to kick our butts into gear since most of us now have more time on our hands.

Here’s one version:

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On its face, it may sound logical. We often don’t do things because we lack time—or think we do—so now that we supposedly have more time, we should be doing those things now, right?

Just one thing though—there’s a deadly global pandemic and massive economic crisis happening, which might be just the tiniest bit distracting right now, Jeremy.

A trauma psychologist from Beirut weighed in on this idea that we should be extra productive right now, and she didn’t mince words. Alaa Hijazi’s Facebook post has been shared 19,000 times, so people are clearly appreciating her wisdom. She wrote:

I thought I was spared the horrid ‘motivational’ phrase going around now—’If you don’t come out of this with a new skill, you never lacked time, you lacked discipline’—until I saw it on my local yoga studio page.

As a trauma psychologist, I am utterly utterly horrified, enraged, and bewildered about how people can believe and spread this phrase in good conscience.

We are going through a collective trauma, that is bringing up profound grief, loss, panic over livelihoods, panic over loss of lives of loved ones. People’s nervous systems are barely coping with the sense of threat and vigilance for safety, or alternating with feeling numb and frozen and shutting down in response to it all.

People are trying to survive poverty, fear, retriggering of trauma, retriggering of other mental health difficulties. Yet, someone has the nerve to accuse someone of lack of discipline for not learning a new skill, and by a yoga teacher!

This cultural obsession with [capitalistic] ‘productivity’ and always spending time in a ‘productive,’ ‘fruitful’ way is absolutely maddening.

What we need is more self-compassion, more gentle acceptance of all the difficult emotions coming up for us now, more focus on gentle ways to soothe ourselves and our pain and the pain of loved ones around us, not a whipping by some random fucker making us feel worse about ourselves in the name of ‘motivation.'”

Indeed. Even those of us who are still employed full-time are finding it difficult to focus some days like we used to. The enormity of this pandemic and the global shutdown over it weighs heavy on all of us. Our sense of normality has been turned upside down and the uncertainty over what even the near future holds makes sustained attention a challenge.

Add in the fact that many people now have children at home who used to be at school or childcare, many are struggling to figure out how they’re going to pay rent or buy groceries, many are watching businesses or careers they’ve spent years building crumble before their eyes, many have health conditions that make them anxious about catching the virus, and it’s not hard to see how neither “time” nor “discipline” are our big problems right now.

If you want to go read books on hustling and build up some skill set, Jeremy, go for it. But let’s not lay a guilt trip on people who are going through a traumatic experience that none of us have experienced before and none of us were prepared for.

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