Norman Reedus had one major condition for signing onto The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon as both the leading man an an executive producer. He insisted upon the return of frequent franchise director Greg Nicotero (“You can’t do the show without Greg!”) on board in some capacity.
This condition will hopefully translate into Nicotero doing some directing stints on Daryl Dixon Season 2 (The Book Of Carol), but the makeup effects creator was heavily involved with the superior spinoff’s first outing. Additionally, Nicotero has his fingerprints all over Rick Grimes/Michonne spinoff, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live. Comic Book is now reporting that he’s also doing the makeup-effects honors for this next spinoff, too:
“I’ve been in France while they were developing the Rick and Michonne show. I still supervised the makeup effects from a distance, but I did not [direct],” Nicotero told ComicBook of The Ones Who Live, which began production in New Jersey in February 2023. “I think if I hadn’t been in Paris, I probably would have directed on Rick and Michonne, because I know Andy personally had asked me to come and work on the show. But I can’t be in two places at once.”
Hopefully, yes, Nicotero will be able to step behind the camera on both shows. I am still also crossing fingers that he was the guy who made Norman Reedus’ bathwater look exceedingly grungy on Daryl Dixon. The dude had, after all, recently been in the ocean, so there wasn’t as much Daryl grime as usual to work with. Let’s hear that dish, too!
“This part of my album is definitely very much funded by Megan Thee Stallion because we’re trying to get off,” Hot Girl Meg said (as per Rolling Stone). “Y’all know what’s the tea. But I have no label right now. We’re doing everything funded straight out of Megan Thee Stallion’s pockets.”
“After more than three years of litigation over a record deal she calls ‘unconscionable,’ attorneys for 1501 announced Thursday that the two sides had ‘mutually reached a confidential settlement to resolve their legal differences.’ Under the deal, Megan and 1501 will ‘amicably part ways.’
‘Both Megan and 1501 are pleased to put this matter behind them and move forward with the next chapter of their respective businesses,’ 1501 said. In the same statement, the label’s president Carl Crawford said that he and his company ‘wish Megan the very best in her life and career.’ Specific terms of the deal, including whether any money changed hands, were not disclosed.”
In September, around the release of her and Cardi B’s “Bongos” single, Megan Thee Stallion told Billboardthat material on her next album is “definitely coming very soon.”
“The tea is… everything about the music is tea!” Megan Thee Stallion added. “Just expect the unexpected. Expect a lot of rawness, a lot of realness, a lot of sh*t talking. Just know I’m coming, and I hope everybody ready.”
Mitski released her new album, The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We, a few months ago. Since then, one of the tracks, “My Love Mine All Mine,” has become a major hit for the singer. According to The Guardian, it is being played at least four million times a day (on Spotify alone) and is placing high on several Billboard charts.
Here’s what to know about how this song became a hit.
Like most viral songs these days, Mitski’s “My Love Mine All Mine” has received a significant boost through TikTok. Whether it’s people just soundtracking their videos with the track, or making dedicated fancams, it all counts to raise the popularity. It made it to No. 1 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart — and is spending its second week on top.
As it turns out, other musicians love it just as much.
“This generation of listeners care less about which genre they align themselves with,” Laufey told the publication about Mitski’s song, given she also delivered a cover of it. “They focus on lyricism, community, and how music makes them feel. It’s very encouraging to see a song like this soar.”
Clairo has also put her own spin on “My Love Mine All Mine.”
You can check out Mitski’s original above, as well as the previously mentioned covers below.
It seems like every time a new female rapper pops up and starts to build a buzz, rap fans can’t help but pit her against another. The latest entertainers to experience this trend are Ice Spice and Latto, who fans seem eager to see duke it out, even if they have to read into lyrics, mislabel fight videos, and stretch each of their new releases to make them about the other rapper.
Most recently, with the release of Offset’s new album, Set It Off, and Latto’s appearance on its song “Fine As Can Be,” rap fans have been speculating that Latto’s verse took lyrical shots at fellow hip-hop it-girl Ice Spice thanks to a reference to Ice’s breakout hit.
“That n**** a munch, your booking fee, ate it for lunch,” Latto raps. Obviously, fans have taken the reference to “Munch,” Ice Spice’s breakout hit, to mean that the next line is about Ice Spice — which is kind of a reach. Even Victor Wembanyama is jealous.
But why exactly do fans think that Ice Spice and Latto have a feud?
Unfortunately, it probably has to do with Nicki Minaj, who’s notoriously been at the center of a bunch of rap beef, whether invented by fans, manufactured by labels, or actively encouraged by Nicki herself.
After Nicki outright named Latto’s song “Big Energy” in an angry rant about the Grammys categorizing her song “Super Freaky Girl” as pop, Latto fired back, calling Nicki a “bully” while Nicki called Latto a “Karen” (apparently, she doesn’t get the context of the term).
Their duel eventually simmered down, but with Nicki championing Ice Spice, then collaborating with her repeatedly, fans have apparently projected Nicki’s feud onto Ice Spice. (For what it’s worth, Nicki has waged war by proxy before, so this response is at least semi-reasonable.)
This has led to fans believing that Ice Spice took shots at Latto on “Butterly Ku” from the deluxe edition of her Like…? EP with a subtle reference to Latto’s “Put It On Da Floor” — a song that was widely interpreted as a diss toward Ice Spice’s benefactor Nicki (especially after the remix added longtime Nicki rival Cardi B).
So, the answer is likely “no, Ice Spice and Latto don’t have beef.” But they also probably won’t become best friends anytime soon with fans, mentors, and the recording industry stoking rumors of conflict. And as with so many pairs of women in hip-hop’s past, it’s probably only a matter of time until those rumors become reality, like a self-fulfilling prophecy that rap fans just can’t stop making.
Taylor Swift has turned a MAGA-loving conservative’s brain into mush. In other news, it’s a day of the week ending in “y.”
Swift, who previously upset the far right by dating “Mr. Pfizer,” is now being accused of practicing witchcraft by Kandiss Taylor. You might remember the failed gubernatorial candidate and flat-Earther for when she got paranoid about globes on her podcast. “For me if it’s not a conspiracy, if it is real, why are you pushing so hard everywhere I go?” she said, according to Rolling Stone. “Every store, you buy a globe, there’s globes everywhere. Every movie, every TV show, news media… More and more I’m like, it doesn’t make sense.”
Taylor shared her latest conspiracy theory — the one about her fellow Taylor being a witch — on X. “Did you really just praise your fans for making videos with your music and “casting spells” @taylorswift13? What is wrong with you?” she wrote. The self-described “social media influencer” is referring to Swift’s Instagram post on Wednesday where she praised Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour theater-goers for “casting spells” during the “Willow” portion of the record-setting concert film.
Taylor continued, “I have heard from others that attended this last tour that you had some satanic nods in your show. I didn’t want to believe it. After all, I know you’ve claimed to love Jesus. I know you claimed to be a Christian.”
The Jesus, Guns, & Babies podcast host criticized Swift for “celebrating witchcraft” and “influencing innocent minds to be enticed with the dark side of spirituality,” adding, “The Word of God that you once confessed is clear. It is better to tie a milestone around your neck than to let one of the children fall. I am so beyond disappointed. I am literally SMH.” Literally.
The post ended with a warning about Satan, as these things often do.
I pray that you repent. I pray that something pricks your heart. You have been gifted a HUGE platform. It didn’t just happen. God breathed on this. He can remove His hand and leave you to the witchcraft and your own devices. Let’s see how much Lucifer cares about you or your career. I promise. He doesn’t.
Taylor is about to be hexxed by so many orb-wielding Swifties.
Did you really just praise your fans for making videos with your music and “casting spells” @taylorswift13? What is wrong with you? I was a fan from day one and loved how much you grew in your singing ability. I love that you write your own music. My daughter has grown up…
Lil Wayne is currently on my television screen to predict tonight’s (October 19) Thursday Night Football matchup between the Jacksonville Jaguars and New Orleans Saints. He’s smirking while Undisputedhost Skip Bayless guesses about whether Jags quarterback Trevor Lawrence will play. There are numerous reasons as to why anyone might smirk at Skip Bayless, but Lil Wayne has plenty of Skip-free reasons to smile right now.
Speaking of predictions, Lil Wayne recently relieved his fans of their prognostication duties by finally releasing Tha Fix Before Tha VI on September 29. On Tuesday (October 17), he confirmed his next single, presumably from his and 2 Chainz’s ColleGrove 2 joint project, which might arrive next month. In the Lil Wayne Discord server, he posted a 12-second video of him and 2 Chainz posing for photos while a snippet of “Presha” plays in the background. “Pressure coming 10/20,” Lil Wayne wrote alongside the video. (For what it’s worth, the track is listed as “Presha” on Genius, Official Charts, and DSPs.)
“ColleGrove 2 will be coming out before the year’s over with,” 2 Chainz told The Sourcein September. “We’ve already shot two visuals, the photo shoot is over. We’re in the process now of mastering records. All the records are mixed, so it’ll be coming soon. I’m so excited about it, and I’ve been talking about it so long. I’m anxious at this point, to try to get it to the fans’ ears. Hear some of the hard work, and the blood sweat and tears that me and my brother put into this project.”
2 Chainz’s ColleGrove arrived in March 2016, and Lil Wayne was featured on eight of its 13 tracks. The album peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and charted for 17 total weeks.
When a lot of people think of British rap, they often default to drill and grime artists like Skepta or Stormzy, or more recently, Central Cee or Dave. This is probably a function of how they’ve been co-signed stateside by institutions like Drake, whose approval has been a career booster for many artists, or Rolling Loud, the festival that has come to define the image and direction of hip-hop in recent years.
But when I interview London’s Loyle Carner about the disparity between this perception and his own, jazz-influenced approach to thoughtful, traditionalist rap, he dismisses any pressure to conform to the archetype known by both Americans and Brits. “It’s quite nice to have a space where it’s so much more laid back and small as opposed to something that feels so high pressure and big,” he says via Zoom the day after performing his first-ever show in Los Angeles at El Rey Theatre — nearly ten years after making his debut with the 2014 EP A Little Late.
Like Carner’s music, the concert at El Rey is intimate and personal; onstage with his band, he shares the compelling story of how he named his most recent album, 2022’s Hugo, after his dad’s car, where he and his patriarch hashed out nearly 30 years of resentments. As a performer, he’s composed and collected, sweeping from one song to the next with barely a pause to chat until the halfway mark of the set. As befits a veteran performer, if he felt any nerves about performing for the first time in LA, he sure didn’t show it — if anything, he transported his audience to the South London streets of his youth.
Although Hugo was distributed by Virgin EMI, Carner’s operation is basically independent, so playing his first US tour three albums into his career is more of an accomplishment than it may appear at first glance. It took a long, circuitous road to get here, along which the 29-year-old was nominated for a Mercury Prize, stretched his philanthropic wings, and became a father, in 2020. The latter, he says, not only informed the depth and growth he displayed on Hugo but also ensured that he was ready to embrace his own version of the American Dream when he got here.
During our Zoom, he revealed how he became “brave” enough to share some of his most confessional material yet, how fatherhood changed his artistry for the better, and just what it means to make it in America.
That show last night was absolutely incredible. You are one heck of a performer, sir.
Yo, man, thank you so much. Truly, it means a lot, especially in a place like LA. I’ve spent my whole life looking at this place, so yeah, it means a lot.
This is your first time coming to LA ever? How are you enjoying it?
Loving it, man. The weather, man. Fucking hell, it’s beautiful out here. There’s been a few false starts for us. We wanted to come here a few times, and visas got fucked up, or flights got canceled, so it kind of felt like this was the right time to come.
What’s been something that has changed in terms of the touring and the promotion for this album that you didn’t have before or that you’ve learned something and it’s unlocked a new level for you?
I’m a father now, so I guess the main thing was being away trying to look after myself, as opposed to just going out every night and trying to have fun — going to bed early and waking up early as opposed to going to bed late and waking up late. But for the shows, we have a band now, and that’s completely revolutionized the way we play. I feel like I’m part of a community on stage as opposed to just on my own.
It was my best friend’s birthday a couple of days ago, so I took him to the show. And he was just fascinated and enamored with the beats, because I think when I told him, “Oh, it’s this British artist,” he immediately heard in his head Top Boy, like the grime/drill sound. And then you come out there and you have these soulful beats. Is that something you’ve encountered a lot of, people being thrown by the British/American divide?
It’s funny. It’s why it’s such a trip for me being out here, because I grew up on American rap probably more than UK. I loved a lot of UK stuff, but really when I was growing up, I was listening to Common and Most Def, and I guess everyone in and amongst that world, A Tribe Called Quest, et cetera. So I was so affected by the relationship of jazz and rap and the poetry of it and the focus on what you were saying and how you had to be saying something.
Which is why I always felt so strange coming here to play music, because, to me, it’s kind of like I can’t reinvent the wheel. I take a lot of my inspiration from this place, yes, from other places too, but I was always scared to come and go, “Hey, you see that thing that you guys do? I kind of do it, too.”
You feel like even though you’ve kind of proved yourself, you’ve worked hard, you’re still stepping into an arena where now you’re the little fish in the big pond?
I think I finally feel brave enough to do that, but I think the pressure I put on myself is very different. I’m happy being out here and being more small and grassroots as opposed to what it’s like in the UK or Europe, where we play quite big shows. I think for me, it’s quite nice to have a space where it’s so much more laid-back and small as opposed to something that feels so high-pressure and big. I think the music reflects that. It’s nice at the moment because the people in the UK who are blowing up are like Dave, Central Cee, et cetera, et cetera. So it’s nice to come in and people are like, “Oh, hey, you know Central Cee?” And I’m like, “Yeah, but we don’t make the same kind of stuff.”
I find that fascinating because everything I know about the UK scene is peripheral, is third party, is at a distance, like blogs, and magazines, and movies, and things like that. So I know you guys had the rave scene. And it always felt more communal for you guys to me, so now you’re telling me it feels the same way, there’s that mutual feeling of like, “Oh, they have it figured out over there,” and we both feel the same way.
For sure. I think that’s what’s so cool. I think the things that have always seemed to do the best from the UK coming over to America, too, are things that are individual and truthful to where we live and what’s going on for us, and not trying to fit into the box of what’s going on over here.
When you think about the culture of rap music, in particular, hip-hop as a thing, like basketball, baggy pants, rap music, movies, all of this stuff is so heavily influenced by the culture of growing up and looking to America in the ’90s for me. And I think that’s still true now, but what’s cool is for the first time, guys in the UK are kind of equally part of that, which is so exciting. That’s why it’s so exciting thinking about someone like Central Cee or whatever, just being over here and being able to say, “Yeah, I’m from this part, I live in this part of London. This is what I see every day. This is our slang, this is how we speak.” Very exciting.
I always ask this question during interviews. I know you do a lot of interviews, and you have to answer a lot of similar questions. I have to ask a lot of the same questions. Have you ever thought of a question that you wish somebody would ask you that they’ve never asked you?
When you look at an artist that you love, I always want to know — like I love Kendrick Lamar, for example — and I always want to know what kind of art he’s digesting to make the stuff that he’s making. What movies is he watching or what books is he reading?
When I was making Hugo, I read a book. My girlfriend got me a book called, My Name Is Why, which is by a guy called Lemn Sissay. He’s a poet from the UK. But he grew up in the care system. And the care system anywhere in the world is fucked up, but in the UK, particularly difficult, especially for ethnic minorities and especially young Black boys, Black women. So yeah, it was a book about him growing up without any parents and trying to find a way of being a parent to himself, which I kind of resonated with. So I thought that was beautiful.
I watched Le Hain, which I’d watched many times. I watched a film called Manchester By The Sea, which I was really moved by. Yeah, a lot of drama, a lot of sad shit it sounds like.
Sometimes you have to watch some sad stuff to get to the meaning of life. The meaning of life is finding the joy. I think that’s something I get from your music. What do you want people to take away from Hugo?
I think it really is just that the main idea is that people are capable of change and forgiveness.
I think about rap music a lot, and the overarching theme of it always, especially from young men, is “I grew up without a father. It was fucking hard. Now I’ve made it and fuck my dad.” That’s the trajectory. People start off kind of jaded by the lack of infrastructure and kind of male presence they’ve had in their life, and you kind of culminate to a place of like, “Okay, now I’m that person with the power and the relationship, and I choose to put all the focus on my mom.” And that was me saying that’s kind of what I’m raised by.
I felt like never had I listened to a rap album that comes from my community that was like, “Hey, what happens if we actually try and understand where the deadbeat dad is coming from?” Not making excuses, but begin to kind of understand, okay, what was happening 20, 30 years ago that led to this? What’s the generational cycle? How do we break the cycle further instead of just kind of perpetuate it? And I guess, yeah, the thing that really I was struck by with this album is trying to say that people are capable of change. Forgiveness not only helps them, but helps yourself.
You told a story about how you named your album after your dad’s car, and I’d love for our readers to see it.
The story of the car was my dad, when he found out I was going to be a father, he was like, “You need to learn to drive because you need to pick up your kid from nursery and the hospital and all this shit.” And I was like, “I do need to learn to drive.” It’s very different in the UK because, especially in London, there’s so much transport that you don’t need to drive. But when you have kids, you kind of do need to. So he pulled up to my house and his red VW Polo, and we started to talk in these driving lessons. And the car’s a really good conduit, a great space for conversation because we’re both looking forward. So it’s not intimidating to when you’re talking to someone, you’re looking at them, it’s very intense, but when you’re both looking forward, you can be a bit more open.
I’m saying shit to my dad that no son should ever have to say to his father. My father’s saying stuff to me that no father should ever have to say to his son. And then I just at some point just gave up being angry and was like, “Okay, let me just start listening.” I stopped talking and started listening. I heard his side of the story, and he began to just explain what it was like for him, the pressures he felt, what he’d been shown by his father and by his father’s father and by the men around him, and in popular culture and the way that Black men are referenced in movies and all this shit. Everything is leading him down one path. And I think it takes a lot of strength and emotional support to go against what the whole world is expecting from you.
And I think sadly, he just kind of succumbed to the pressure. So yeah, I guess ultimately I forgave him, and the reason I was telling the story at the shows and stuff is for two reasons. One, I already said about learning to forgive and how you can set yourself free, and not only set someone else free. But the other one was just, yeah, my dad’s license plate was S331HGU, and everyone called my dad’s car Hugo. So I called the album Hugo because it was a space in time. It was a safe space for me, and without the car, the album wouldn’t exist.
I love when people put that kind of thought and intention behind creative endeavors. It just makes it feel like something that is more meaningful. This is something we’re going to be listening to in 20 years still.
I’m kind of getting to the point in my career where I’m kind of accepting of the fact that maybe the day it comes out, it’s not going to get a million views, but I’d love that maybe if one person listened to it every day for the next million days, it would get like a million plays that way, and I’d much prefer that. It’s like cave drawings. The whole point is to show people in 20 years, 30 years, 50 years where we were at. People right now, they know where they’re at. For me, it’s like a time capsule. I’m just hopeful in however many years people can look back and go, “Oh, no doubt. That’s kind of what was going on. That was the state of affairs when Loyle was growing up.”
The run kicks off at Salt Lake City on February 21, 2024, and from there, he hits several North American cities before wrapping up with three Miami shows in late May. A tour poster teases, “and more…,” so additional dates will likely be announced in the future. Tickets are not yet for sale, but fans can now register for the chance to get tickets via the tour website.
Check out the Most Wanted Tour dates below. Find more information and get tickets here.
02/21/2024 — Salt Lake City, UT @ Delta Center
02/23/2024 — Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena
02/24/2024 — Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena
02/27/2024 — Phoenix, AZ @ Footprint Center
02/28/2024 — Phoenix, AZ @ Footprint Center
03/01/2024 — San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center
03/02/2024 — San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center
03/05/2024 — Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center
03/07/2024 — Portland, OR @ Moda Center
03/09/2024 — Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
03/13/2024 — Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Arena
03/14/2024 — Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Arena
03/15/2024 — Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Arena
03/20/2024 — Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
03/23/2024 — Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center
03/26/2024 — Kansas City, MO @ T-Mobile Center
03/28/2024 — Chicago, IL @ United Center
03/29/2024 — Chicago, IL @ United Center
03/30/2024 — Chicago, IL @ United Center
04/04/2024 — Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
04/06/2024 — Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
04/09/2024 — Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena
04/11/2024 — Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
04/12/2024 — Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
04/13/2024 — Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
04/17/2024 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden
04/19/2024 — Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
04/20/2024 — Hartford, CT @ XL Center
04/22/2024 — Louisville, KY @ KFC Yum! Center
04/24/2024 — Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center
04/26/2024 — Austin, TX @ Moody Center
04/27/2024 — Austin, TX @ Moody Center
04/30/2024 — Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
05/01/2024 — Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
05/03/2024 — Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
05/04/2024 — Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
05/07/2024 — New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center
05/10/2024 — Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center
05/11/2024 — Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
05/14/2024 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
05/15/2024 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
05/17/2024 — Orlando, FL @ Amway Center
05/18/2024 — Orlando, FL @ Amway Center
05/21/2024 — Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena
05/24/2024 — Miami, FL @ Kaseya Center
05/25/2024 — Miami, FL @ Kaseya Center
05/26/2024 — Miami, FL @ Kaseya Center
Olivia Rodrigo released her sophomore album, Guts, just a few weeks ago. Fans who purchased vinyl copies of the record were in for a special surprise, as each of the color variations contained a hidden bonus track. In total, there were four songs: “Obsessed,” “Scared Of My Guitar,” “Girl I’ve Always Been,” and “Stranger.”
For those who only purchased one copy, or weren’t able to grab one of the Guts vinyl records, Rodrigo is giving you a second chance. The pop star is putting all four songs on a special vinyl pressing titled Guts: The Secret Tracks, in honor of this year’s Record Store Day.
It comes pressed on an “opaque deep purple etched vinyl” with a new cover photo too, that has Rodrigo’s face layered over cut-outs of her silhouette. The two pictures are also complete in her signature colors: purple and black.
Finally, as Rodrigo revealed on Instagram, her Record Store Day exclusive release was pressed at none other than Jack White’s Third Man Records. White has been a longtime inspiration for Rodrigo, and the two have since become friends. She even shared a hilarious photo of her attempting to give White a haircut backstage.
Guts: The Secret Tracks is out 11/24. More information can be found here.
It’s a question as old as time, “Do you shake or stir a martini?” And ho boy, do you people have opinions. Yes, that includes me. But opinions are just that. And while we can get into the science of “bruising” the gin while shaking it, let’s skip all of that for the important question. What is the difference in taste when you shake a martini instead of (or as opposed to) stirring a martini?
Let’s take a look at that and make a decision based on concrete evidence in our hands. Sounds like a good plan, right? First, parameters:
Both methods will have the same recipe/ratio (5:1).
Add the gin and vermouth to the cocktail shaker and then add a handful of ice.
Affix the lid and shake vigorously for about 10 seconds, 15 seconds max.
Strain the cocktail into the prechilled glass and then express the oils from the lemon over the glass. Serve.
Bottom Line:
Zach Johnston
Okay, this is a really good martini. There’s a clear sense of deep botanicals with a hint of sweetness driving through the herbal vibes. It’s ice-cold and super refreshing. If it was a hot day, I’d down these easily to beat the heat.
The best part is that when you shake the drink, it creates ice slivers in the actual cocktail. Those slivers create this lush and almost creamy mouthfeel that’s silky smooth. It’s a textural treat for your mouth.
The downside side is that those slivers started to melt. And by the third sip, this was getting a little watered down. It was still cold and delicious but had lost its edge by the end.
Stirred Gin Martini
Zach Johnston
Ingredients:
2.5 oz. gin
0.5 oz. dry vermouth
Lemon peel
Ice
Zach Johnston
What You’ll Need:
Coupe, Nick and Nora, or cocktail glass
Cocktail mixing glass
Barspoon
Paring knife
Jigger
Zach Johnston
Method:
Prechill the glass in the freezer.
Add the gin and vermouth to a mixing glass and fill with a handful of ice.
Stir for about 20-30 seconds until the mixing glass is ice-cold to touch.
Strain the cocktail into the prechilled glass and then express the lemon oils over the cocktail. Serve.
Bottom Line:
Zach Johnston
This is a classic martini with deep herbal and botanical notes with a hint of sweetness. It was ice-cold and sharp with an almost bright demeanor to it. What it was missing though was that lush mouthfeel. It was nice but not silky or soft.
I would also argue that this was a tad watered down from the jump. It was more like the third sip of the shaken martini without the first two sips giving you that luxurious mouthfeel. Interesting…
Final Thoughts on the Shaken and Stirred Martinis
Zach Johnston
I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but the shaken martini is the way to go. The mouthfeel of those first few sips while the ice slivers were still whole was just leagues above the sharpness of the stirred martini. You can see the difference the ice slivers make in the drink on the left above. Notice the haziness of the drink?
That said, they both ended up tasting exactly the same after a few minutes. What you’re getting with the shaken version is a few moments/sips of something with a bold smooth textural experience that stirring just can’t match. But it’s fleeting. That feel a tad odd that people are so ride-or-die one way or another. After all, if you’re going to end up in the same place either way, why argue?
For me, I’ll probably still do what I always do and go with how I feel in the moment. I’ll shake one when the mood hits and I want that extra moment of textural comfort. And I’ll stir up a martini when I can’t be bothered shaking one up. Either way… martinis are delicious. So there’s that.
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