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Jon Favreau Explained Why Mando And Baby Yoda Reunited On ‘The Book Of Boba Fett’ Instead Of ‘The Mandalorian’

Of the live-action Star Wars shows on Disney+, one is great (Andor), one is super fun (The Mandalorian), one made Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen happy and that makes me happy (Obi-Wan Kenobi), and one is a basically a prequel to season three of The Mandalorian (The Book of Boba Fett). The three episodes of the bounty hunter-focused series with Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin and Baby Yoda were the best episodes of the show and worth watching before The Mandalorian returns in March. Otherwise, you might be lost (or you can save time and read our explainer on what happened).

In an interview with Empire, The Mandalorian creator Jon Favreau was asked about reuniting Mando and Baby Yoda in The Book of Boba Fett when the season two finale of The Mandalorian made it seem like they would be apart in season three. “We couldn’t just hit a hard reset,” he explained. “It’s going to be interesting to see how this unfolds for people who may not have seen The Book of Boba Fett.” Favreau continued:

“You saw what Mando was like without Baby Yoda and we saw what Grogu was like without the Mandalorian and neither of them was doing too good. So them coming back together was a really good plot point that allows us to jump back into season three while maintaining the central relationship.”

I wasn’t doing too good with Baby Yoda and his floating saucer, either, so makes sense.

The Mandalorian season three premieres on Disney+ on March 1.

(Via Empire)

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Is Lorde Working On Her Next Album?

Lorde has been teasing her fourth album a lot more recently. It might be hard to believe, but it’s already been nearly two years since her Solar Power record dropped. While she’s traditionally had longer gaps of time in between her era cycles, it seems she’s been working on something coming a lot sooner.

“I mean, I do just take a long time… I do a lot of research, I write a lot down,” she told Ensemble. “Sort of a big chunk of work before I actually start writing music. So yeah, that’s been a really big part of it. It’s been super exciting and I feel excited about what’s coming.”

“You know, it’s my intention, it’s always my intention, to move as quickly as I f*cking can and then that ends up taking different forms,” Lorde added. “But this one, I really am trying to. I don’t want to wait, you know, so take from that what you will.”

This isn’t the first time Lorde’s hinted at a faster album drop either. Last September at LA’s Primavera Sound festival, she shared, “Who knows what will come next? Well, I know. And you’ll know sometime soon.”

However, it won’t likely be that soon, as she’s still finishing up the Solar Power tour with a New Zealand and Australia run starting later this month.

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The ‘Harley Quinn’ Valentine’s Special Is A Sweet And Profoundly Stupid Little Delight

This is sorcery, really. You shouldn’t be able to do all these things at once. You shouldn’t be able to take valuable intellectual property and stuff it into a silly cartoon that is equal parts fun and stupid and sweet and raunchy. You shouldn’t be able to make me giggle and say “Awww” when I think about a character whose most famous previous iteration tried to poison a city and kill Batman. And yet, somehow, piled up against all of that, we have the Harley Quinn cartoon series still out here thriving. Again, sorcery.

And it gets better. The show just released a 45-minute Valentine’s Day special. Think about that one. Really ponder it for a bit. The show about a slew of supervillains went ahead and made a little one-off treat about the most romantic day of the year. And it’s delightful. Bane takes some hormones because he’s sensitive about the size of his manhood and ends up 100 feet tall and so uncontrollably horny that he starts trying to have intercourse with skyscrapers and also a 100-foot-tall version of Ted Lasso star Brett Goldstein. Clayface — a sentient blob of mud, basically — gets sliced in half and his top and bottom parts fall in love. Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy are a couple and they are out for revenge because someone destroyed their favorite Italian restaurant. Do you get it now?

Do you see what I mean?

Maybe the trailer will help.

I’m realizing now that I spoiled some things in that second paragraph. Whatever. I stand by it. The episode has been out for a few days now and the show has been so good for three seasons that you had plenty of chances. Even if you didn’t watch it yet, I promise you that the actual depiction of the things I mentioned is much better than my descriptions of them. Get in there.

And when you do, be prepared to be charmed. The episode is kind of structured like a Love, Actually-style romantic comedy, with a bunch of storylines about a bunch of couples all smashing together — literally — at the end. Harley spends the whole episode trying to give Ivy the best Valentine’s Day ever (Harley has some… issues from her time with Joker), going bigger and bigger and bigger as the runtime ticks on, with things exploding and goons dying and really just a shocking amount of violence and destruction in the name of love, only for the reveal at the end to be the damn cutest little twist you’ve ever seen. This happens shortly after a duet between a man and his own butt. I feel like that’s important to note.

But more importantly, Bane. I gave you the basic gist of his arc here, but there’s so much more going on. There are dominatrix shenanigans and magic potions and really just a lot, all tied to the thing where he’s a little sensitive about the size of his junk in relation to his massive body. As co-showrunner Justin Halpern explained to Variety in a breakdown of the whole thing…

The first three seasons, I felt like we got to say a lot of the things that we wanted to say. So it was like, every dumb joke that we had hadn’t figured out a way to fit into the first three seasons. If you’ve seen the first three seasons, there’s a lot of dumb jokes in there, so you might be thinking, what was left? Specifically, the scene where Bane is working with a dominatrix. We just threw in everything we could — if you’re gonna do a special, you gotta make it special!

I think that that storyline was — I’m gonna try to speak carefully about this, because my kids are in the car with me right now — but we just thought it would be really funny if the dominatrix was insulting the size of the guy’s penis.

Which, again, delightful, especially, again, when you think about the thing where most people think of Bane as the humorless hulk played by Tom Hardy in Christopher Nolan’s bleak take on the Batman story. That is not this Bane. This Bane is kind of a goof. He has poor self-esteem and is always getting railroaded into things and kind of just shuffled around the Legion of Doom headquarters a lot. And his whole arc loops into the others in a way that made me gasp a little and then laugh a lot. This is where I post the GIF of him humping Gotham highrises. Yes, I posted it in a column on Friday. Yes, I’ve tweeted it a few times, too. But still, I think… Actually, no. I don’t need to justify sharing something this beautiful and pure. Look at my sweet massive boy.

BANE
HBO MAX

This is where a conclusion would usually go. Something like “for this and many other reasons, the Harley Quinn Valentine’s episode is a worthwhile watch, even for people who don’t love comic book movies, especially on a romantic Tuesday night in February.” But I’m not going to do that. It would just be a waste of energy, of my time and yours. If I hadn’t already sold you with “a sweet and crass and funny cartoon where Bane crumbles the Gotham skyline with hip thrusts,” I mean… I don’t know, man. Maybe you and I just aren’t on the same page here. Because, to me, that’s just a lovely episode of television.

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Miley Cyrus Is Celebrating Valentine’s Day By The Pool With An On-Brand, ‘Flowers’-Inspired Message

It’s clear that Miley Cyrus‘ new No. 1 hit “Flowers” is one of the most empowering anthems to come out so far this year. “I can buy myself flowers / Write my name in sand / Talk to myself for hours, yeah / Say things you don’t understand,” she sings in the ridiculously infectious chorus, which appears to reference Bruno Mars’ “When I Was Your Man.”

As if that’s not inspiring enough, Cyrus is not done hyping herself up and flaunting her independence. She made a Valentine’s Day post today, reiterating the same idea as “Flowers”: “I can love me better. Happy Valentines Day,” she wrote in the caption. The photo is a spicy bathing suit picture; she’s standing tall and confident, looking almost like a superhero.

Yesterday, meanwhile, was a month since the release of “Flowers.” To celebrate, she posted a video in the same bathing suit, showing her lounging by the pool. She wrote a caption about how the song “feels even more meaningful to me.” It says in full, “Happy 1 month anniversary of Flowers! To still be celebrating #1 on the Hot 100 & around the world is phenomenal. With Valentines Day coming up tomorrow this song feels even more meaningful to me. I hope this holiday is filled with the joy of honoring LOVE in all of its forms. It’s human nature to want to give & receive it. Sharing your love is special but it’s always important to save enough of that love for yourself. YOU are enough anything more is just extra. [lips emoji] Thank you for another incredible week. I LOVE YOU. [heart emoji] [rose emoji].”

Endless Summer Vacation is out 3/10 via Columbia. Pre-order it here.

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All The Best New Indie Music From This Week

Indie music has grown to include so much. It’s not just music that is released on independent labels but speaks to an aesthetic that deviates from the norm and follows its own weirdo heart. It can come in the form of rock music, pop, or folk. In a sense, it says as much about the people that are drawn to it as it does about the people that make it.

Every week, Uproxx is rounding up the best new indie music from the past seven days. This week we got new music from Paramore, Indigo De Souza, Tennis, Andy Shauf, and more.

While we’re at it, sign up for our newsletter to get the best new indie music delivered directly to your inbox, every Monday.

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Paramore — This Is Why

Finally: It’s been five years since Paramore’s last album After Laughter, and This Is Why has arrived. The singles were all dynamic, leaning toward high energy. But This Is Why isn’t all party bangers; “Liar” is a mellow reprieve, whereas “Crave” is a dreamy detour. The songs flow well together, exploding with danceable rhythms or slowing into vulnerable moments.

Tennis — Pollen

The shimmering, lively sound of Tennis never gets old. The sensual basslines, glowing vocals, and infectious rhythms create a hypnotizing ambiance, much like that of Mac DeMarco. Pollen is full of special moments, but overall it’s the kind of music to suck you in and make you float. By the time it’s over, you forget where you are.

Andy Shauf — Norm

The singles of Andy Shauf’s Norm were all fascinating glimpses into the complex record. The folky record mixes tenderness with an ominous texture, seeing how far longing can go before it turns into obsession on songs like “Wasted On You” and “Catch Your Eye.” On “Halloween Store,” the narrator imagines running into his crush at the Halloween store — a funny yet eerie scene that sums up the appeal of the LP.

Pierce The Veil — The Jaws Of Life

Pierce The Veil’s last album Misadventures arrived in 2016, a time that barely feels real anymore. It’s inevitable that the band would evolve since then, and The Jaws Of Life shows an expansion into new sounds and an overall maturation. “Shared Trauma” buzzes like an electronic song; “Pass The Nirvana” is indebted to Deftones.

Yo La Tengo — This Stupid World

Yo La Tengo have been going at it for decades and never seem to miss. This Stupid World — which is a great album title — kicks off with a Sonic Youth-esque instrumental that immediately pulls the listener into a distorted, introspective state. All of the following tracks retain this thoughtfulness: “Prepare to die / Prepare yourself while there’s still time,” Ira Kaplan sings on “Until It Happens” against meditative guitars.

Black Belt Eagle Scout — The Land, The Water, The Sky

“My Blood Runs Through This Land” is the opening track of Black Belt Eagle Scout’s new album The Land, The Water, The Sky, and it’s urgent, striking from all angles, turning singer Katherine Paul into something of a prophetic. Though it’s risky to start off so strong and powerful, the pace of the LP works, going back and forth between building into a crescendo before quieting down and laying low again, which feels metaphorical of the whole world.

Indigo De Souza — “Younger & Dumber”

Indigo De Souza’s 2018 LP I Love My Mom and 2021 record Any Shape You Take are unique bursts of poignant, mesmeric indie rock that showcase a singular artist. Now, the Asheville, NC native is preparing for her third album, All Of This Will End. “Younger & Dumber” is the first taste, and it proves that De Souza is wise beyond her years as she reflects on being a kid: “Which way will I run when I want something new?”

Scowl — “Opening Night”

How Flowers Grow by Scowl was one of the most exciting hardcore records of 2021. Endlessly invigorating, rippers like “Four Walls” and “Bloodhound” came for blood. “Opening Night” takes things a little easier, watching vocalist Kat Moss sings all the way through, at least until the corrosive track ends in a build-up that explodes with Moss’ unrelenting howls.

Squid — “Swing (In A Dream)”

Squid are back with the announcement of their new album O Monolith. “Swing (In A Dream)” is a disorienting, vibrating track that gets weirder as it goes on, sounding as if it’s from another world: “To live inside the frame / And forget everything,” sings Ollie Judge ominously.

Pile — “Lowered Rainbow”

All Fiction, Pile’s new album, is just on the horizon and the singles thus far have been compelling. Known for darkness, Pile go all-in on these new songs, unafraid of the sinister. “Lowered Rainbow” is no different; the track is an eerie hymn. the instrumentals are cinematic and the lyrics are haunting and vaguely profound.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

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Anthony Edwards Has Become The Star The Timberwolves Needed

Talent was never the question for Anthony Edwards as he came into the NBA. Instead, the question was whether he’d be able to refine and apply that talent in such a way that he’d reach his sky-high potential.

Edwards arrived in the league with an NBA frame and the athleticism to match, but plenty wondered if he would put all the pieces together. An infamous pre-draft profile on ESPN raised questions about his commitment to basketball, while his love of Popeyes and McDonald’s led to plenty of scrutiny of his diet (including from his own teammates). All of this combined to paint a portrait of an immensely talented young player whose ceiling may never be reached.

In his first two years, Edwards’ lack of consistency was maddening, including to Edwards himself. Teams around the league grew to expect him to effectively no-show back-to-backs, with Edwards lamenting that “it’s normal for me to be bad on back-to-backs” after a dismal effort against the Spurs in the second week of the season in which he scored just nine points in a loss. He said he needed to find the juice to come out every night with the same effort and energy level, putting the onus on himself to make that leap to being a more reliable star for the rest of his team.

It appears that night proved to be a wake-up call for Edwards. Since then, the Wolves have played nine back-to-backs and Edwards has matched or exceeded the first night’s scoring total six times, averaging 27.2 points on 51.2 percent shooting in those nine games on the back-to-back.

That consistent productivity has allowed Edwards to become the much needed North Star for this Timberwolves team. He has quite literally been the most reliable star in the league, having played in all 60 games this season and leading the entire NBA in minutes played. On a team where Karl-Anthony Towns has missed the last 39 games and Rudy Gobert has missed 11 games, that availability has been critical in keeping the Wolves afloat. But it hasn’t just been that he’s on the court, because Edwards is giving his team star production most every night.

Edwards has fully embraced his role as the offensive engine in Minnesota in Towns’ absence. He is posting the best numbers of his young career across the board in every category, whether it be a raw productivity, efficiency, or usage stats. His 28.8 usage rate is a career-high and ranks 18th in the NBA among players who have logged 1,000 minutes. His 24.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game are all career bests, as is his 53.3 eFG% and 57.1 TS%.

The biggest difference this year has been the continued development of his jump shot and his ability to get it off in tight quarters, aided by a handle that continues to improve. With the Wolves roster constructed as it is — particularly with the addition of Gobert — maximizing the space on the floor to make strides as a scorer from all three levels was necessary in order to make the leap he has this season.

Edwards is already an elite driver. He gets to the rim at a rate (30.3 percent of his shot attempts inside three feet, per Basketball-Reference) that is equal to LeBron James and higher than any non-big on the top-20 in usage in the league, and he finishes at a robust 66.5 percent clip when he gets there. His burst, deceleration, balance, footwork, and touch around the basket are spectacular, and you can start to see how that foundation he’s built as a driver and finisher is already starting to expand beyond the restricted area.

He has gotten more adept at the little push-offs and tricks great scorers use to create enough separation to get his shot up, using an off-arm or his shoulder to get a defender on his heels to give him space to stepback for a jumper. His deceleration was already a weapon at the rim, but it’s now a bigger part of his midrange arsenal, taking advantage of how defenders have to retreat due to his ability to drive to the rim to stop and pop at the elbow. His footwork and handle are steadily improving, allowing him to get into his shooting motion from just about anywhere and remain on balance on fadeaways and stepbacks. While he’s still a ways from being at the elite level of a Devin Booker, his improvement from the midrange has been notable and is creating serious issues for defenses facing the Wolves who want to collapse on his drives.

Even with those improvements, attacking the rim is where Edwards creates the most headaches for opponents. Edwards is fearless getting into the paint no matter what center is lurking, but it’s against teams that lack an elite shot-blocker that he becomes unstoppable. Take Monday’s win over Dallas, where he showed his full range of abilities around the basket, speeding past perimeter defenders, absorbing and finishing through contact, throwing a long stride at the end to get a big stuck under the rim, Euro-stepping through a pair of defenders, and more.

What’s scary is this feels like the floor for him as a scorer. While there’s no way to know if his jumper continues to improve, it’s good enough now to keep defenses honest even if he plateaus in terms of efficiency — although, given his prodigious talent, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him continue improving. But if he starts getting calls at a rate that’s more in line with how often he gets to the rim, he could start to add 3-4 points to his scoring average just off of free throws.

Edwards’ .281 free throw rate is among the lowest of the top-20 usage guys in the league, with only Stephen Curry, Jaylen Brown, LaMelo Ball, and Donovan Mitchell below him. That’s particularly notable when you again consider he has the highest rim frequency of any of the non-bigs on the list. That’s where his strength works against him, as does his stature as a first-time All-Star who hasn’t quite earned the same respect of the officials. Edwards absorbs contact and finishes so fluidly that fouls don’t always look like fouls because he muscles through them — his propensity to yell “HEY!” on just about every drive when he gets contact might also not endear him to the officials. Still, the calls will come as his stature rises and he continues to attack the rim, and if that free throw rate creeps closer to the .400 range where most of the league’s elite drivers live, he’s going to see that scoring average take another leap.

All of this is a testament to Edwards’ commitment to putting in the work to round out his skill-set and become more consistent. The talent has been there, but over the last few months, he has started to show a maturity on the court that is impressive for someone who is still just 21 years old. He embraced the challenge from Chris Finch to be more reliable and change the league-wide perception of him on back-to-backs and beyond. He’s also done so as the unquestioned focal point of opposing defenses with Towns on the shelf, and has refused to let that or an ever-changing roster do anything to the upward trajectory of his career.

The result is an All-Star campaign that has kept Minnesota afloat in the crowded and always fluid Western Conference playoff race — currently 8th, but a half-game back of 5th — with the added bonus of shifting his reputation into being one of the league’s most reliable stars. When the playoffs and play-in arrive, the question this year won’t be whether their star shows up at his best every night, and that is a dimension the Wolves have lacked for some time.

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Papa John’s Finally Solved The ‘How Can We Fit More Cheese On This Pizza?’ Problem — Here’s Our Review

In episode 18, season eight of Seinfeld, “The Nap,” (yes, the one where George sleeps underneath his desk and triggers a bomb threat at Yankee Stadium) Elaine walks through the streets of New York with her new love interest (Hal Kitzmiller) and says “I like that stuffed crust pizza,” to which Hal, foolishly responds “It’s just more cheese!”

“Hey, let me tell you something,” Elaine quips. “It’ll be years before they find another place to hide more cheese on a pizza,’

How many years? 26, apparently. But now, after nearly three decades, those beautiful bastards at Papa John’s have finally done it. Enter the new Crispy Parm Pizza.

Available from now until an unspecified limited time, the Crispy Parm Pizza takes Papa John’s thin crust and adds a layer of shredded parmesan and Romano cheeses to the bottom, resulting in a crispy-fied crust that adds another dimension of cheesy notes to your pie. It’s the only way to enjoy thin crust, and extra cheese without, you know, just ordering extra cheese on your pizza.

So is it any good? We found out for you so you don’t have to spend $12.99 to satiate your curiosity. Let’s dive in.

Crispy Parm Pizza

Papa Johns
Dane Rivera

My first job was at a Domino’s and during our free time (which there was a lot of) my fellow employees and I would experiment with the dough to make all sorts of off-menu items that would absolutely dunk on anything we had on the menu. I’ve had a calzone at Domino’s, even though they’ve never made one. I’ve had a Brooklyn-style pizza topped with spicy Chicken Kickers (Dominos side chicken snack). But my greatest creation was what I called the “Double Decker Thin Crust.”

This pizza consisted of a thin-crust pizza dough covered in a layer of cheese and topped with an additional thin-crust pizza dough, smeared with sauce and whatever toppings I was feeling at the moment. This resulted in a pizza that was one part quesadilla, one part stuffed crust, one part pizza, and all parts delicious.

To this day I’ve been waiting for a pizza chain to follow my ingenuity and make something equivalent, The Crispy Parm Pizza is not that, but it comes pretty damn close.

Papa Johns
Dane Rivera

Whether or not you like this pizza is going to come down to how much you like the taste of fried cheese (spoiler: I like it). By covering the entire bottom of the crust with shredded parmesan and Romano that is then baked in an oven, you lose some of the complex nutty and creamy qualities that those cheeses give, but what you do get is a wonderful crispy mouthfeel that snaps with each bite and adds a caramelized, earthy tone to the mix.

My pizza was topped simply with pepperoni and the way the zesty and pepper-forward savory meat flavor played with the salty blend of cheeses tasted great. And yet, if you told me this pizza didn’t have cheese on the bottom of the crust, I might not have noticed. The flavor that it adds to the mix is ultimately very faint unless you go looking for it. In that way, it’s not as significant a change to your pizza as something like stuffed crust, but it is a way to hide more cheese in a dish that consists mostly of cheese.

I wish there was an extra component to this crust that made it feel just a bit more special, as it stands it’s delicious but completely inessential.

The Bottom Line:

Papa John’s found a brand new way to sneak more cheese into a pizza and for that, we commend them. Definitely order this pizza to satiate your curiosity but don’t expect it to blow your mind. If you make pizza at home, this might prove a nice hack but the Papa John’s version is a tasty-though-not-revolutionary concept.

Now my Double-Decker Thin Crust? That would blow your mind. Until someone makes this happen, this is a generally solid consolation price.

Find your nearest Papa John’s here.

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Service dog who inspired PAWS Act takes one last flight in touching video

Editor’s Note: If you are having thoughts about taking your own life, or know of anyone who is in need of help, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a United States-based suicide prevention network of over 200+ crisis centers that provides 24/7 service via a toll-free hotline with the number 9-8-8. It is available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress.

After helping countless veterans struggling with mental health find furry companionship, Kaya the German shepherd, devoted service dog and inspiration behind the PAWS Act of 2021, has passed. But not before her legacy was honored with one last flight.

In a clip posted to Instagram by Southwest Airlines, which Kaya had flown with 250 times, we see the sweet, yet tired pup resting on her furry blanket as the pilot explains her story.

Since 2014, Kaya and her owner Cole Lyle, a Marine Corps veteran, have flown all over the country helping other veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. Their work together helped highlight the positive impact service dogs have in preventing veteran suicide, eventually leading to the PAWS Act (short for Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers Act) becoming a federal law.


“Sadly, Kaya was recently diagnosed with an untreatable cancer so we have the solemn honor of taking her on what will be her last flight as she goes home to rest where she was born and first met Cole,” the pilot announces as Kaya is met with a series of cheers.

Kaya is then seen being wheeled through the airport, showing nothing but smiles.

Watch the emotional clip below:

According to NPR, Lyle and Kaya spent their final day together at a few other their favorite haunts—a local Dallas pub, Lyle’s old college stomping grounds, and finally, a pond where Lyle used to study with Kaya accompanying him.

“I just laid with her for several hours, and told her how much I loved her and how loved she was,” Lyle told NPR. “I just wanted her to feel comfortable and happy in her last few hours.”

Thank you for your service, Kaya. You have saved countless lives, and your hard work will undoubtedly save many more.

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The Between The Sheets Is The Only Valentine’s Day Cocktail You Need

The best Valentine’s Day cocktails are the ones that you can make easily but also taste delicious with a sexy edge. The Between The Sheets is exactly that. This cocktail is so freaking tasty. The mix of lime, orange, cognac, and light rum come together to make something truly special in a glass.

This cocktail is also pretty damn easy to make. The liquor in the mix is all equal measures. There’s a touch of lime juice that needs squeezing. Otherwise, you just have to shake a cocktail shaker with some ice and prechill a couple of glasses. Anybody can do it.

The best part is that this drink has a lightness to it that’s enticing. The sweet citrus really helps it feel like it’s floating on a cloud. And yes, the name is adequately sultry for the occasion.

All of this makes the Between The Sheets a great Valentine’s Day cocktail — so let’s dive in!

Also Read: The Top Five Cocktail Recipes of the Last Six Months

Between The Sheets

Between The Sheets Cocktail
Zach Johnston

Ingredients:

  • 1 oz. cognac
  • 1 oz. light rum
  • 1 oz. triple sec
  • 0.25 oz. fresh lime juice
  • Orange peel
  • Ice

You don’t have to go crazy with ingredients here. I’m using standard Hine Rare Cognac and Equiano Light Rum. They’re both great for mixing and won’t break the bank. The rest is pretty straightforward.

Between The Sheets Cocktail
Zach Johnston

What You’ll Need:

  • Coupe (prechilled)
  • Cocktail shaker
  • Cocktail strainer
  • Paring knife
  • Hand juicer
Between The Sheets Cocktail
Zach Johnston

Method:

  • Add the cognac, rum, triple sec, lime juice, and ice to a cocktail shaker. Affix the lid and shake the drink vigorously for about 15 seconds or until the shaker is ice-cold to the touch.
  • Get the prechilled glass from the freezer and strain the cocktail into the glass.
  • Express the oils from the orange peel over the cocktail and rub the peel around the rim and stem of the glass. Discard the peel. Serve.

Bottom Line:

Between The Sheets Cocktail
Zach Johnston

This is so good. It’s light, delicious, and a little boozy. There’s a nice depth of oakiness and dried fruit from the cognac that plays nicely with a hint of funk from the rum with a touch of sugar cane. The lime adds lightness while the orange liqueur sweetens the whole affair. The orange oils at the end are essential in adding to the lightness, sweetness, and softness of the cocktail.

This is a winner for easy cocktail shaking tonight. Trust me, it’ll wow.

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Is Drake Connected To XXXTentacion’s Murder Case?

Drake has been in the headlines quite a bit recently, given his ties to XXXTentacion’s murder trial. Some might be wondering: what exactly is the Canadian rapper’s connection to it all?

One of the suspect’s lawyers, Mauricio Padilla, tried to subpoena Drake in January before a judge gave a mandatory order that he has to appear for a deposition by February 24 — or he will be held in contempt of court.

Drake’s lawyer, Bradford M. Cohen, has since responded to the deposition filing, according to Rolling Stone.

“No evidence has been provided to substantiate the assertion that [Drake] in any way contributed to, had knowledge of, or participated in the alleged incident, and to mandate that he appear for deposition for something that he very clearly has no relevant knowledge of is unreasonable,” he shared.

Padilla had previously included Drake on a potential witness list, despite the four men already being charged in connection with XXXTentacion’s 2018 death. Earlier this month, the lawyer also alluded to a social media post that supposedly proved Drake’s involvement in the murder.

“If anyone tries to kill me it was @champagnepapi,” XXXTentacion reportedly wrote in an eventually-deleted Instagram Story. “I’m snitching right now.”

However, he later denied the post, writing online, “Please stop entertaining that bullsh*t on Twitter. My accounts were previously hacked.” Padilla did not reference this retraction from XXXTentacion in court.

In addition, back in December, one of the suspects, Robert Allen, allegedly denied Drake’s involvement. Allen testified that he had never met Drake, nor received money from him or any associates. He also was unaware who XXXTentacion was at the time of the murder.