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It might seem ridiculous, but the holidays are officially upon us. First up on the holiday agenda: Thanksgiving. This is the day when we all give thanks for our friends and family while gorging on turkey and various side dishes (which everyone really cares more about anyway).

And while we’ll drink various beverages (wine, water, seltzer, and others), nothing adds that extra dimension to a stuffy holiday get-together like a mixed drink. Specifically, a gin cocktail.

You’re going to want a cold cocktail after slaving over a hot stuff, but not just any gin will do for your seasonal endeavor. You’ll need a proper mixing gin. A gin that pairs well with the various flavors and ingredients in drinks like gin & tonics, negronis, Tom Collinses, southsides, and others.

To find these gins, we turned to the professionals for help. We asked a handful of well-known bartenders, bar managers, and mixologists to tell us the best mixing gins for the holidays. Each is likely to make your holidays at least a little brighter. Or at the very least, boozier.

Rieger’s Midwestern Gin

Gui Jaroschy, partner at Unfiltered Hospitality in Miami

ABV: 46.1%

Average Price: $36.99

The Gin:

J. Rieger’s from Kansas City surprises again with a really amazing straightforward London-style dry gin. The distillate and the botanicals blend perfectly. In a time where most gins are pushing unusual, or a massive amount of botanicals, J. Reiger’s went for five of the usual suspects and made them all sing. Great for a dry gin martini or all sorts of lively Collins riffs or tonics.

Awayuki Strawberry Flavored Gin

Cosimo Bruno, beverage curator at Daxton Hotel in Birmingham, Michigan

ABV: 44%

Average Price: $36.99

The Gin:

One of my favorite mixing gins for the holiday season is Awayuki Strawberry Flavored Gin. This rich and flavorful classic gin emits the traditional tones of earthy juniper and botanicals while being married with some of the world’s most delectable strawberries. Harvested at just the right time, Awayuki, White Pearl, and Kotoka strawberries are hand-grown in Japan and make a perfectly smooth and balanced cocktail to enjoy during the holidays.

Empress Gin 1908

Heather Wibbels, managing director of Bourbon Women in Louisville

ABV: 42.5%

Average Price: $36.99

The Gin:

For the holidays, I love how festive Empress Gin looks in the glass. It’s also incredibly delicious and is a great example of a gin that’s approachable to non-gin drinkers. The flavor profile is a little softer and more well-rounded than a typical London dry gin, and it looks gorgeous with a rosemary sprig, one of my favorite November and December garnishes for all cocktails. As a side note, when serving guests, the change in color as acid is added into it makes a great pop whether you’re serving at home at a party, or at a bar.

St. George’s Botanivore

Cody Kennedy, bartender at Juniper Preserve in Bend, Oregon

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $29.99

The Gin:

The best gin for the holidays is one that leans hard on the herbaceous botanicals that make gin so unique. My favorite big botanical gin is St. George’s Botanivore. What flavors make it great? Its name speaks for the nature of this gin. It tastes evergreen and big. Almost like you walked into the forest and walked out with both a turkey that you hunted with your bare hands and a Christmas tree that you cut down yourself while the wolf that you bonded with leads the way. It’s mind-blowing and impossible to fathom. What cocktails does it mix into well? It basically mixes with the season, pomegranates, beets, grapefruit, and peppers. Its applications are limitless for the holiday season because it takes all the big botanicals to the forefront of any cocktail.

Monkey 47

Donny Largotta, beverage director at Gansevoort Meatpacking in New York City

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $66.99

The Gin:

My favorite gin used to mix in cocktails without a doubt would have to be Monkey 47. It is so smooth, with hints of lemon and slight spice which make it a top choice when implemented in fun specialty and classic cocktails. The best cocktails to mix it in would be your standard negroni, gin fizz, Gibson, vesper martini, and yes, even a corpse reviver No.2.

Tommyrotter Cask Strength Bourbon Barrel Aged Gin

Robert Kidd, head bartender at Le Cavalier in Wilmington, Delaware

ABV: 62.5%

Average Price: $45

The Gin:

Tommyrotter makes a lovely cask-strength bourbon barrel gin. This gin has those great herbal notes that I love in a gin, but the bourbon barrel adds some spice for the fall and winter holidays. The cask strength makes this gin strong, and you can be sure it will not get lost in your most complex cocktails. If you use this gin, it will be the star of the show. Give it a solid supporting cast and you will have an amazing drink for your guests. The Martinez and Bijou are my two personal favorites to use this spirit in.

The Botanist Islay Dry Gin

Nicholas Bennett, beverage director at Porchlight in New York City

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $40

The Gin:

I will be pouring the Botanist Gin this holiday season. I am a huge fan of the botanical qualities in gin, and they are handled very well in this spirit. I mean it’s right there in the name. They are using some pretty uncommon herbs and spices in the mix as well, so it is a delightful change of pace while still making an elegant and amazing martini.

Hepple Gin

Adam Montgomerie, bar manager at Hawksmoor in New York City

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $49.99

The Gin:

My favorite gin for mixing drinks in the holiday season would be Hepple Gin from Northumbria in the very North of England. Hepple uses a three-level process for extracting juniper flavor and it’s this focus on juniper that makes Hepple shine. It’s both a modern gin, through the processes they use, and also a traditional gin, in terms of its flavor profile. It makes an excellent martini (the test of any good gin) as well as works really well in shaken citrus cocktails and the classic gin & tonic.

Calwise Big Sur Gin With Cranberry

Gabby Senne, bar supervisor at Sideways Lounge in Buellton, California

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $45

The Gin:

One gin I’m looking forward to using this holiday season is from Calwise Spirits. Their Big Sur gin with cranberry. They only come out with the cranberry edition during the holiday season, and it is perfect in any classic gin cocktail but also really fun to play around with in other drinks. The cranberry adds a bit of sweetness and tartness to an already delicious gin. I love it as a negroni. It’s also super fun and festive as a mule because the ginger beer goes great with the cranberry and botanicals in the gin, especially the sage.

McQueen And The Violet Fog

Jack Beguedou, bartender at Proof 192 in Omaha, Nebraska

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $42

The Gin:

McQueen And The Violet Fog is my pick. It has the perfect layers of botanicals to be the perfect mixing gin. It will shine in the gin mule and other cocktails. Made in Brazil, this exotic and flavorful gin is made using 21 different herbs and botanicals. Flavors like pomelo peel and lemongrass will add extra dimensions to your favorite holiday cocktails.

Nolet’s Reserve Gin

Brandon Hensley, bartender at Montecristo Cigar Bar at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas

ABV: 52.3%

Average Price: $599

The Gin:

The wonderful world of gin has blessed us with its prominent use of non-traditional botanicals. The holiday season always reminds me of mixed berry pies, cakes, and cobblers, and Nolet’s Reserve reflects this. Its use of raspberries as a secondary botanical makes it a great holiday gin, especially for a clover club.

Lil Durk’s OTF Grand Theft Auto (GTA) roleplaying server, the Trenches, will be shut down later this week in light of Rockstar Games publisher, Take-Two’s recent “enforcement policy.”

In a recent statement, Take-Two shared that while it supports using roleplay servers, it made it clear that “NFTs, crypto, loot boxes, and more have no home there.” The enforcement policy would be centered on the creation and sale of “loot boxes” in GTAV.

In gaming culture, a loot box refers to a consumable virtual item that can be redeemed for a randomized selection of other virtual items or loot.

Take-Two plans to take legal action against exchanging any cryptocurrency and “crypto assets,” including NFTs. “Making new games, stories, missions, or maps, or interfering with our official multiplayer or online services” could also result in legal action, the statement reads.

It’s only been a few months since the Chicago rapper announced his collaboration with the video gaming company this past September. With his Trenches server, Durk hosted a multitude of custom events and challenges for Grand Theft Auto players, as well as offering in-game items such as cars, houses, and more.

However, the items were only available for purchase through the OTF Gaming website hosted on Tebex — a webstore that allows the trade of virtual items.

Since the announcement, both Trenches and OTF have released a statement that Lil Durk’s GTAV RP server had been asked to “cease all operations” upon review by Take-Two and Rockstar.

“We’ve been notified by the legal counsel of Take-Two Interactive Inc., the parent company of Rockstar Games Inc.,” the statement reads. “We’ve been asked to cease all operations on Trenches. With heavy hearts, we received this news which is unfortunate for our team and, most importantly, for our community.”

In White Noise, Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig play a frequently married couple who are forced to flee with their many kids from an “airborne toxic event.” That’s the basic summary, at least; there’s much more to story than that, based on Don DeLillo’s 1985 novel of the same name. But you already decided you were going to watch White Noise as soon as you read “Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig play…” Same.

“It’s telling this story of how, in our attempts not to deal with our own mortality, to really acknowledge death in a serious way in our culture, we somehow sublimated death into our entertainment,” writer and director (and Gerwig’s partner and Barbie collaborator) Noah Baumbach told IndieWire about the film. “By cloaking yourself in death and horror, you’re somehow protecting yourself from real death and horror.”

Here’s the official plot synopsis:

At once hilarious and horrifying, lyrical and absurd, ordinary and apocalyptic, White Noise dramatizes a contemporary American family’s attempts to deal with the mundane conflicts of everyday life while grappling with the universal mysteries of love, death, and the possibility of happiness in an uncertain world. Based on the book by Don DeLillo, written for the screen and directed by Noah Baumbach, produced by Noah Baumbach and David Heyman.

White Noise, which also stars Raffey Cassidy, André “3000” Benjamin, Alessandro Nivola, Jodie Turner-Smith, and Don Cheadle and features a new song from LCD Soundsystem, comes out in select theaters on Nov. 25 and Netflix on Dec. 30.

Ever since Elon Musk bought Twitter, the entire app has been operating like a firey crash leading most of the users to abandon ship, while others have decided to stick it out. In order to capitalize on everyone who has been fleeing Twitter for other apps, the open-source app Mastodon has been new users with open arms, though the response has been a little confusing.

While some have been praising the alternative option, it’s not a carbon copy of Twitter and will likely take some time to understand. This might not be the quick and easy solution that former tweeters will want, but it might gain some traction in the long run.

Mastodon is decentralized describing itself as a “federated network which operates in a similar way to email.” There are different servers for different communities, but no matter which server you sign up with, you will be able to communicate with others on the app no matter what server you or they are a part of. You can also change your server later on, so you are not bound to your initial choice in case you accidentally join a server intended for people who like math (it exists).

The service has some classic Twitter-like features, though instead of “tweets” they are just “posts.” Users can also post replies, retweets (known as “boosts”) favorite items, add bookmarks and use hashtags. It’s more or less how Twitter was being used back in 2007 when it was just starting out, which means there is a ton of room for growth and potential downfall later on!

The app has seen a record number of signups, though not everyone is thrilled. If there is one thing we can gather about social media users, it’s that we all really hate change, so getting millions of users to migrate from one tried and true platform on the brink of death to another smaller but more confusing app might not work out so well. Still, you can use DeBirdify to help find all of your many Twitter friends on other social media accounts.

To summarize: Mastodon isn’t perfect, but it exists. As of right now, so does Twitter. There is no telling if the app will gain enough traction in order to replace Twitter, but now is the time to check it out before it becomes overrun by the MAGA overflow.

(Via TechCrunch and CNet)

Have you been wondering what the “corn kid” has been up to these days?

When 7-year-old Tariq shared his wholesome love of corn with “Recess Therapy” this summer, he became a viral sensation. Everyone was talking about the kid who loves corn (or more accurately, “cohn“), quoting him, making songs about him and more. You couldn’t go to a dinner party or meet a friend for coffee without the corn kid coming up.

What people loved about Tariq in that video was his pure innocence, his unique diction/syntax/pronunciations and the way he spoke to our collective adoration of corn. (And butter, which truly does change everything.)

The video had more than a million views on the “Recess Therapy” TikTok channel, but also went viral across various social media platforms from various accounts. At this point, he’s become a pop culture meme, destined to go down in social media history.

If you somehow missed it, let’s start with the original interview:

@recesstherapy

Children of the… corn? 😂 🌽 #recesstherapy #corn #cornisgood #fyp #favorite

Going viral can be fun but can also come with a host of potential ickiness, so while everyone was sharing the corn kid video, some people were concerned about what internet fame might do to him. No one wants this kid to change in any way that isn’t part of his normal childhood development or to be exploited by the capitalistic machine. He’s the epitome of “protect at all costs.”

At the same time, if people are making money off of your virality, you should get a slice of the pie at least. Let’s get this kid a corn-fed college fund, right?

“Recess Therapy” creator Julian Shapiro-Barnum told The Atlantic in September that Tariq’s family had been getting a share of the profits from the musical remix of the video and that all media and brand opportunities were being funneled to Tariq’s mom. His last name has not been widely publicized and both Shapiro-Barnum and the family have been protective of his privacy and his childhood. So far, so good.

Tariq’s lovability is undeniable, though. One would hope there could be a balance struck between letting him be his delightful self on camera and making sure he isn’t being harmed by viral fame. So far, it appears all is well.

“Tariq is the most bubbly, talkative kid who so thoroughly enjoys doing this stuff,” Shapiro-Barnum said. “He comes from a very sweet, supportive family. I don’t think they would make him do anything he doesn’t want to do.”

Tariq has done a handful of other videos and interviews and each is just as endearing as the original. I mean, watch this:

u201cThe baby said he was retired while he was in school, but now that he can travel again he got his u201cattitude backu201dud83eudd7aud83eudd7aud83eudd7au201d

— CiCi Adams (@CiCi Adams)
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And Tariq has been given some opportunities to cash in on his love of corn. Check out this spot he’s done with Green Giant.

Love the way they just let him be himself. They couldn’t have scripted a commercial this good if they tried.

Seriously, we do have to protect Tariq at all costs. Thankfully, it looks like he’s in good hands and is having a blast being the corn kid while the virality lasts. Get it, little guy. If everyone keeps Tariq’s best interest in mind, his unexpected internet fame could be a win-win for everyone.

Following his diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease back in the early ’90s, beloved “Back to the Future” star Michael J. Fox became an unwavering advocate for others living with the condition. His Michael J. Fox Foundation, founded in 2000, has become the leading provider of funds for Parkinson’s research in the world. A large chunk of that research goes into investigating potential cures for the disease.

His contributions to Parkinson’s research were highlighted at the 13th Annual Governors Awards on Saturday, Nov. 19, in Los Angeles as a recipient of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, which honors individuals “whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry.”

As the now-retired actor took to the stage to accept his honorary Oscar, he delivered a speech full of emotion, grace and a sense of humor that shoots straight to the heart.

After an outpouring of applause, Fox made the quip, “You’re making me shake, stop it.” In case anyone was wondering—his effortless charm is still completely intact.

He then went into the “serious business of the speech,” expressing his gratitude for the award. Specifically, he thanked Gary David Goldberg, his “boss, friend and mentor” from the sitcom “Family Ties,” who introduced him to the concept “for whom much is given, much is required.” He also shared stories from his life and career—from dropping out of high school to pursue a job in Hollywood, to getting his GED at around 30 at the bequest of his son, and everywhere in between.

Of his Parkinson’s diagnosis, he recalled that “the hardest part was grappling with the certainty of the diagnosis and the uncertainty of the situation. The diagnosis was definite and the progress was indefinite and uncertain.”

Despite this uncertainty, over the years the support he received from his wife Tracy (who “made it clear that she was with me for the duration”) would prove “transformative.”

“It struck me that everything I had been given—success, my life with Tracy, my family—had prepared me for this profound opportunity and responsibility … I referred to Parkinson’s as the gift that keeps on taking … but it truly became a gift.”

He remarked that once he became engaged in learning about the disease, it became clear that his previous success could be a catalyst for helping raise awareness and eventually gain answers for a cure. Thus his Michael J. Fox Foundation was created.

Fox concluded his speech praising the work of those diligently working at his foundation, saying, “My optimism is fueled by my gratitude. With gratitude, optimism is sustainable.”

This unwavering optimism in particular struck viewers, who filled the comments section of YouTube with heartfelt appreciation. In particular, those who either have the disease or have a loved one affected by it shared how inspired they were. One person wrote, “In March this year I lost my father who struggled with Parkinson’s for more than a decade. All he wanted was to have some dignity around those that knew him. Michael J. Fox not only has that, but respect from both his peers in the entertainment business and anyone and everyone that understands what they are going through, but will still love them all the same. Thank you for your courage and example to millions of others that suffer the same disease globally.”

Others were moved simply by Fox’s emotional resilience. “What a mensch!,” wrote one person. “He is truly a great man. Despite his health issues he has maintained his good humor. I’m sure his positivity has sustained him well beyond the doctors’ initial prognosis of his illness. Long live Michael J. Fox!”

Fox’s speech is a testament to the power of finding hope and purpose even in times of adversity. He remains beloved in the hearts of fans not just for adding magic and laughter to our childhoods, but for constantly spreading kindness throughout the world. He deserves every bit of goodness that he gets.

Donald Trump announcing his intention to run for president a third time in 2024 might just be the closest we ever get to him conceding the 2020 election. Because, if he did legitimately win in 2020, how could he run for a third term? While we’ll leave the mysteries of how Trump’s brain works to science and the history books, his newly announced candidacy seems to maybe have prompted Mike Lindell to move on with his life, too. And by “move on,” we mean re-channel his obsession with election fraud in 2020 to a new obsession with election fraud in 2022.

On Monday, former federal prosecutor Ron Filipkowski shared video of Lindell from the MyPillow scion’s own FrankSpeech TV, where he dropped the enormous bombshell that he and his trusty team of election investigators had “cyber evidence” that basically every midterm election that a Republican lost to a Democrat was rigged:

We have cyber evidence of a 37,000 vote flip on the Kari Lake race on Thursday after the election. We have all the Edison data that came in in real time, that came through on all races, including [Mark] Finchem, Blake Masters — they all won, ok? They all won!

Though Lindell promised (and not for the first time) that he was about to “expose everything” and claimed that “they’re caught!” of whomever he believes tampered with the voting machines, we never really actually got the evidence (again, not for the first time). And presumably that’s because it does not exist.

Instead, the kooky pillow guy just spewed a lot of verbal diarrhea about how the best way to prove that there was election fraud is for all of the Republicans who won their races to… request a do-over?

“Anybody out there that won,” Lindell said (it’s cute that he thinks anyone is watching him), “any Republican that won in this country… should demand a new election themselves.” And not just a new election, but one in which we only use paper ballots and that each vote is hand-counted. Because in Lindell’s mind — which spent decades being abused by drugs and alcohol — that’s the only way to prove that our elections are rigged. Even though he supposedly has the “cyber evidence” to show that already.

Just say no, kids.

Horror King Stephen King is also king of the dad jokes in addition to being an English muffin addict (so many layers.) This new addition to his collection of titles begins with a mention of how he’s not been thrilled about Elon Musk’s Twitter-boss behavior. The man who knows how to write a villain brought us a literary reference when the deal became concrete, and King hasn’t let up since with his disapproval, especially after Musk actually attempted to haggle over the price of now-easily-attained verified status.

Even though King remains a Tesla fan, he’s not letting Musk’s unleashing of right-wing chaos on Twitter stand. King started this newest round of swings with a so-bad-it-might-be-good dad joke.

“I had to take my biscuits to the doctor,” King tweeted to begin. “They felt crummy.”

He swiftly admitted, “Sorry. That one was pretty bad.”

Who’s got worse jokes, though? “Speaking of bad jokes, Elon Musk says Trump can get back on Twitter.”

King is certainly not alone in his perspective. Patton Oswalt recently expressed a similar viewpoint about how Musk tries far too hard to be funny. He even continued to tell his not-great jokes while laying off around half of Twitter’s staff, which led to a Space Karen projection that was undeniably funny. Everyone’s got jokes!

As Mark Zuckerberg continues to face scrutiny after his heavy investment in the “Metaverse” led to 11,000 layoffs in mid-November, employees are reportedly questioning his leadership and accusing the CEO of significantly damaging the company. After the Facebook founder announced the layoffs and apologized that he “got this wrong,” employees took to an anonymous forum, Blind, and proceeded to drag Zuckerberg for making Meta feel like the “Hunger Games.” Others called for a change of leadership and commented that Zuckerberg’s future at the company is “uncertain.”

Via Business Insider:

“The Metaverse will be our slow death,” one user, who called themselves a senior software developer, posted on Wednesday. They added: “Mark Zuckerberg will single-handedly kill a company with the meta-verse.”

While Zuckerberg did receive some positive reviews, the overall sentiment was clear: The Metaverse was a mistake. “I thought it was a data-driven company but actually it is one man’s gut feeling and emotions-driven,” one user wrote. “Nobody can overwrite his decision.” Several of the employee posts called for “layoffs in executive level” and questioned Zuckerberg’s direction. “Leadership is having no clue,” another user wrote.

The mass layoffs following the lackluster reception of the Metaverse is not the first time that Zuckerberg has faced calls for his resignation. According to The Wrap, major Facebook investors turned on Zuckerberg in 2018 after the social media company revealed an explosive and embarrassing data breach that affected millions of users. However, despite some heavy hitters demanding Zuckerberg’s head, he holds a “majority of supervoting shares.”

In short, unless Zuckerberg votes to make himself step down, it ain’t happening.

(Via Business Insider, The Wrap)

People from all walks of life get tattoos, so naturally, there’s a near-infinite variety of skin-adorning designs out there. Over the weekend, though, Anderson .Paak got what has to be one of the strangest ones, especially to fans of The Simpsons.

On November 20, Paak shared a post which he captioned, “RATE MY NEW TAT!” The gallery post shows off videos and photos of the tattoo, which is on Paak’s right bicep and is of a surreal combination of Marge and Homer Simpson. It shows Marge lifting her shirt, but her torso has been partially replaced with Homer’s head. However, Marge’s breasts have been made to look like Homer’s eyes. All in all, while it’s a bit odd, it’s a perfectly cromulent tattoo.

The past few months have actually been rich when it comes to musician tattoo news. Lil Nas X just got his first one ever, screaming in agony all the while. A tattoo removal studio recently offered to get rid of people’s Kanye West tattoos free of charge. Post Malone recently got another face tattoo, a big one on his forehead. Grimes is also considering a face tattoo, albeit a really different kind. Finally, this summer, it was revealed that Cardi B got a face tattoo.

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