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There are few cocktails that scream “beach vibes” more than a caipirinha. The drink is a classic Brazilian concoction that’s way easier to make than it looks. It’s bright, refreshing, and very boozy, which is kind of perfect as spring break rolls us toward the warm days ahead.

The modern classic has its roots in both Portuguese and Brazilian cocktail/medicinal history. There’s an old-school cold cure in Portugal that’s very close to this, made with sugar cane alcohol, lime, honey, and garlic. But that’s more akin to a hot toddy than the now-classic Brazilian variation. Basically, the modern version tosses the honey and garlic and adds in sugar and ice, creating one of the most refreshing cocktails there is.

For our version below, I’m leaning into the classic iteration you get on the streets of Brazil to this day. It’s an easy shaker that just needs a little muddling and that’s about it. Let’s get to it!

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Caipirinha

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. cachaça
• 1 lime (cut into five or six wedges)
• 2 barspoons demerara sugar
• Ice

When it comes to cachaça, you want the white or unaged version. Ypioca, CanaRio, and Pitu (which I used) are the classic bottles you’ll see at most bars around Brazil. You really need cachaça and not white rum with this drink. Cachaça is made from sugar cane juice (not molasses) and carries a much brighter and grassier nature, with more tropical fruit notes built into the distillate.

As for the rest, you should be able to get good limes and sugar from any grocery store.

What You’ll Need:

• Rocks glass
• Muddler
• Pairing knife
• Cocktail shaker bottom
• Jigger

Method:

• Add the lime wedges and sugar to the bottom of the rocks glass. Muddle the lime into the sugar until a light syrup forms on the bottom of the glass.
• Add a few cubes of ice and the cachaça to the glass. Pop on the cocktail shaker bottom onto the rocks glass and shake for five seconds, until the shaker gets cold.
• Remove the shaker and pour the cocktail back into the rocks glass. Serve.

Bottom Line:

“Summertime… Is here again!” This feels like spring/summer in a glass. It’s fruity, citrusy, and just. sweet enough to really hook you in. It’s also nicely light while still carrying a small boozy punch.

Overall, this is a pretty easy cocktail to make, even one at a time. It’s also a crowd-pleaser. If you’re in a situation where you need to make more than one at a time, line them up. That is, muddled the base for four at a time. Give each glass six good muddles. Then top all of them with ice and cachaça. Then go down the line, shaking each one for five seconds. You should be done in under 60 seconds if your skills are dialed in (and your bar set up is able to accommodate that).

What’s not to love about the ending of one season and the beginning of another? This is especially true when the season that’s finishing is winter with all of its blustery cold, gray, sunless days. Spring, on the other hand, is a time of rejuvenation. It’s also a great time of year to get into beer. There are countless darker beers to drink in March and April, while the lighter easy-drinking beers of summer also start to make an appearance.

Chris Collier, the brewer at Biggerstaff Brewing in Atlanta, believes that there’s no beer that better encapsulates spring than the bock (a type of dark lager). “When I think of spring, I think of classic bocks,” he says. “Traditional bocks were brewed in the cold winter months and lagered until the spring where they were celebrated as a symbol of better times to come as spring approached”

But bocks aren’t the only great spring-centric beers, there are tons of other styles well-suited for this time of year. To find some of the best options we asked some notable craft beer experts, brewers, and beer professionals to tell us the one beer they most look forward to as spring kicks into full gear.

Ayinger Maibock

Greg Deuhs, director of brewing, batching and quality at Sprecher Brewery in Glendale, Wisconsin

ABV: 7.5%

Average Price: Limited Availability

Why This Beer?

I like bock beer in the spring, so I like Maibocks. One I really like is the Ayinger Maibock, which is very similar to the Maibock we make here at Sprecher. I like the malt flavors myself, I’m a malt person. Ayinger Maibock ticks all the boxes with bready malts, sweet honey, and light floral hops.

Saison Dupont

Mike Kelly, senior brewer at Harpoon Brewery in Boston

ABV: 6.5%

Average Price: $7 for a 375ml bottle

Why This Beer?

Saison Dupont is my favorite spring beer. When the weather starts to warm up in the spring and drinking outside becomes a little easier, Saison Dupont is a great beer to reach for. The aromas of hay and clove with a little barnyard funk pair well with the changing of seasons.

Cooperage Hop Drip

Mark Hughes, specialty brewing manager at Lagunitas Brewing Company in Petaluma, California

ABV: 6.5%

Average Price: Limited Availability

Why This Beer?

Spring comes early here in California, so I’ll shout out the always interesting San Francisco Beer Week beers in particular. This year’s Hop Drip from two of my favorite Sonoma County locals — Adobe Creek Brewing and Cooperage Brewing Co. — is a standout. I’ll admit to wanting to call a beer Hop Drip for a minute now.

I’m also a big fan of tart beers paired with complementary hops and fruit, and apricot/strawberry with Mosaic and Galaxy can’t fail.

Collective Arts Guava Gose

Marshall Hendrickson, co-founder and head of brewing operations at Veza Sur Brewing in Miami

ABV: 4.9%

Average Price: $13 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans

Why This Beer?

I love the Guava Gose from Collective Arts. It’s very well balanced, and not too tart. It’s easy to put down two or three of them without wrecking your pallet, which isn’t true for a lot of sours. It’s definitely a great early spring beer that you’ll continue drinking well into summer.

Kannah Creek Maibock

Matt Simpson, head brewer at Tennessee Brew Works in Nashville

ABV: 7.1%

Average Price: Limited Availability

Why This Beer?

I have not had a really good Maibock in a long time. Unfortunately, my favorite does not even exist anymore. I can say for sure that Kannah Creek Brewing Company out of Grand Junction, Colorado makes a solid Maibock. It’s rich, malty, and has a nice hop presence.

Notch Loggerhead

Dan Lipke, head brewer at Clown Shoes Beer in Boston

ABV: 7.5%

Average Price: Limited Availability

Why This Beer?

Notch Loggerhead is a favorite. Bock is one of the few traditional spring beers, often associated with monks drinking it during Lent. If you’re lucky, like me, a local brewery will make a good one. Notch’s Loggerhead is only brewed once per year for a spring release. Dark amber in color and oozing with complex malt character, toasty caramel, and dark fruits, it is a great way to toast the end of winter.

Founders All Day IPA

Nancy Lopetegui, taproom general manager at Wynwood Brewing in Miami

ABV: 4.7%

Average Price: $8.50 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

All Day IPA by Founders Brewing is my go-to when it’s unbearably hot in Miami in the spring. It packs a punch of hops and flavor, but the low alcohol content in this session beer allows me to throw a few more back. It’s hard to beat.

Cannonball Creek Netflix and Pils

Chris Bell, founder of Call to Arms Brewing in Denver

ABV: 5%

Average Price: Limited Availability

Why This Beer?

Netflix and Pils by Cannonball Creek. That beer to me is the quintessential pilsner. It has incredible balance with great German Noble hop aromas, a light bitterness without astringency, and it always leaves you wanting another. It is a beer they commonly have on, but when it warms up, that is the beer I am most likely going for.

Bierstadt Tmavé 13

Ryan Pachmayer, head brewer at Yak and Yeti Brewpub & Restaurant in Arvada, Colorado

ABV: 4.3%

Average Price: Limited Availability

Why This Beer?

Bierstadt’s Tmavé 13 is smooth and has a pleasant milk chocolate-type flavor going on. It’s less roasty than many of the other American versions of this beer and very drinkable. It’s definitely a great early spring beer and one I look forward to every year.

Writer’s Pick: Bell’s Oberon

ABV: 5.8%

Average Price: $20 for a twelve-pack

Why This Beer?

This might seem like a cop-out because it’s so popular, but it’s hard not to be amped for spring when Bell’s releases Oberon. This American wheat ale is fruity, hazy, and has just the right amount of spice to remind you it’s not summer yet and you still need to wear a light jacket. No beer tastes more like spring than this one.

A Connecticut judge is ordering Infowars host Alex Jones to put his money where his mouth is.

A recent ruling handed down by Connecticut Superior Court Barbara Bellis called out Jones for his “bad faith” attempt to avoid sitting for a deposition in the ongoing Sandy Hook lawsuit. Jones spent years peddling baseless conspiracy theories about the tragic school shooting of 20 children and six educators that happened in 2012. Among his claims, Jones said the shooting was staged by the government as an excuse for Democrats to confiscate citizens’ guns and that the families of the victims were paid actors. After years of threats from Infowars listeners, the families of some of the victims banded together to bring a lawsuit against Jones, one that’s dragged on for years thanks to his attempts to avoid turning over documents and evidence requested by the court.

Judge Bellis has ordered Jones to cough up $25,ooo for the first weekday he fails to appear for testimony in the case. For every day after, that fine will increase by $25,000. If Jones fails to testify before April 15th, the judge has threatened further sanctions that would seriously damage his ability to defend his case in court.

“The plaintiffs subjected themselves to hours and hours of painful questioning by Mr. Jones’s lawyers — and Mr. Jones plays sick when it is his turn to tell the truth under oath,” the families’ motion for contempt, which led to the judge’s decision, read.

It’s clear that Jones has the money to pay too since he apparently offered to pay a settlement of $120,000 to each plaintiff if the case was dropped. Clearly, the victims’ families aren’t interested in a pay-out, but we’re pretty sure the Connecticut legal system will happily take Mr. Jones’ “hard-earned” cash.

(Via The New York Times)

Celebs have been sending well wishes to Bruce Willis after it was revealed that the Die Hard actor was diagnosed with a rare brain disorder called aphasia, which affects a person’s ability to communicate.

In an Instagram post, friend and multiple-time co-star John Travolta shared photos of the two actors from back in their younger days. The two had starred in numerous movies together, and recently shot the upcoming film Paradise City in Hawaii, which is expected to be released sometime this year.

Alongside the photos, Travolta said: “Bruce and I became good friends when we shared 2 of our biggest hits together, Pulp Fiction and Look Who’s Talking. Years later he said to me, ‘John, I just want you to know that when something good happens to you I feel like it’s happening to me.’ That’s how generous a soul he is. I love you Bruce.”

The two starred in Pulp Fiction and the Look Who’s Talking franchise together. Travolta isn’t the first actor to send well wishes to Willis, with many others taking to Twitter to share stories and send support to Willis and his family. Recently, The Razzies also rescinded their Worst Performance By Bruce Willis In 2021 award, which was announced earlier this week.

New Orleans, Louisiana is a top touristed destination for a multitude of reasons. Of course, there’s the annual debauchery that is Mardi Gras. Then there’s the abundant supply of gumbo, po-boys, and jambalaya. But it’s New Orleans’ music scene that proves to be one of the city’s most magnetic draws.

New Orleans just hosted the BUKU Music + Art Project, an annual two-day music and arts festival that showcases local and renowned talent, on March 25 and March 26, 2022. One of the event’s New Orleans born-and-bred performers included rapper Rob49, who recently collaborated with Kevin Gates, Lil Baby, and Hotboii for his latest music video shoot.

As a passionate NOLA native, Rob49 has the expertise to give us the inside scoop on the city’s most noteworthy restaurants, neighborhoods, and small businesses. If you’re in the market for a trip to the nation’s most eccentric destination, Rob’s sharing his top five piucks for where to eat, shop, and explore on your next trip to New Orleans below.

Morrow’s

Morrow’s is one of the most popular New Orleans Restaurants right now. This should be your first stop if you’re looking for real “New Orleans” gumbo, chicken, and red beans!

Nestled in the historic Faubourg Marigny neighborhood, the local hotspot was founded by mother-son duo Chef Lenora Chong and Event Curator Larry Morrow. Together, they serve a mouth-watering mixture of classic New Orleans cuisine and authentic Korean dishes.

Browse through the full Morrow’s menu here.

Dee’s Xquisite

Dee’s Xquisite is THE BEST seafood you will find in New Orleans. Dee is known as “The Crab Man Of New Orleans” and is well-deserving of that name!

“Dee” is a self-made chef and the creator of the NOLA Chargrilled Snow Crabs and Dungeness crabs. AKA, if you’re craving some intensely flavorful, thoughtfully made seafood delicacies, you should look no further than this local New Orleans gem.

Get a peek at the savory Dee’s Xquisit dishes here.

Made In The Hood

Made In The Hood is at the forefront of New Orleans street fashion! With their own designs, they have become one of the most embraced clothing lines here!

With a diverse collection of bold graphic tees, trendy joggers, hats, hoodies, and more for both men and women, Made In The Hood is athleisure at its finest. Shopping here is a great way to embrace the local NOLA style (and look good doing it).

Shop Made In The Hood’s street-ready garments here.

JetLife Apparel

JetLife Apparel was founded by one of the biggest rappers to come out of New Orleans. This is where you’ll find all of the coolest clothing pieces.

JetLife was founded by Shante Scott Franklin, better known by his stage name Curren$y. The line perfectly embodies the vibrant culture and eclectic style that oozes through the streets of New Orleans. Located on the historic Canal Street, shopping here combines local fashion with city sightseeing.

Get your fix of JetLife by shopping online here.

Jackson Square

Jackson Square is in the middle of New Orleans. While in this area you will run into everything that is New Orleans!

Jackson Square, located in the French Quarter of New Orleans, was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960 and it remains a central location for the city’s bustling lifestyle today. Between festivals, weddings, local events, and curious tourists, the 2.5-acre area is visited by more than 2 million people each year.

If you want to be where much of the action happens in New Orleans, then Jackson Square is well worth your time.

Learn more about Jackson Square and its iconic history here.

Being an actor has to be very hard when you are constantly criticized for your looks and body. That’s definitely the case for women, anyway. Well, Sydney Sweeney recently admitted she brought her grandparents to the season 2 premiere of Euphoria earlier this year, and, well, she sort of forgot that she has a nude scene in it.

While chatting with Ellen, Sweeney brought up her iconic character Cassie, who she says is a “basket case.” She then recalled inviting her whole family, including uncles and grandparents, to see the season premiere. “I invited my entire family and I didn’t really think about [the nudity],” the actress explained. “I was like, ‘It’s a Hollywood premiere! You’ve got to come!’ We were all sitting next to each other and giant screen — ginormous screen.”

Sweeney famously has several topless scenes throughout the series, including in the season premiere. But her grandparents didn’t seem to mind! When asked about their reaction, Sweeney exclaimed, “They said I have the best t**s in Hollywood.” Sweeney’s grandmother was even in the audience during the interview and nodded in agreement.

The actress then went on to talk about working on her antique car, which she often posts about on TikTok. “I’ve been learning the whole process, it’s been a lot of fun.” Maybe Cassie will ditch Nate for an antique bronco in season three.

Check out the clip above.

Miami offers an exclusive club scene, a thriving art community, a diverse selection of culinary options, and beaches that make you forget about your everyday problems. For music lovers and festival-goers, it also boasts an energetic atmosphere that’s ideal for weekends full of good beats and dancing. This year’s Miami Music Week, which went down from March 22 through March 27, was yet another successful addition to the post-pandemic nightlife of the city.

While the infamous Ultra Music Festival was raging on throughout the weekend, Miami’s indie and electronic music scenes extended beyond the festival gates. For those who weren’t able to attend Ultra (or just didn’t want to deal with those crowds), Tamago, a new streaming platform, hosted an epic yacht party aboard the South Beach Lady boat. The massive yacht launched in the shadow of Bayfront Park into the high mellow seas, complete with sunset ocean views. Fans danced non-stop throughout the five-hour event, which featured renowned music acts and rising performers like Felix Da Housecat, Clarian, Sinca, Doc Martin, and Desert Hearts’ Lee Reynolds.

Not only was it the ultimate day-ger, but the event also raised thousands of dollars for Save The Children: Ukraine. A fundraiser where you can get hyped and give back? That’s the definition of a win-win.

If you’re stuck at your desk and need something to daydream about, scroll through the plethora of sunshine-filled photos from Tamago’s Miami Music Week boat party below.

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Is it possible for a game to be both dour and beautiful at the same time? Yes, and one of the prime examples of this is NORCO. This point-and-click adventure is set in the very real town of Norco, Louisiana and it manages to capture the beauty of the American South in a rare way, but alongside that beauty is an off-putting style that perfectly matches the tone of the game’s narrative.

“I think what I personally wanted to capture above anything else was the sunsets of Louisiana because they are so brilliant and so beautiful.” Yuts, the creator and main writer for NORCO, told UPROXX. “The kind of like dismal quality that a lot of the art has is it just comes naturally to me. I guess I’m attracted to somewhat forlorn landscapes and things that are a little broken, a little roughshod. I think that was part of the reason (Jessie Jacobi) is part of the project is because I think he has similar sensibilities.”

NORCO is many things. A sci-fi adventure where a cult wraps up an entire family into its absurd vision. A coming home story. A commentary on development’s impact on the environment. Whatever you take away from the game, and it is open to many interpretations, all of it will feel gripping and emotional. What this game arguably does best above anything else is that everyone has a Norco, Louisiana in their life. Whether it’s the hometown you left and planned to never return to, or maybe you still live there. A family member you had a falling out with only to be thrust back into each other’s lives unexpectedly. Or friends you saw go down a path you couldn’t follow. You don’t need to be from Louisiana, or the South, to appreciate the subtleties of NORCO.

This isn’t a game to play so you can get to the end, see credits, and move on. It’s a game where despite its linear progression there are always details to look at. Details ranging from a house still boarded up from a past hurricane, to an LSU calendar hanging in an office. All of these details are presented to you through the eyes of Kay. After her mother’s death from cancer, Kay returns home. When discovering her brother, Blake, appears to not be home, she goes out to figure out where he went off to. From this point on most of how she reacts to situations is up to the player. What’s brilliant though is that, despite this, the player can’t change what is happening to Kay. They’re forced go on Kay’s adventure with her. The player’s agency is more about how they feel in certain situations than actively changing the story.

This doesn’t mean the player is completely out of control. Small events can change by going briefly off the beaten path and there are multiple endings, but unlike other games similar to NORCO where the player is given multiple paths and options, this is not one of those. Don’t go into NORCO trying to change the world but instead with the intention of experiencing it.

“The reason Kay is so vague is because I do I want her to be a conduit for the player.” said Yuts. “They can interpret both Kay, her past, and her interpretation of the world how they want. There is a lot of kind of player maybe quasi or like meta player agency involved in that. My interpretation of Kay is that she has almost an ambivalence where there’s this constant sense of her just kind of going along with the momentum of the evening that she’s experiencing because she couldn’t be bothered to change that inertia or to redirect the night. So she gets swept along.”

NORCO is the first time Yuts has ever created a video game. After signing a contract with publisher Raw Fury it occurred to Yuts that the game had to actually get made. Now, Yuts and the team that created NORCO are Geography of Robots and the game they have created is an artistic masterpiece, but the game had many forms before what ultimately became the finished product. A side-scrolling adventure starring Million, one of the characters in the game, and even before that there is roots all the way back to an oral history on Hurricane Katrina.

“It’s rooted somewhat in a project that I was doing with friends after Katrina probably around 2007.” said Yuts. “So Katrina’s 2005. We started an oral history project where we were interviewing people about their experiences of the storm, their experiences of living in Louisiana living next to heavy industry, things like that, and it was somewhat of a mixed media project. We’d do interviews and we would edit the interviews into these video montages, and other things, and we would project images, take pictures of it, just all kinds of experimental stuff that we were doing to kind of narrativize and make sense of the climate socially and ecologically in Louisiana at the time. Part of that project was a small experimental side scroller as well as a little small interactive text piece and there are a number of other small creative projects. So the number of other small projects I was working on kind of congealed slowly over the course of the years into something that was more tangibly a game.”

All of these elements can still be found in NORCO today. Mentions of hurricanes, infrastructure’s impact on the region, and how the social climate was responding. Alongside this are a lot of modern feelings. This was a game made during the COVID-19 lockdowns and Donald Trump’s presidency. While not obvious, there are subtle moments in the game that comment on everything that has happened to not only Louisiana but the entire United States. That said, the ties to Louisiana are strong and some of the best parts of the game. Anyone that knows anything about the culture of that state, from its people to its love of football, will appreciate these moments.

Play NORCO. Not because it’s a look into the American South, or because of its social commentaries, or even for the very gripping story. Play it because it’s going to fill you with emotions. Everyone who plays this game is going to experience something different from it and that is an example of a game that is for everyone.

After starring as the “Godfather of Rap” in My Name is Dolemite, Eddie Murphy will portray another legendary “godfather” in an upcoming biopic.

Deadline reports that the Coming to America actor is in “early talks” to play George Clinton, the “Godfather of Funk” who has led the Parliament-Funkadelic collective since the late 1960s. The passion-project film “will tell the story of the iconic musician’s humble beginnings in North Carolina in the 1940s, to the formation of his groundbreaking band George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic, and ultimately to becoming a musical influence on artists of the hip-hop generation including Tupac Shakur, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Outkast, and Wu-Tang Clan, among many others.”

“Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker),” “One Nation Under a Groove,” and “Flash Light” are the songs you hear on the radio, but be sure to take a deeper dive into the Parliament and Funkadelic discographies, as well as Clinton’s solo material. Not only for the funky grooves, but also the song titles. I, for one, can’t wait to hear Eddie Murphy sing “Free Your Mind and Your Ass Will Follow,” “Standing on the Verge of Getting It On,” and my personal favorite, “Do Fries Go with That Shake?”

(Via Deadline)

Earlier in the week, Disney took its strongest stance yet against Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill after Governor Ron DeSantis signed it into law on Monday. After weeks of employee pushback over the company’s tepid response to the anti-LGBTQ legislation, Disney came out with a forceful statement demanding that the law be repealed. “We remain committed to supporting the national and state organizations working to achieve that,” the company said in a statement.

With the House of Mouse now firmly opposed to the discriminatory legislation, state Republicans have already begun exploring avenues to retaliate against the entertainment giant. One such move involves repealing an over 50-year-old statute that would severely impact Disney’s ability to invest in its Florida theme parks.

Via Deadline:

“Yesterday was the 2nd meeting in a week w/fellow legislators to discuss a repeal of the 1967 Reedy Creek Improvement Act, which allows Disney to act as its own government,” including oversight of land use and environmental protections within the District, and [providing] essential public services such as regulation of the EPCOT building code and maintenance of roads. [State Rep. Spencer] Roach continued, “If Disney wants to embrace woke ideology, it seems fitting that they should be regulated by Orange County.”

According to Deadline, “there is still a very long way to go” before the Reedy Creek Improvement Act can be repealed, if it even gets that far. However, should Republicans continue with their efforts, there is a possibility such a move could impact Disney’s decision to move over 2,000 of its California-based jobs to its campus in Orlando. At that point, who are Florida Republicans really hurting: Disney or the state?

(Via Deadline)