‘Tis the season and Amazon is helping ring in the holidays with its Holiday Plays concert series streaming on Amazon Music and Prime Video. The series will include performances from Kiana Lede, Lil Nas X, Miley Cyrus, and more. The latter gets some advice from Lil Nas in a hype video promoting her performance on Tuesday, December 1, but it turns out their ideas of a holiday concert are very different.
Nas, who appears in the silver Santa costume from his “Holiday” video, encourages Miley to put a little more effort into her presentation. “I was thinking, you gotta Christmas up your performance,” he suggests. “Maybe some tinsel.” Cyrus isn’t into the idea, shooting it down because “It doesn’t go with my look.” Her look, by the way, is an all-black semi-punk ensemble including a cheetah print faux fur jacket and a black leather Santa cap. She similarly shoots down Nas’s suggestions for making a Christmas tree into a headpiece (“It doesn’t work with my mullet”), riding a disco ball (“Been there, done that“), and adding empty Amazon boxes as “presents” (“that sounds really disappointing”).
However, rather than calling Miley “difficult” or a diva for rejecting his suggestions, Nas decides that she’s “an icon” before a title card plugs the performance, which is tomorrow at 8 pm ET / 5 pm PT. We’ll have to tune in to see if any of Nas’s ideas make it in.
America’s relationship with fast food is complicated. On the one hand, we know that the food quality is questionable. It’s also generally unhealthy, bad for the environment, and overall more expensive than picking up the same ingredients at the market. But god damn if it’s not tasty, convenient, and cheap.
The temptation is real. Especially during tough times when we’re all looking for any port in a storm.
For all of its bad, fast food has also given us taco shells made out of Doritos, chicken sandwiches worth lining up around the block for, tricked-out secret items, and, most delicious of all, breakfast menus. If there is one thing we can all agree on in this broken and divided country, it’s that fast-food breakfast menus are, for lack of a better phrase, f*cking awesome. We aren’t living in a world where the fast-food breakfast game is dominated by just one drive-thru (McDonald’s) anymore, either.
While fast-food sales, in general, are on the decline as American’s opt for healthier dining choices, breakfast options are exploding. To help you sort the gluttonous wheat from the chaff, we’ve ranked all the best breakfast items across the fast-food universe. Let us be clear, this isn’t a ranking of every fast food breakfast item ever… we (and hopefully you) don’t have the time for that. Instead, what you’ll find here is only the best of the best, ensuring that no matter what you order from this list, it’ll be well worth the detour on your way to work.
Strap in and let’s blast off, or you know, wait patiently in a 10-minute drive thru-line with all the other breakfast fanatics!
Burger King was the first fast-food chain to offer a Croissanwich and the second fast-food chain to offer a breakfast menu. And while the BK breakfast menu doesn’t compare to its biggest competition, McDonald’s, their Double Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Croissanwich is still pretty damn good.
This item is heavy and decadent with two sausage patties topped with American cheese and a thick patty of egg sandwiched between two extra buttery croissant buns. It just might be the best item on BK’s entire menu.
With the exception of our number 1 pick (spoilers) we tried to keep this list to one breakfast item per chain. So when it came down to choosing between Carl’s Jr’s Breakfast Burger and their Monster Biscuit, things got tough. Carl’s Jr fresh bakes their breakfast biscuits, so their biscuit sandwiches are some of the best, but the Breakfast Burger is one of the most unique breakfast items in the entire fast-food universe.
Today, we’re giving uniqueness the edge.
Featuring a charbroiled beef patty, crispy bacon, egg, melted American cheese, and mini hash browns, the Breakfast Burger is an absolute flavor bomb. It’s got superb texture thanks to the bacon and hash browns, a mouthwatering melange of savory ingredients, and it’s one of the only fast-food burgers you can get with an egg on it.
Jack in the Box’s Bacon, Egg, and Cheese biscuit is built as basic as a breakfast item can be. Hell, it’s such a boring combination that you’ll probably need two just to feel satisfied. Luckily eating two is easy because these things are delicious!
They begin with a freshly cracked egg, top it with a simple slice of American cheese — which melts quickly thanks to the heat of the egg — throw on a few slices of bacon (never enough), and sandwich the elements between a buttermilk biscuit. That’s it, no sausage patty, no chicken, nothing!
But that’s what makes it work.
Without a thicker portion of meat, the egg to cheese to bread ratio is altered, resulting in each bite being crispy buttery perfection that melts in your mouth the way a good breakfast should.
The Baconator is one of the greatest fast-food cheeseburgers ever, so why shouldn’t it work as a breakfast burger? It definitely does, but if you’re looking for something quite as good as the OG Baconator you might be left disappointed.
Don’t get us wrong, the Breakfast Baconator is delicious, you’ve got Wendy’s soft and spongey brioche buns, tasty applewood smoked bacon, freshly cracked egg (always an improvement over more instant options) a double portion of American cheese, and a delectable Swiss cheese sauce to pull it all together.
It’s tasty, it’s just not quite as good as a stock Baconator. And since Wendy’s serves their entire menu all day long, why wouldn’t you just opt for the original?
I have a real problem with Dunkin’. Personally, I hate that a large donut corporation is single-handedly killing mom and pop donut shops across America, especially considering Dunkin’ makes pretty shitty donuts. Having said that though, just about everything else Dunkin’ does is delicious.
Their coffee, their bagels, and especially their sandwiches.
Dunkin’s best sandwich hands down is the sausage, egg, and cheese croissant. Each element on its own is decent-to-good at best, but when this smoked sausage patty, fluffy egg, and American cheese come together between a croissant bun, it veers toward breakfast perfection.
Question: How is it that Dunkin’ makes a delicious croissandwich but can’t for the life of them make a solid donut?
The Breakfast Crunch Wrap, sometimes referred to as the AM Crunch Wrap, is the type of dish that makes your stomach hurt just by looking at it. The look, the smell, each sodium-rich bite — it’s a recipe for a storm in your stomach. But goddam are these things good.
Trust us, the AM Crunch Wrap is worth the pain.
The winning combination of bacon, cheese, egg, hash browns, and creamy Jalapeño sauce is wrapped up in a giant warm tortilla. That’s Mexican-inspired breakfast bliss, right there. Eat it when it’s still piping hot.
Chick-fil-A has a pretty robust breakfast menu, including both a bacon and sausage egg and cheese biscuit, but at the end of the day, it’s chicken that the brand does best. We hate that these are ranked so high because they seem so basic, they’re just Chick-fil-A’s nuggets between lightly buttered yeast rolls, but if you’ve ever had an order of Chick-n-Minis you know that these are almost bafflingly delicious.
Choose your favorite Chick-fil-A sauce and get to dipping! You might even find yourself ordering these off-hours.
We named McDonald’s Sausage McMuffin with Egg the chain’s best breakfast sandwich in our McDonald’s Breakfast Sandwich ranking, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone to find it on this list. This thing is built perfectly, the egg, sausage and cheese meld together in perfect harmony with each bite, and the toasted English muffin produces the right type of contrasting texture to pull it all together.
Serve a Sausage McMuffin with Egg on any other bread — a buttery biscuit, a crispy piece of toast, etc — and it just doesn’t work the same way.
The fast-food universe has a serious lack of breakfast burritos. We get it, breakfast sandwiches rule, but have you ever had a breakfast burrito? They’re fucking amazing! The only reason breakfast burritos aren’t more popular in fast food is because the good ones actually require time and effort to make, and, let’s face it, time and effort are the enemies of the business model.
But Del Taco’s Huevos Rancheros Epic Burrito is pretty solid. Not “corner taco shop”-level, but very tasty.
Del Taco slow cooks their beans, blowing Taco Bell’s beans out of the water. The scrambled eggs here taste freshly made, you’ve got grated cheddar cheese, no powdery corn starch from the pre-shredded stuff, a mix of salsa, sour cream, and avocado, and mouthwatering chorizo sausage to pull it all together.
How can this possibly get better? With some chunks of freshly cut avocado of course! But if you really want to take it to the next level, have them add hash browns or Del Taco’s crinkle-cut fries into the burrito. Then you’ve got yourself a near-perfect breakfast.
Is it a little bit basic to give the number one spot to a hash brown, which isn’t so much a meal as it is a side dish?
Yes. Yes, it is.
But ask yourself this: if you’ve ever been upset about missing McDonald’s breakfast, what were you the maddest about missing, that McMuffin or the hash browns that come alongside it? We’re willing to bet it was the hash browns. These things are just too good, they’re perfectly crispy on the outside with hot molten potato on the inside, and they’re every bit as greasy as they are delicious.
They’re the type of food you order two of, even though you only ever need one.
After you’ve had one McDonald’s hash brown, you’ll find yourself forever comparing every hash brown patty you ever eat to it. Spoiler: you’ll always come up disappointed. Diners can’t match this. Even home cooks struggle to beat it.
So, is it basic? Sure. But it’s also a testament to the fact that deliciousness wins over complexity every time.
Evan Turner’s career never quite materialized as expected when he was the second overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft out of Ohio State, but he established himself as a solid role player, particularly in his years with the Celtics and Blazers, carving out a 10-year career that has apparently come to an end after a half a season in Atlanta before being dealt to Minnesota where he did not play.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Turner has reached an agreement to return to Boston, not as a player, but as an assistant coach where he’ll focus on player development.
10-year NBA veteran Evan Turner is finalizing a deal to join the Boston Celtics as an assistant coach, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA@Stadium. Turner is expected to focus on player development.
Turner has some coaching experience in The Basketball Tournament with the Ohio State alumni team, Carmen’s Crew, and clearly that experience plus his final years in the NBA as he shifted more into the “veteran leadership” role has made him realize coaching was where he wanted his career to go once his playing days were done. That decision apparently came this offseason to make that transition from playing to coaching and he’ll join a strong staff in Boston that will surely help him grow as a coach and learn a lot about that side of the game as he looks to launch his career on the bench.
Despite coming hard out of the gate with violence-fueled street anthems, 18-year-old Memphis rapper NLE Choppa recently turned over a new leaf and seems to be pursuing wellness over profit or cultivating a tough-guy image. He’s promoted plant-based diets and meditation, started rapping about socially conscious subjects and made it a point to provide a more positive role model for his fans to imitate. To that end, Choppa is trying to expand his list of collaborators to include other rappers who share this outlook.
Posting a snippet of one of his new, positive-minded songs to Instagram, Choppa reached out to J. Cole, writing, “Protect the mind and soul, protect the body too. Ain’t dropping new music til y’all wake up,” and adding, “Want @realcoleworld on this.” It certainly wouldn’t be unprecedented for Cole to work with artists outside of his label and trademark content. In 2019, he went on a tear, dropping guest verses with the likes of 21 Savage, Jay Rock, Moneybagg Yo, and Young Thug — all artists you might not have expected to see him collaborate with under normal circumstances.
Unfortunately for Choppa, Cole also vowed that his verse for Gang Starr’s “Family And Loyalty” — a return to form, to be sure — was his last for a while. And while rappers change their minds about this sort of thing all the time, Cole seems like he’ll be busy churning out sneakers and (apparently) trying out for the NBA. Maybe Choppa, who was a high school basketball star himself, can play him for it.
NLE Choppa is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
As the expression goes, a Baby Yoda by any other name… is still Baby Yoda. In the latest episode of The Mandalorian, “Chapter 13: The Jedi,” Rosario Dawson’s Ahsoka Tano reveals that the Child / Baby Yoda’s real name is Grogu. Dave Filoni, who wrote and directed the episode, told Vanity Fair that “the name has been around for a while. [Shworunner Jon Favreau] told me early on in season one what it would be, which made me start to think about how people could learn the name. This gave me the idea that Ahsoka, who is very compassionate, would be able to connect with the Child, and that without words they could probably communicate through memories and experiences. Through that connection, she learns the name and then tells Mando and the audience.”
It’s nice that Baby Yoda has an official (and American Dad-indebted?) name, and his cooing reaction to Mando saying “Grogu” was adorable. But, c’mon. If Disney expects anyone to call him anything other than Baby Yoda, they are sadly mistaken, as evidenced by reactions to the name reveal (hopefully it didn’t cause any wildfires) online.
me continuing to call him Baby Yoda even though his name is “apparently” Grogu pic.twitter.com/1D1rmbM6TN
There’s about a one percent chance that I will call Baby Yoda “Grogu” at any point in the future, which is still one percent higher than calling Mando “Din Djarin.”
Kevin Sorbo’s taking his obsession with “owning libs” to the silver screen, but perhaps he should have done his homework a bit more before he got everything in the can.
Sorbo has made a new movie about Bernie Sanders called Free Lunch Express, in which he plays the ghost of George Washington. The movie frames Sanders as a Stalinist hypocrite and beleaguers the concept of socialism. Sorbo called it “Airplane! meets Jojo Rabbit,” which would imply that it’s actually somehow funny.
But based on an interview with the Daily Beast, it doesn’t seem like he actually knows much about Bernie Sanders. The journalist giving the interview, Marlow Stern, points out some inaccuracies in the film during the interview. Pretty basic things, like when Sanders first moved to Vermont. But very basic facts about his life and his political beliefs are clearly drowned in misinformation and right-wing gossip:
How do you feel about Bernie Sanders? Because the film does paint him as a Stalinist.
He did have his honeymoon in Russia. And from what I know about the guy, he certainly is a believer in the communist and socialist system.
He visited the Soviet Union after he married Jane in the late ’80s, but that was as part of his duties as mayor to promote a sister-city program. It wasn’t a honeymoon.
Oh, it wasn’t a honeymoon?
Nah, it wasn’t. And you know, a lot is made in the film of his lake house. But it’s a home that Sanders purchased for half a million dollars in Vermont, yet in the film it’s this giant palatial mansion.
Oh, really? OK. I don’t know. I only read what I can read about the guy. I mean, he admits to being a socialist. I don’t know where socialism has ever worked, to be honest with you.
Sorbo appears to blow off the critiques, saying “I only read what I can read about the guy,” but it’s clear that Sorbo is getting bad information. He deferred to the filmmakers when it came to any problems or falsehoods in a movie that reportedly seems to struggle with understanding the difference between socialism and the German Nazi party.
It’s a pretty wild interview all around: Sorbo addresses some sexual inappropriateness that was alleged against him, revealed that apparently his son is running his lib-owning Twitter account, and talked a lot about baseless allegations of voter fraud. As the headline rightfully framed, it was extremely weird to see the guy who used to be Hercules peddling in baseless right-wing internet falsehoods. But in a year like this, well, it’s best not to be surprised by anything anymore.
The holiday season is officially upon us. 2020 is nearly (finally!) over. The weather is getting crisper by the day and the halls are being decked. It’s time to drink some delicious and heavy-hitting craft beer as the year winds down.
This month’s list of craft beer releases leans wholly into winter warmers, Christmas and holiday beers, and fresh brews that suit quaffing right now. That translates to lots of spices and orange oils, with hefty ABVs and even heftier flavor notes. Next month, everyone will be bandying on about “sober January” and trying to start 2021 off with a bang, so now’s the time to sit back next to a fire and savor something decadent and local.
Hopefully, the eight beers we’re giving love to this month will pique your interest and inspire you to explore exciting brews made near you or sold at your closest bottle shop. These picks represent regional craft beer releases from breweries that we vouch for, along with seasonal bottles we’ve been looking forward to tasting again.
While this beer is a “limited edition,” it is produced every year and dropped for the winter season. This classic beer from up in Juneau, Alaska, embraces the iconic “rauchbier” from Germany’s premier beer-brewing city, Bamberg. The alder smoked malts used in the initial fermentation are what give this beer its distinct smokiness. The rest is pure Alaskan water and Pacific Northwest hops.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a subtle campfire smoke up top with a nod to a fatty smoked salmon or bacon (depending on the age of the brew). The bitterness is mild with an echo of hops lingering far in the background. There’s a hint of molasses sweetness in the smoky malts that has touches of a smoked gouda with an ashen edge.
Bottom Line:
This beer is always wonderful when it’s released. But it really shines if you lay it down in a cellar for a few years. All those flavor notes will dial-in and smooth out into something truly special.
SOUTHWEST DROP: Anchor Christmas Ale
Anchor Steam
Style: Winter Warmer ABV: 7%
The Beer:
Every year for the last 45 years, San Francisco’s Anchor Steam has released a special winter warmer, Christmas Ale. This year’s release is the first from the new Brewmaster, Tom Riley. The beer is a little different every year. This has holiday spices folded into the brew and holds the highest yet ABV for any Anchor Christmas release.
Tasting Notes:
The beer leans into fresh espresso laced with dark chocolate bitterness. Those notes lead towards a creamy nature closer to a choco-eggnog latte with plenty of that brown ale spice and depth. There’s a bit of a graham cracker maltiness underneath it all with a subtle sweetness to counterpoint that coffee/chocolate bitter bite.
Bottom Line:
A six-pack of this should be in your fridge this time of year. It makes for a great pre or post-meal sipper.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN DROP: Upslope Wild Christmas Ale With Citrus and Cinnamon
Upslope
Style: Aged Sour Ale ABV: 9.4%
The Beer:
Upslope’s yearly Lee Hill Series Christmas releases have become must-haves amongst beer-connoisseurs. This year’s release is a blend of American and French oak-aged sour ales that have been spiked with bergamot orange juice, orange zest, and Saigon cinnamon in the brew. The results are a uniquely delicious winter ale that won’t be seen again.
Tasting Notes:
The orange really shines through with a candied edge. There’s a tartness that’s more fruity than funky that reminds you of cranberry sauce spiked with plenty of cinnamon. The finish is mildly dry, fruity-tart, and full of Christmas spices.
Bottom Line:
If you can get your hands on this, buy a couple. They’re tasty AF and suit this time of year to a tee.
SOUTHERN DROP: Saint Arnold Christmas Ale
Saint Arnold Brewing
Style: Old Ale ABV: 7.7%
The Beer:
Texas’ Saint Arnold puts out quality seasonal brews that peaks with their Christmas Ale. The malts bring about a great depth in the brew but the nuance here is in the Pacific Northwest hops used to spice up the beer.
Tasting Notes:
This really hits those “winter ale” notes on the head. There’s an alcohol-driven sweet caramel maltiness that provides a solid foundation for mildly floral and bitter hop notes. Those hops have a little bit of a bite as a subtle spice kicks around in the background.
Bottom Line:
This is a really sippable pour. It’s refreshing yet filling. It’s nuanced yet full of flavor.
MIDWEST DROP: Revolution Brewing Fistmas
Revolution Brewing
Style: American Amber ABV: 6.5%
The Beer:
This Chicago beer isn’t the lightest ABV beer on the list, but it’s the lightest drinking one. The red ale is spiked with fresh ginger and orange peels to add that “holiday” edge to the suds. The end results are a crushable beer with no rough edges.
Tasting Notes:
Sweet caramel malts with an almost sourdough bread-energy mingle with that sharp orange on the greeting. The bready malts, fresh and spicy ginger, and orange oils combine with the malty sweetness to create a velvet sipper.
Bottom Line:
These go down very easily but they are not session beers … no matter how easy they are to smash.
NORTHEAST DROP: Samuel Adams Holiday Porter
Boston Beer Company
Style: American Porter ABV: 5.8%
The Beer:
This limited-edition beer from Samuel Adams hits the perfect wintry spot right now. The beer is a classic brew that utilizes English malts and German hops to create a well-crafted wintry treat in beer form.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a decent depth to the beer, with plenty of bitter chocolate leading towards a nutty toffee malty sweetness. The bitterness zeroes in on an espresso bean sharpness as a very distant echo of bitter hops pop in the background. The end is a little spicy and, dare we say, comes with a hint of smoke.
Bottom Line:
The real shame of this beer is that it’s only sold in the Samuel Adams Winter Classics collection and not individually. Still, it’s worth grabbing for this and the Winter Lager this time of year (and it’s available nationwide).
WILD CARD DROP: Sierra Nevada Celebration Fresh Hop IPA
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Style: American IPA ABV: 6.8%
The Beer:
This is both a classic winter craft brew and a classic IPA. The beer is brewed with fresh hops from the beginning of the harvest to really amp up the West Coast dankness of the body while leaning into the wintry aspects of a winter ale. It’s a bit of magic in a bottle.
Tasting Notes:
Toasted malts and dank pine-resin hops beckon you in. The malts become sweeter as the sip progresses and the hops bloom with citrus. The end is a matrix of dankness, citrus, and caramel malts with hints of spice that just works.
Bottom Line:
You don’t have to love IPAs to love this beer. It’s just so damn easy to drink, so bright, and so full of wintry vibes.
INT’L PICK OF THE MONTH: Dupont Avec Les Bons Voeux
Brasserie Dupont
Style: Saison/Farmhouse Ale ABV: 9.5%
The Beer:
Brasserie Dupont is one of the most heralded Belgian breweries, full stop. Their Saison Dupont is beloved by beer aficionados the world over. This expression is a special holiday release that used to only go to family and friends of the brewery. It leaked out to the public and became so popular that it got a wide release and is now considered one of the best holiday beers there is.
Tasting Notes:
The beer is richly aromatic from the moment it nears your nose with hints of clove, green banana, black pepper, and lemon curd. The malts are bold, sweet, and creamy as the grassy tart nature of the lemon mingles with a distant spiciness and fruitiness. The sip ends dry while still feeling full-bodied and very silky.
Bottom Line:
This is one of our all-time favorite beer of any season. It’s also available in the U.S. in most well-stocked bottle shops or online for as little as $8 for a 12-oz., corked bottle.
Anybody who thought the vinyl resurgence was just a fad was mistaken: The industry has experienced a legitimate revival. As a result, music fans are interested in physical media in ways they may not have if the decades-old medium hasn’t made a comeback. That doesn’t mean everybody is listening to just their parents’ old music, though. That’s part of it, sure, thanks to rereleases that present classic albums in new ways. A vital part of the renewed vinyl wave, though, is new projects being released as records, of which there are plenty.
Whatever you might be into, each month brings a new slew of vinyl releases that has something for everybody. Some stand out above the rest, naturally, so check out some of our favorite vinyl releases of November below.
Grandaddy — The Sophtware Slump 20th Anniversary Collection
Dangerbird
Grandaddy re-released their classic album The Sophtware Slump and included a fresh version of the songs played on a wooden piano. The band’s Jason Lytle recently told Uproxx of making it, “I remember wanting to make a really good record. I remember the whole Grandaddy thing had really kind of started firing up and our minds were kind of blown by how busy we were and how interested people were after the whole touring cycle of Under The Western Freeway, the album before it. And I just wanted to step up. I wanted to make it the most interesting, imaginative sounding record that I could. There was a lot of exciting shit going on at the time, too. The Flaming Lips were making these really amazing, cool, weird-ass, imaginative sounding records. Radiohead’s OK Computer blew my f*cking mind. I was just feeding off of all that stuff.”
Pylon was a hugely influential alternative group of the ’80s, and now their first two albums, Gyrate and Chomp, headline a new box set. A big attraction of the release aside from the albums is the 200-page hardcover book that’s signed by the band’s surviving members and features writings from people like Carrie Brownstein, Steve Albini, Bradford Cox, and members of R.E.M., Interpol, and The B-52’s.
You know “Zombie,” and No Need To Argue, the iconic song’s parent album, has gotten a fancy new vinyl rerelease. This edition features the remastered album, three B-sides (“Away,” “I Don’t Need,” and “So Cold In Ireland”), and 19 previously unreleased tracks, including two that haven’t been available in any official capacity before this, including a demo of “Serious” that was previously only available in low quality on YouTube.
Once upon a time, Drive-By Truckers gave a great performance on the legendary Austin City Limits PBS series, and now that performance has been further immortalized on a fresh vinyl edition. This comes in addition to five reissues of past records, with each one featuring newly remastered audio from the original sources. The live set gets notes from Austin City Limits producer Terry Lickona.
Nickel Creek — Nickel Creek, This Side, and Why Should The Fire Die? (Reissues)
Craft Recordings
Chris Thile’s Nickel Creek broke out in 2000 with their self-titled album, and now that career-launching effort, as well as the two albums that followed, have been re-released on audiophile-quality LPs. Each album is available in limited editions (only 500 pressings of each) pressed on some gorgeous vinyl colors: translucent opal vinyl, marbled mahogany, and translucent gold and red marbled.
A lot of legendary James Bond themes have been recorded over the years, and now the finest of them have been compiled in this new 3-LP collection. Billie Eilish’s new one, “No Time To Die,” is included, as are other Oscar-winning classics by the likes of Adele and Sam Smith.
This new Amy Winehouse vinyl release is for completionist fans. It includes the singles from her three albums — Frank, Back To Black, and Lioness: Hidden Treasures — housed in individual picture sleeves and pressed on black vinyl and features a 20-page lyrics booklet and a set of art cards.
Erykah Badu — Mama’s Gun (Vinyl Me, Please Reissue)
Vinyl Me, Please
Vinyl Me, Please is back with another titillating, exclusive pressing, and this one is for one of Badu’s classics. This edition of Mama’s Gun has been remastered, is pressed on scarlet and gold vinyl, and includes an exclusive art print.
Costello’s Armed Forces is an album worth celebrating, and that’s just what this new expanded edition of the 1979 classic does. The set consists of nine total vinyl records (three each of 12-inch LPs, 10-inch LPs, and 7-inch singles), and it includes new remasters of the album, B-sides, alternate versions and outtakes, demos, and live recordings, including 23 unreleased live tracks.
Nelly — Country Grammar (20th Anniversary Reissue)
Republic/UMe
Country Grammar is a Diamond-certified album, and 20 years later, it’s back in an anniversary vinyl edition. It has been pressed on black and translucent blue releases, and both feature bonus tracks available on vinyl for the first time: “Icey,” “Come Over,” “Country Grammar (Instrumental),” and “Ride Wit Me (Instrumental).”
Blige’s breakthrough sophomore album My Life turned 26 years old in November, and now that anniversary has been marked with a re-pressing. It’s available in two editions: a black 2-LP version and a 3-LP edition in translucent blue with a lenticular cover, the latter of which includes bonus tracks featuring LL Cool J and Smif ‘N Wessun.
Kayleigh McEnany is a woman. She’s also the latest in a string of press secretaries to serve Trump over the course of his embattled presidency, but for some reason, she’s pretty upset that President-Elect Joe Biden is getting kudos for hiring an all-female press staff ahead of next year’s inauguration. So upset, in fact, that McEnany has taken to Twitter to rant about coverage of Biden’s historic appointing and, weirdly, erase the existence of her male colleagues in the process.
It all started Sunday evening when McEnany became enraged at a Washington Post article that lauded Biden’s all-female communications team. McEnany took to Twitter to refute the article’s claim that Biden’s would be the first female-only press team, led by former Obama White House communications director Jen Psaki.
President @realDonaldTrump already has an ALL FEMALE Senior White House Press Team.
And look, touting diverse hiring practices and bragging about giving women jobs they’re more than qualified for isn’t that great a look for anyone, but what’s worse is blatantly lying about your hiring practices and completely sweeping your male colleagues under the rug in a display of shallow feminism. This is what McEnany did when she maintained that Trump’s White House press team was also made up entirely of women. Unfortunately for her, former Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway’s husband, George Conway, came to correct her and he brought receipts.
Conway seemed puzzled about why McEnany would lie about something so “pointless” and strangely easy to discredit with a quick Google search. It turns out, Judd Deere, Brian Morgenstern, and Devin O’Malley all serve on the White House communications team — Conway helpfully screenshotted their bios — with Deere and Morgenstern acting as deputy press secretaries while O’Malley serves as Vice President Mike Pence’s press secretary. So either McEnany has been operating under the delusion that she was the only one speaking to the press all this time, or she wanted to prop Trump up as some kind of feminist hero so bad, she just “forgot” about the men also working in her office.
Either way, Twitter came for her and came for her hard.
It’s no secret that the wine industry is lacking in diversity. Honestly, the spirits industry as a whole could be doing a better job at providing, promoting, and encouraging opportunities for Black, Indigenous, and people of color across the board — from winemakers and distillery masters to sommeliers and importers down to retail owners and shopkeepers. After all, people of all races and backgrounds like to get lit with an adult beverage from time to time, and vino goes just as good with steak for BIPOC folks as it does for any other race or group. Shouldn’t we be involved in producing, selling, and sharing the wonders of alcoholic grape juice too?
That wasn’t rhetorical. The answer is: yes, we should.
There are some Black winemakers in the industry, although they only make up a small fraction of the more than 7,700 wineries across the U.S. Among those that do exist, there are many that produce excellent and even award-winning wines. But wine isn’t the only pursuit for many of these wineries. A number of them are also doing their part to help expand the reach of Black vintners and aspiring marginalized winemakers within the industry as a whole.
To help you get acquainted with Black-owned wineries in the U.S., we’ve selected eight bottles produced by a few of our favorite Black winemakers. We should note, many of the Black-owned wine labels make quality and fine wines that can be quite costly, due to their smaller production runs (including some producers on this list). But this time around we’re only spotlighting bottles under $40. Not every one of these bottles is accessible via retail shops across the U.S. either (do your part, retailers!), but just about all of them are available online and can be shipped directly to customers through their respective brand websites.
We’ve listed the best sources for online purchasing in the linked price point.
It was only 13 years ago when Andre Hueston Mack launched his first wine Mounton Noir—now known as Maison Noir—in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Now the sommelier-turned-winemaker, who once worked at Thomas Keller’s renowned restaurant The French Laundry, has bottles in stores across the U.S. and 11 other countries. Mack’s rose-petal pink rosé, comprised of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, is among the many favorites under his label.
Tasting Notes:
Remember that feeling of a having new crush? That rush down your spine when they enter the room, the sparks you feel when you first lock eyes as they pass by? That’s the sensation you’ll feel with every sip of this wine. It lulls you in with its flirtatious berry aromas, then completely captivates you with its tantalizing juicy fruit flavors of kiwi, watermelon rind, wild strawberries and just the slightest hint of peach.
Bottom Line:
Drink this wine when you’re in the mood for love without all the complications. This wine won’t ghost you or offer empty promises. Instead, it’ll deliver on its vow to romance your palate with intoxicating fruit flavors in every single sip.
You may feel a little heartbroken when the bottle is finished, though.
Donae Burston worked in the liquor industry for more than 15 years, helping manage some of the most prestigious wine brands under the LVMH umbrella including Veuve Clicquot and Dom Pérignon, and even Jay-Z’s signature champagne house, Armand de Brignac. Now, with the help of Domaine Bertaud Belieu, Burston is focused on his own premium, sustainable and organic rosé, comprised of Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah, grown on one of the most gorgeous and oldest vineyards on the Saint-Tropez peninsula.
Tasting Notes:
This salmon-pink rosé is bustling with aromas of dried fruits and sweet bread. On the palate, it’s complex with flavors of cherry and unripened strawberry that lean into its mineral undertone. The finish is long and refreshing.
Bottom Line:
This is an easy-sipping wine that captures the very essence and laid-back beauty of true Provencal life. It’s basically Burston and his team’s way of giving everyone a taste of the French Riviera. And with every bottle purchase, the company donates a portion of the proceeds to a number of charitable organizations that give underserved and underrepresented youth the opportunity to travel and learn about cultures and societies outside of their own.
To think, it all started in Phil Long’s garage more than a decade ago. Now the award-winning winemaker, who is also the president of the Association of African American Vintners (AAAV), is pumping out roughly 500 cases of wines every year. The Livermore Valley winery makes grade A Chardonnays, Cabernet Sauvignons, Mouvedres, red blends, and enticing sparkling wines.
The 100 percent Pinot Blanc is a true standout. The 2017 vintage has won multiple awards including Best White Wine at the 2018 Tri-Valley Uncorked Wine Competition and Best Overall Pairing at Livermore Valley’s annual Taste Our Terroir food and wine competition in California last year.
Tasting Notes:
A perfumey blend of melon and honey, peach, and citrus wake the nose while stone fruit like peaches and pear flush the palate. Subtle vanilla notes give the medium-bodied wine a soft and creamy mouthfeel, which gets a zap of minerality in the long and bright finish.
Bottom Line:
There’s a reason why this wine has won pairing awards. It’s the perfect partner for all things seafood. Scallops sautéed in garlic butter, grilled shrimp and prawns, oysters Rockefeller, clam linguini and calamari… you name it.
If it comes from the sea, this wine is a vibrant liquid counterpart.
P. Harrell 2019 Dry Riesling, Haight Street, Dry Creek Valley
Here’s another award-winning stunner, courtesy of Paula J. Harrell, the owner of Sonoma’s P. Harrell Wines. Harrell launched her private label in November 2015 and has made waves in the wine industry ever since, with her Riesling, Zinfandel and Rosé. The 2018 Haight Street even won the Gold Medal in the 2019 San Francisco Chronicle International Wine Competition.
Tasting Notes:
This wine offers up aromas of juicy pink grapefruit, limes and jasmine. Citrus leads on the palate but gets rounded out with hints of honeydew, tangerine, and apple. Cut like steel, this is a dry wine that gets a crunchy boost from its natural effervescence. However, it all smoothens out with a hint of white flowers in the finish.
Bottom Line:
With just five years in the game, Harrell is proving to be a winemaker who understands the powerful notes an American wine can exude. And she’s doing it by creating wines that should be double the price, which makes this bottle even more worth purchasing.
Lawyer-turned-winemaker Dan Johnson and his wife Kim run the show at Napa Valley’s Okapi Wines. The family winery only produces 300 cases per year, opting to concentrate on creating the finest full-bodied, quality wines without having to make compromises on winemaking or farming in lieu of a bigger production. Maintaining a smaller vineyard is worth it though—many of Okapi’s wines have won top prizes at wine competitions across California.
Okapi’s latest Sauvignon Blanc hasn’t yet wielded award acclaim, but it’s definitely a winner in our book.
Tasting Notes:
This zesty and bright California Sauvignon Blanc tastes like sunshine on a cool, breezy day. Submerge your senses in the lively and tropical smells of honeydew and melons, lemon curd, orange peels, and tangerine, while your palate bathes in citrusy flavors of grapefruit, nectarine, and a little bit of apricot. The stony, mineral finish is as long and addictive as lemon sorbet.
Bottom Line:
This wine is refreshing. It’s invigorating. It’s a good day in a bottle that doesn’t cost nearly as much as it should.
McBride Sisters Collection Black Girl Magic 2018 California Red Blend
Sisters Robin and Andréa McBride have been working in and making wine since 2005. Along the way, McBride Sisters Collection has become one of the largest Black-owned wine companies in the U.S. Wines under the sisters’ Central Coast, California and Marlborough, New Zealand estates are loved among vino enthusiasts across the globe—even their SHE CAN wine cans have become beloved picnic and beach-bag must-haves—thanks, in part, to the company’s advocacy for sustainability and inclusivity.
This blend of Merlot and Cabernet is a fruit-forward gem that celebrates the resilience and ingenuity of Black women, yet is meant to be enjoyed by everyone.
Tasting Notes:
Aged for 18-months in oak barrels, this red wine blend is bursting with grippy character. The nose is full of tobacco and vanilla while the palate is rich with syrupy hints of cherry, blackberry, and plum. The Cabernet kicks in during the long, robust finish that’s sprinkled with white pepper and spice.
Bottom Line:
This is an easy-drinking wine that has a bigger purpose than just pairing with pasta and pizza. As active members of the AAAV, the McBride sisters often share their experiences and help women gain access to the world of wine. Earlier this year, they launched the SHE CAN Professional Development Fund to help provide women with the resources they need to get their own wine ventures off the ground.
2018 Theopolis Vineyards Estate Grown Petite Sirah
You can thank Theodora R. Lee for the terrific, high-quality wines produced at Yorkville, California’s Theopolis Vineyards. The winemaker has won more awards than we have time to list, and her finely-structured, black-purple Petit Sirah of all vintages have become fan favorites over the years.
Tasting Notes:
This is a medium-heavy wine that has a subtle punch of tannins, or rather, the natural polyphenol in fruit skins and seeds that give the wine its complexity and astringency. Cedar aromas and fragrances of black cherry, dried herbs, and ground spices ooze from the bottle.
On the sip, the wine is velvety with cola and vanilla notes that get a blackberry boost. The finish is long and savory.
Bottom Line:
With such a boozy content, this is a wine you’ll want to sip with a bite to eat. It will pair perfectly with stews, chilis, and hearty red meat dishes. And if you want to save it for the summer barbecues, you can enjoy it then with grilled lamb and smoked pork.
2018 Three by Wade Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Drizly
ABV: 14.9% Average Price: $40
The Wine:
Here’s the granddaddy Cabernet Sauvignon you’ve been waiting for. And it comes from NBA champion and wine aficionado Dwayne Wade’s label. The former basketball star partnered with renowned winemaker Jayson Pahlmeyer to create a few mighty stellar wines, but Wade’s Cab Sauv reigns supreme in form and finesse, which shouldn’t be all that surprising considering Wade’s history on the court.
Tasting Notes:
This medium to full-bodied wine is lush with dark fruit aromas like blackberry, plum, black currants, and spice, but it gets an edge from expressions of slate and graphite on the palate. It’s a classic Cab with all its earthly complexity and velvety tannins.
Bottom Line:
Yes, this is a celebrity wine, but there are no gimmicks with this juice. It’s just good, old delicious and enjoyable wine that captures the style Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons are loved for. And, once again, for a lot less than what it probably should be priced at.
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