There’s a number of hardcore MAGA heads running for office during the midterms, and they’re a pretty bonkers lot. Who’s the most out-there? Is it the ex-footballer accused by multiple women of pressuring them to get abortions? Is it the TV quack who mocks his opponent’s stroke? Or is it the former anti-Trump news anchor who pissed off Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter? Now Kari Lake, running for governor of Arizona, has enraged a couple other people she shouldn’t have pissed off, one of whom wasn’t afraid to drop a cuss word on-air.
Michael Fanone, reacting to Brian Sicknick’s mom doing an anti-Kari Lake political ad:
“And, you know, I also support the fact that Kari Lake’s a piece of shit, so I’m glad she did that ad.” pic.twitter.com/8tTN8zgp6b
Former D.C. cop Michael Fanone — who was savagely beaten and tased during the Jan. 6 riot, which led to a heart attack — went on MSNBC to discuss a new, incendiary ad from Gladys Sicknick, the mother of Brian Sicknick, the officer who died the day after he was also assaulted that fateful day. The ad targets Lake for continuing to perpetuate “The Big Lie” that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump.
“Kari Lake is very dangerous for our country,” Sicknick says in the ad. “She saw what happened on Jan. 6 and continues to spread the big lie. And we’re going to have more violence because people believe whatever she says. It is very dire for our democracy, for our country with candidates like Kari Lake. My son died because of people like Kari Lake.”
Fanone was asked by MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace for his thoughts on the ad. “I’ve gotten to know Mrs. Sicknick pretty well and I thought that was a powerful ad,” Fanone said. “She is out there, I think, trying to do what all of us are trying to do here, which is bring accountability for January 6.”
He then went a step further: “I also support the fact that Kari Lake’s a piece of sh*t, so I’m glad she did that ad.”
On a related note, Lake has come under fire in the last two days for making jokes about the attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who was beaten with a hammer by a deranged Trump supporter who broke into his home.
In September, one of the Trumpers who assaulted Fanone broke down in tears as he was sentenced for his crime. As it happens, another Jan. 6 rioter also used the term “piece of sh*t” during his own sentencing, except he was referring to himself.
For better or worse, AI technology has opened up a whole new genre of art. Artists who use it have been able to create some truly remarkable works—whether that’s bringing back beloved icons or bringing cartoon characters to life in a hyper-realistic way.
The creators behind Mystery Scoop have also blended some digital art wizardry and AI programs to render portraits from the late Victorian era that not only have stunning color, but lifelike movements. And the results are mesmerizing.
A video posted to their YouTube channel titled “19th Century Portraits Brought To Life” shows Victorian men and women as they undergo a full restoration, thanks to colorists Klimbim and Lorenzo Folli. But the magic doesn’t stop there. The “labor of love” also incorporates the “latest tools in AI technology” to bring facial movements to the photo. These static, black-and-white portraits quickly become breathing, blinking, smirking seemingly living beings.
For many viewers, the modernized portraits provided so much more than shock value. People were genuinely moved—a tried-and-true sign of successful art. “I cannot explain the emotions that this brought over me,” one person commented. “I began to tear up immediately. Knowing that these people are long gone…yet brought to life by someone years after their passing. They’re being remembered in such a beautiful way. Seeing them fade in and out of life was haunting. This was absolutely powerful.”
Another commenter poignantly noted how these simple touches helped instill feelings of empathy. “The animation allows you to see the glimmer of who they were…a shimmer of their soul perhaps! You can see their hopes and dreams rise up into their eyes and ever so fleetingly, even their fear and worry and sometimes grief flickers softly in their expressions! Then you can’t help hoping that they lived happily…I know it is all an illusion and yet it makes me care about them and care deeply.”
Of course, people of the late Victorian age aren’t the only ones to receive the Mystery Scoop treatment. The group’s channels across YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok are filled with historical figures of different decades.
Below is infamous outlaw Bonnie Parker, sans her beau Clyde Barrow.
By “infusing still pictures, statues and paintings with realism,” Mystery Scoop has found a new way to help the legacy of those who’ve passed live on in the hearts and minds of those still here. While there is much to be said about how AI can take away from the human experience, it’s hard not to see works like this and appreciate how it can bring people together just as easily. One thing is for sure—humanity could always use art that touches us on an emotional level. And when a piece of art does, that’s worth celebrating.
Some things simply just start to suck the older you get. I’m not sure if there’s a reason for it other than leaving your house for anything starts to feel like an extreme inconvenience. Something about aging and interacting with the public just doesn’t mix and people on Reddit have just about had it with things that seem to get worse with age.
When you’re a kid all you can think about is all of the things you’ll get to be able to do when you’re an adult but I swear it’s a scam. Sure, you can stay out until the sun comes up, but after you hit your mid-30s, you’re just as likely to be snuggled up in pajamas and ready for bed by 8:30 p.m.
Reddit users seem to agree that once you reach a certain age, things become annoying for no real reason. It does give you insight into the grumpy old man trope that has been inundating our television screens since there were screens to inundate.
One user is likely my long-lost twin because their No. 1 complaint is, “Shopping. for anything… including groceries. Shopping used to be fun. Now it is a chore.” All I can say is, same. There’s absolutely nothing fun or exciting about shopping anymore and it’s a pretty good guess that places like Walmart surveyed some irritated millennials before rolling out grocery pickup, which has conveniently graduated into grocery delivery.
Here are the top eight things people just aren’t thrilled about anymore, in no particular order.
1. Lines
We just don’t want to do them anymore and there honestly doesn’t seem to be a good reason to stand behind strangers for who knows how long. Unless the line is for handing out a bundle of crisp hundred-dollar bills or giving out free trips to a deserted tropical island, standing in line seems like a waste of time to a lot of people in the comments.
2. Loud places
This seems self-explanatory. Something about getting older makes you want to stay away from loud noises, especially if they’re unnecessary. Sure, the occasional concert will be the exception, but that’s because you’ve mentally prepared for the excess noise from the moment you thought about purchasing the tickets.
3. Sex scenes
There was once a time where sex scenes were embarrassing. Once puberty hit, they became embarrassing but interesting. As an adult, you’re mostly just wanting the main characters to hook up so they can get it out of the way and move the story along.
4. Overscheduling
For some reason, teenagers and young adults schedule themselves down to the last millisecond of the day. If there’s an hour of nothing, they will fit something in that spot. But once you get older, you’re doing great to leave the house for work every day.
5. Darn teenagers
Ha! Some of us have really turned into Mr. Wilson from “Dennis the Menace,” yelling at kids to get off the lawn. To be fair, Dennis was a pretty awful child that had an affinity for harassing his middle-aged neighbor. But for some commenters, teenagers doing loud teenage things are enough to make them huff fog onto their window while staring through the blinds.
6. Staying out late
There’s no place like home and staying out late reminds you of just how comfortable your house is. I mean, it has all of the important things, like comfy clothes, a couch that has a perfect butt imprint from years of Netflix marathons and exactly zero other people that live there.
7. Dating
It seems that dating is just as awful today as it was 10 years ago, except now you’re a decade older with less patience and far less will to put on real pants. Everyone is swipe happy and there doesn’t seem to be a standard way to say “not interested” that doesn’t involve disappearing on someone you once spent time with.
8. Alcohol
Drinking in excess loses its appeal for many of us after a certain age. It takes much longer to recover from an evening at the local pub and if you don’t hydrate properly before drinking more than two glasses of wine, you could be nursing a hangover for three days.
The list of things that actually don’t get better with age seems to be endless, with more than 24,000 comments on the question. It makes you wonder: If we knew then what we know now, would we still been in such a rush to grow up? I think not.
Anyone who was a teen in the ’90s will remember the grunge era. Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden were topping the charts with their gravely metaphorical lyrics, but they weren’t alone. Soul Asylum burst onto the scene with their solemn anthem “Runaway Train” complete with a video that showcased missing kids.
The video gave missing and exploited children a much bigger platform to be recognized on, because before the video was showcased on MTV, milk cartons were the common method to distribute these photos. In theory, milk cartons seem like a pretty effective way to highlight missing children, but in reality, eventually people would become blind to the photos.
The music video for “Runaway Train” was played all around the world and to the target audience that would most likely recognize the faces. It should come as no surprise, then, that the video helped to bring home 21 missing children. What is surprising, is that the band had to push to keep the pictures of the missing kids in the music video because people didn’t think it was working.
David Pirner, the band’s lead singer, explained to The Guardian that the song was a metaphor for his depression and the line “call you up in the middle of the night” was actually about a friend that would answer his late-night calls no matter what time. He told the outlet that he had a fascination with trains from a young age, so he used the imagery of a runaway train as a metaphor for when his depression was out of control. As cliches would have it, the rest is history.
Well, that is, of course, until you realize that the song did more than give moody teens an anthem for their feelings. It actually brought them home.
When I watched the music video as a young teen, the gravity of the photos that flashed across my screen didn’t truly sink in. What Soul Asylum did in 1993 was the epitome of using your platform for a good cause and unbeknown to young teens like myself, it saved actual lives.
The producer, Tony Kaye, got the idea to put missing children in the video after seeing a billboard of a milk carton that displayed the face of a missing child. He told The Guardian that The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children sent them photos of the missing kids they wanted highlighted in the video and at the end of the video the text would instruct viewers to call a number if they had seen the children featured.
But the record company was fully prepared to pull the plug because it didn’t seem to be working. Kaye insisted on leaving the photos and before too long, the tactic started working. Child after child was returning home and when one was found, they’d replace the photo with a different child. They told The Guardian that 21 of the 36 kids featured were returned home.
That definitely seems like something to brag about and with the group’s 30-year anniversary album release and their upcoming tour, it’s something to highlight and attempt to repeat. In 2019, a different artist recorded their version of “Runaway Train” in partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in hopes of bringing more missing children home using updated technology. The song is powerful on its own but coupling it with helping to locate missing and exploited children, elevates it to another level.
If you’re itching for a grunge fix like me, go reacquaint yourself with Soul Asylum’s songs and go catch them on tour with Everclear. The tour starts November 5 in Carrollton, Texas.
Esther Wojcicki has earned the right to tell people how to raise their kids. She’s an educator, journalist and bestselling author of “How to Raise Successful People” who has raised three daughters—two are CEOs and the other a doctor.
Susan Wojcicki is the CEO of YouTube, Anne Wojcicki is the co-founder and CEO of 23andMe and Dr. Janet Wojcicki is an anthropologist and epidemiologist who works on HIV progression and obesity risk in children.
In “How to Raise Successful People” Esther Wojcicki says the secret to success is the result of “TRICK”: trust, respect, independence, collaboration and kindness. In a new article she wrote for NBC Chicago, she boiled that down to one rule, “Don’t do anything for your kids that they can do for themselves.”
u201cSisters Anne Wojcicki, CEO of 23andMe, and Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube, are ranked among Americau2019s top women entrepreneurs nhttps://t.co/En8Vin9Zl7 #SelfMadeWomenu201d
“Parents need to stop coddling their kids,” she continues. “The more you trust your children to do things on their own, the more empowered they’ll be. The key is to begin with guided practice: It’s the ‘I do, we do, you do’ method.”
The “I do, we do, you do” method is used by teachers to gradually give students new responsibilities. The teacher first demonstrates the task, then they do it with the student and finally, the student does it alone.
Wojcicki says that parents can start with their children by asking them to make their beds, pick their own outfits and to help with dishes and making dinner. It’s funny that every child is raised by a parent who cooks them meals, but an astonishing number of them grow up having no idea how to boil water. Why? Because nobody bothered to get them involved.
As the old saying goes, “Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day. Teach him to fish and he’ll eat forever.”
u201cFor all you parents out there. nYou may want to do something “unpopular” while raising your kids, “How to Raise Successful People” author Esther Wojcicki says. https://t.co/GEkHHnN5q5u201d
— NBC10 Philadelphia (@NBC10 Philadelphia) 1667227982
“The idea is to teach them how to cope with what life throws at them,” she writes. “One of the most important lessons I taught my daughters is that the only thing you can control is how you react to things.”
Wojcicki’s rules are a reaction to the modern trend of helicopter parenting, which is “overly focused on their children” where parents “take too much responsibility for their children’s experiences and, specifically, their successes or failures.” This can result in children who grow into adults with lower self-confidence and self-esteem, poor coping skills, increased anxiety and a sense of entitlement.
Simply put, when children are too dependent on their parents, they become ill-equipped to deal with real-world challenges. So when parents think they’re helping their children, they are actually setting them up for failure. Is it any wonder why we live in an age where more and more people suffer from crippling anxiety and depression? The world is a lot scarier when you’re not properly equipped to deal with everyday problems.
“When you trust kids to make their own decisions, they start to feel more engaged, confident and empowered,” Wojcicki writes. “And once that happens, there’s no limit to what they can achieve.”
While, at first, this dramatic change in parenting may seem difficult for parents who have a hard time letting go, it’s an opportunity for them to grow. “What I realized, through a lot of conscious effort, is that parenting gives us perhaps the most profound opportunity to grow as human beings,” she writes in “How to Raise Successful People.”
Kyrie Irving tweeted out a link to an antisemitic documentary over the weekend. The Brooklyn Nets guard came under wave after wave of scrutiny for this, something that was made worse when he met with the media and was asked why he did this. Instead of doing anything that could be viewed as showing contrition for that or for a number of other recent social media posts, Irving refused to back down.
Unsurprisingly, the Inside the NBA crew had plenty to say about Irving on Tuesday, with Charles Barkley going as far as to say that the NBA made a mistake in not doing anything in response outside of posting a statement that did not explicitly name him.
“I think he should have been suspended. Adam Silver should have suspended him. They made a mistake. I can’t believe we’re talking about this idiot.”
“I think the NBA dropped the ball,” Barkley said. “I think he should have been suspended. I think Adam should’ve suspended him. First of all, Adam’s Jewish. You can’t take my $40 million and insult my religion. You’re gonna insult me, you have the right, but I have the right to say, ‘No, you’re not gonna take my $40 million and insult my religion.’
“I think the NBA, they made a mistake,” he continued. “We have suspended people and fined people who have made homophobic slurs, and that was the right thing to do. I think if you insult the Black community, you should be suspended or fined heavily depending — I saw they did the same thing to the kid in Minnesota this year when he made the gay slur. I think you should get suspended or fined.”
Barkley went on to say he believed that something needed to happen for Irving acknowledging “the Alex Jones thing,” referencing the time Irving put an old clip of the right-wing media personality on his Instagram page in which Jones discussed the existence of secret societies in America. While Irving said he did not endorse Jones’ comments on things like the Sandy Hook mass shooting being a hoax, he said the clip he posted to Instagram was accurate.
“I can’t believe that we ain’t talking about basketball, we’re talking about this idiot,” Barkley said. “If I say, ‘Hey, I’m agreeing with this movie, this book, or whatever,’ I’m agreeing with it. You know I don’t do any social media, but when you’re somebody as great as basketball as him, people gonna listen to what you say.”
While Ernie Johnson attempted to say that conversations are ongoing about Irving, Barkley made clear that he thinks these are for naught.
“The reason it’s too late, the NBA’s giving into peer pressure,” Barkley said. “If one of our players do something, they have the right — the team or the league has to do something immediately. If you just give into peer pressure, that’s the problem I have. This should have been handled already.”
Shaquille O’Neal was likewise critical of Irving, saying that he dislikes when they have to discuss things that are divisive.
“Now we gotta answer for what this idiot has done,” Shaq said. “I stand for equality of all people, I’ve always been like that — don’t matter what religion, don’t matter where you’re from.”
He continued to excoriate Irving for making him have to “answer questions for what he’s done” before summing up his thoughts on Irving succinctly: “It’s obvious, by his answers and the way he answered, he doesn’t really care.”
Beyonce is classy in many ways, including the fact that she often sends thank-you notes to epople. In August, Madonna posted the one she received from the Renaissance performer: “Thank you, Queen. I’m so grateful for you. You have opened so many doors for so many women. You are masterpiece genius,” she wrote.
Syd, known for her role in the collective Odd Future, is the latest collaborator to share a note she received from the one and only Beyonce. However, this one has more people questioning the meaning. It reads: “Thank you for contributing so much to the film. I’m looking at the footage and you’re incredible. I’m forever grateful. B.”
Fans think a #RENAISSANCE film is coming following a thank you note Beyoncé wrote to musician, Syd:
Could it be true? A Renaissance film? It’s possible, considering the beloved Lemonade movie. “I’m grateful that this body of work has resonated so deeply with so many people,” Beyonce wrote on Instagram on the fifth anniversary of Lemonade last year, alongside images from the Lemonade movie. “I’m so thankful for all the beautiful souls involved in making one of my favorite pieces of art. As I celebrate five years of LEMONADE, I encourage everyone to continue healing, loving, forgiving and uplifting.” She added, “I hope you find joy today.”
The end of the year brings another big budget epic about old Hollywood starring Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt. It’s called Babylon, from Whiplash, La La Land, and First Man director Damien Chazelle, and it goes all the way back to the late 1920s, during the film industry’s uneasy transition from the “silent” era to the infancy of synch sound. In Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Robbie played a real historical figure (albeit one who avoided the same grisly fate). But is she (or Pitt) playing a real person in Babylon?
The answer is no. Robbie’s character, starlet Nellie LaRoy, may not have ever existed, but like most of the cast, she’s playing a composite, a mash-up of sorts comprised of Clara Bow, Jeanne Eagels, Joan Crawford, and Alma Rubens. The same goes for Pitt’s aging matinee idol Jack Conrad, who has bits of John Gilbert, Clark Gable, and Douglas Fairbanks in his DNA.
In fact, right now it appears only one actor is playing an actual person. That would be Max Minghella, who’s taking on the role of Irvin Thalberg, the “Boy Wonder,” who became the head of production at MGM at the ripe age of 26. He died young, too, succumbing to pneumonia just over a decade later, at the age of 37.
Babylon follows a Mexican-American immigrant (Diego Calva) as he enters the Hollywood system, first as an editor, during perhaps its wildest era (though you wouldn’t know it watching the more lighthearted depiction in the classic musical Singin’ in the Rain). It was a time of debauched Jazz Age bacchanalias, as witnessed in the film’s bonkers trailer, which features such sights as a hopped-up Robbie threatening to fight a dangerous snake. Meanwhile, the industry was in the midst of being upturned by new technology, which would create new jobs while also destroying many others, and not just the “silent” stars who never transitioned to a medium that suddenly boasted speech.
When Babylon comes out on limited release on Dec. 23 and in wide release on Jan. 7. It will be a bumpy — and long (read: 188 minutes) — ride.
While sour beers are nothing new in the history of beer, they’ve become very popular in the American craft beer world over the last decade. They’ve been brewed for centuries but for some reason, American beer drinkers are really embracing them lately. Specifically, in the last five years, the popularity of sour beers has increased dramatically as drinkers seem to be loving this tart, acidic beer style.
Don’t believe us? Visit your local craft brewery and see if they aren’t selling a fruited sour or gose.
For those unaware, the term “sour beer” is an umbrella term that includes many beer styles. This includes traditional lambics, geuze, Flanders red ales, Berliner Weisses, German-style goses, and even fruited sours. They’re known for their sour, acidic, and tart flavor notes. Many of these include different fruit flavors, while the gose-style takes it one step further and adds salt into the mix.
Sour beers are great for the fall months because they’re yeasty, tart, and (in many cases) drink more like a wine than a classic beer. They range in alcohol but are usually lower than most fall beer styles. We love them and brewers agree. So we asked a handful of well-known brewers and craft beer experts to tell us their favorite sour beers for autumn. Keep scrolling to see all of their picks.
The Shades Thai Tom Kha
The Shades
Jody Valenta, co-president and COO of Roadhouse Brewing in Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Shades Thai Tom Kha. Honestly, this brew is consumable all day every day, but the coconut, lemongrass, galangal, kafir leaf, and lactose just work so well together to provide a lighter beer that’s still perfect to put in your pack for winter excursions or to sip around the fire.
Amorphic The Horse You Rode Out On
Amorphic
Garth E. Beyer, certified Cicerone® and owner and founder of Garth’s Brew Bar in Madison, Wisconsin
ABV: 6.5%
Average Price: Limited Availability
Why This Beer?
The sour I’m grabbing is the one that makes me feel like it’s not fall/winter because I want to drink something that takes me away from cold, damp weather. For that, I’m drinking Amorphic Beer’s The Horse You Rode Out On which contains loads of cactus fruit and hibiscus. The end flavor tastes like a watermelon jolly rancher and makes you forget it’s below freezing outside.
Blue Owl’s Professor Black, a dark cherry sour stout. It is not super sour, but the tartness really brings out the dark cherry and the darker malts provide balance and a good base. A nice balance between tart fruit and bold malts. A must-try this fall.
Hopfenstark Boson de Higgs
Hopfenstark
Daniel Gadala-Maria, brewer at Finback Brewery in Glendale, New York
Boson de Higgs by Hopfenstark of Quebec, Canada. Crushable at 3.8% ABV, this beer plays a really interesting game between the acid and smoke. Tart enough to be thirst-quenching, while satisfying my craving for more savory flavors the cool weather brings on. A very cool beer.
Rodenbach Grand Cru is an absolute classic when it comes to sour beers. Extraordinarily complex with just the right amounts of acidity, residual sweetness, wood, and fermentation character. There’s a reason it constantly gets added to “best” lists. It’s just a well-made, tart, perfect beer.
Tart of Darkness from The Bruery. The roasted character of the stout coupled with the slight vanilla and oak flavors from the barrel collide gracefully with intense tartness produced by the bacteria and wild yeast that is used to give this beer its signature flavor. They meld together to give you a sour, dark, bold beer. Perfect if you are in the mood to board the tart train on a winter’s night.
This is a party in your mouth and the river of flavors runs deep.
Kriek Lou Pepe by Cantillon. I wish I remembered more Cicerone-approved lingo to describe this beer, but I don’t. First, you see a mesmerizing red color with a beautiful pinkish head which already takes you to a different realm. The aroma is that of red wine poured into a glass that had champagne. The flavor is incredible, I know that’s not a canonic flavor, but that’s what I experienced.
Cherry, tart, intense, Europe, history, the smell of rain on a stone-made road surrounded by a bit of moss.
Another classic and the sour beer that got me into sour beer is New Belgium Brewing’s La Folie. Assertively tart initially, but as your palate gets used to it and the beer warms, complex notes of sweet malt, tart cherry, plum, and dried dates begin to appear. This beer is a true journey of flavor.
I’ve really come to like Allagash Haunted House which is a dark hoppy ale. It’s not like the rest of the fall beers, but somehow still tastes like fall. Smooth, dark hoppiness is a great fall recipe. This Belgian-style ale is also yeasty, funky, slightly sour, and highly memorable.
I used to love to drink Lindeman’s Faro Lambic. It was a younger Lambic that was sweetened and was just insanely drinkable while still having some of that great funky Lambic character that wasn’t too sour and crazy. Maybe I’ll try one again this fall.
Hanson of Sonoma/Humboldt/St. George/Greenhouse/istock/Uproxx
In its most basic form, vodka is a crystal-clear distilled spirit that’s comprised mostly of water and ethanol. If that doesn’t sound enticing to you, we get it. It’s unaged and quite often intentionally absent of flavor. While connoisseurs will tell you that approach is patently wrong and that well-made, high-quality vodkas can be extremely flavorful, it’s unarguable that much of the vodka sector is driven by what mixes easily.
Of course, if you don’t like neutral spirits and don’t taste much difference between basic expressions, there’s always flavored vodka.
Yes, we get it. Flavored vodka can be overly sweet or loaded with strange, generic, synthetic flavors that make you wish you were simply drinking regular vodkas instead. But they aren’t all nightmare-inducing. In recent years, there have been a surprising number of palatable, even memorable flavored vodkas hitting the market.
We found eight flavored vodkas that aren’t completely devoid of flavor but also aren’t cloyingly sweet and unbearable. Keep scrolling to see where they ranked.
Ketel One is a big name in the vodka world. This Dutch brand is known for its high-quality, flavorful vodka. Its Oranje ramps up the flavor with the addition of the flavors of Valencia and Mandarin oranges. Fruity, citrus, and a great base for your favorite cocktail.
Tasting Notes:
Not surprisingly, the nose is completely citrus-centric. There are notes of lemon zest and orange peel and really that’s it. But that’s to be expected. The palate is more of the same. It doesn’t taste super generic, but it’s just orange with just a hint of spice and really that’s it.
Bottom Line:
Ketel One Oranje isn’t overly exciting and that’s the point. There is a ton of orange flavor, but it’s not overly sweet. It’s just kind of boring.
Polish brand Belvedere is renowned for its high-quality vodkas. It’s no surprise that it makes a pretty decent line of flavored vodkas. The pinnacle of its Organic Infusions line is its blackberry and lemongrass-flavored vodka. It’s made with no extra additives, pesticide chemicals, and added sugar.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find aromas of lemon zest, ripe berries, and just a hint of peppery sage. Drinking it reveals more berries, lemon, baking spices, and light vanilla. There are a ton of flavors going on with this vodka and that makes it a little muddled — there’s almost too much going on.
Bottom Line:
This vodka can best be described as busy. While the flavors aren’t sugary or overly bold, there are just too many flavors and none really stand out.
If you simply grab a bottle of each of St. George’s flavor vodka lineup, you’ll likely be fairly happy. But, if you only buy one, make it St. George Green Chile Vodka. Perfect for sipping neat or as the base for a bloody Mary, this vodka is flavored with five California-grown peppers (serranos, habaneros, jalapeños, and red and yellow bell peppers) as well as lime peel and cilantro.
Tasting Notes:
This is a very fragrant vodka with notes of lemon zest, cilantro, and peppery spice making strong appearances. The palate tastes like jalapeños, cilantro-filled salsa, citrus zest, and more cracked black pepper. It’s a very spicy vodka that definitely isn’t for everyone.
Bottom Line:
It’s warming and spicy, but not overly hot. There are enough fresh flavors to make this the perfect base for a bloody Mary. It is a little too much for some drinkers though.
This Texas-made vodka is sugar-free and flavored with peach and orange blossom. It’s made with no carbs and artificial flavors. A great fruity, citrus alternative for your favorite refreshing gin-based cocktail any time of the year.
Tasting Notes:
Aromas of ripe peach, orange, vanilla, and light spices great your nose before your first sip. The flavor follows suit. It’s surprisingly smooth with a ton of juicy, fruity peach up front that moves into bright, tangy orange. It’s fruity, slightly sweet, and memorable.
Bottom Line:
Sometimes when you combine multiple flavors in flavored vodka, they can seem a little murky and muddled. This one isn’t. Both flavors shine through, but it’s not overly sweet or sugary.
With the rise in popularity of cannabis and weed-centric products in the last few years, it should come as no surprise that there’s a hemp-flavored vodka. This award-winning vodka is infused with locally-sourced hemp to give it an earthy, herbal, piney flavor.
Tasting Notes:
A lot is going on with this vodka’s nose. It’s so herbal and earthy, it almost smells like a gin. Pine needles, citrus zest, fresh-cut grass, and herbal, floral notes are noticeable. The palate is surprisingly botanical with more pine, dank pine, and light vanilla. The ending is a mix of sweetness and spicy pepper.
Bottom Line:
This is a very unique vodka and we say that in the best way possible. It’s herbal, earthy, piney, and dank. You’d have a hard time convincing someone this isn’t a gin though. Even our staffers.
One look at this vodka and you know you’re in for something different. This orange-hued vodka is gluten-free, small batch, filtered through lava rocks, and infused with dried California-sourced apricots.
Tasting Notes:
One sniff and you literally feel like you’re smelling a bowl of dried apricots as opposed to vodka. While you can’t really smell anything else, this aroma is totally inviting and asks you to take a sip. The palate, while ripe peach and apricot centered also has notes of vanilla, lemon zest, and light spice. Overall, a fruity, slightly tart, delicious, easily mixable vodka.
Bottom Line:
Don’t let this vodka’s bold color dissuade you from buying it. It’s fruity, sweet, citrusy, and well-suited as the base for your favorite fresh vodka cocktails.
The folks at Hanson of Sonoma Distillery noticed that a local farm was growing Meyer lemons. This made them realize that the tart fruit would be the perfect complimentary flavor to their popular vodka. They’re hand-peeled and macerated in the brand’s Organic Original Vodka.
Tasting Notes:
Another vodka that smells more like a gin, it’s highlighted by the aromas of lemon peel and gentle spices. The nose is actually fairly mild which is a good thing. The citrus is also there on the palate, but it’s not in your face, it’s gently in the background throughout while earthy, botanical flavors make an appearance as well. It’s lightly flavored but has enough citrus to make it a great base for a gin & tonic.
Bottom Line:
The true appeal of this vodka lies in its subtlety. It has a nice tart kick of lemon zest, but it’s so much more than that. A truly special flavored vodka, for sure.
Could there be better playmates than vodka and cucumber? We don’t think so. This award-winning vodka is 100% organic, gluten-free, and flavored with crisp, refreshing cucumber. It’s subtle, fresh, and highly mixable.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find fresh cucumbers, light citrus peel, vanilla, and some pepper. The cucumber does dominate and it’s really inviting. The palate is crisp and light with more cucumber, citrus, vanilla, and herbal, earthy flavors. It’s very refreshing and shines most when it’s just mixed with soda water.
Bottom Line:
This might be the most refreshing, crisp, flavorful vodka on the market. The cucumber and citrus flavors are exceptional. It’s the kind of bottle you’ll always want to have on your home bar for mixing fresh cocktails.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
