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Summer calls for refreshing cocktails. While rum, tequila, and vodka mixes tend to dominate that conversation, there are plenty of great whiskey cocktails that fit the bill too. The Churchill is the perfect example of these — a great summer vibe drink that’s equal parts refreshing, deep, and suited to backyard barbecue vibes.

A pinch of history: The Churchill is an old-school cocktail from The Savoy in London. It first popped up in an Esquire article back in 1939 and gained prominence over the 1940s thanks to Winston Churchill dominating that era. And yes, the drink was made to honor him and his love of morning pours of Scotch whisky (he always started his day with a Johnny Walker Red Label highball).

The actual drink is kind of a hybrid between a Manhattan and Sidecar with a smoky whisky base. The addition of lime and Cointreau (orange liqueur/triple sec) make this drink super refreshing and light while the whisky and sweet vermouth add serious depth. It’s an easy shaker, so let’s dive right in!

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Churchill

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz. blended Scotch whisky
• 0.5 oz. Cointreau
• 0.5 oz. sweet vermouth
• 0.5 oz. fresh lime juice
• Ice

You’re supposed to use blended peated Scotch whisky for this. I kind of reject that as a nice peated single malt just adds more depth to the cocktail. Something like Johnny Walker’s Red Label simply gets lost. Instead, I’m using a Lagavulin, which has a bold peatiness while still possessing subtler fruit notes that work well in this drink.

Beyond the base spirit, the rest is pretty easy. I like a softer and more floral French vermouth since this is a summery drink. Also, if you can’t find Cointreau for some reason (you should be able to, it’s everywhere), you can substitute with any triple sec.

What You’ll Need:

• Coupe glass (prechilled)
• Cocktail shaker
• Cocktail strainer
• Jigger
• Hand juicer
• Pairing knife

Method:

• Add the scotch, Cointreau, vermouth, and lime juice to a shaker with a larger handful of ice.
• Affix the lid and shake the cocktail for about 15 seconds or until the shaker is ice-cold to touch.
• Strain the cocktail into a prechilled glass and serve.

Bottom Line:

This is a summer backyard barbecue party in a glass. It’s so light and airy with a nice hint of smokiness that leans almost toward a peppery brisket bark while the lime and orange brighten everything up.

The best part of this cocktail is that it’s super complex. You’re getting layers of smoked fruits, salty smoked fats, refreshingly bright lime and orange, and a nice sweet floral and spiced vibe from the vermouth. There’s so much going on and it all just works. When I’m grilling or smoking in the backyard, I like to pour a few of these. I always end up pretty damn happy about it.

Horror movies frequently do gangbusters at the box office, especially relative to budget and horror comedy happens to be even more fun, so get ready for The Blackening, which is currently available for for rental on VOD and Amazon Prime Video. When will the project be available for streaming as part of a service package, though? There’s not a precise date as of now, yet one can bet that it won’t be too much longer, and we’ll keep an eye on the situation.

As for the “where” of it all, The Blackening is a Lionsgate film, one can expect it to surface on Starz at some point, but in terms of streaming, that means that the film should be available for the Starz package on Hulu or Amazon Prime Video, which both come with a subscription price of $9.99 per month).

What is The Blackening about? The film takes swings at horror tropes, and there’s a certain cliché that has swallowed itself over the years, to the point where audiences pushed back against it happening. That would be the cliché of the Black character in the movie dying first, and even though this isn’t a trap that films fall into as frequently anymore, it’s definitely still worth mocking. Here’s the film’s synopsis:

“Seven friends go away for the weekend, only to find themselves trapped in a cabin with a killer who has a vendetta. They must pit their street smarts and knowledge of horror movies against the murderer to stay alive.”

The Blackening cast includes Antoinette Robertson, Dewayne Perkins, Melvin Gregg, Grace Byers, Jermaine Fowler, Yvonne Orji, and Jay Pharoah. So, who dies first? You’ll obviously need to watch to find out the answer to that question.

Michael Malone’s had quite the past few months. He was confident and boisterous throughout pressers while his Denver Nuggets rollicked to a 16-4 playoff record en route to the franchise’s first NBA championship. As the organization, its fans and the city of Denver celebrated the title days removed from a Game 5 Finals closeout victory, Malone enjoyed many, many alcoholic beverages during the parade and continued his outspoken ways, which included trolling LeBron James and declaring this Nuggets core would win another title at some point. Less than a week later, he commemorated the championship by getting a tattoo of Denver’s retro ABA logo, Maxie the Miner, on his shoulder.

Amid Denver’s title run, it dispatched the Los Angeles Lakers 4-0 in the Western Conference Finals, which prompted Vic Lombardi of Altitude Sports to call Malone “the Lakers’ daddy” while introducing him to the podium for a speech during the victory parade.

This week, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham appeared on Chris Haynes and Marc Stein’s podcast, “#thisleague UNCUT,” where Ham seemingly made light of those comments and hinted at some possible revenge next season.

“Mike Malone did a lot of celebrating,” Haynes said.

“Oh, wow, you bring up Money Mike. The Lakers’ daddy, right? That’s what they call him, the Lakers’ daddy?,” Ham said. “God bless his soul. This sh*t ain’t over. God bless his soul.”

Both the Nuggets and Lakers project to be heavyweights in a crowded Western Conference in 2023-24, so those matchups should be pretty entertaining. Perhaps, we’re treated to another playoff battle as well to see what Ham exactly meant when he said “this sh*t ain’t over.”

In the return of Uproxx’s Fresh Pair, Port Arthur, Texas rapper (and secret Swiftie) Bun B breaks down his career for hosts Just Blaze and Katty Customs as they break down the custom sneakers they made for him based on that career. One funny anecdote involves the filming of the video for “Big Pimpin’” and Bun’s reaction to receiving a personal phone call from Jay-Z.

Near the 11:30 mark in the episode, Just recalls his reaction to listening to “Big Pimpin’” for the first time, Bun recounts how he and his UGK partner-in-rhyme Pimp C were tapped to appear on the record.

“I thought the call was a prank,” he admits. “It was a blocked number. I was like, ‘Who’s this?’ He was like, ‘It’s Jay-Z,’ and I was like, ‘Yo, stop playing on my phone,’ and I hung up.”

However, Bun picked up when Jay called back and thanks to Jay’s distinctive voice, recognized that it really was the superstar rapper. It’s a great story about how the early rap business still had a personal touch.

Bun also recalls Pimp C’s initial skepticism about the song, the surprise of its success after a prior single flopped, and Pimp’s hilarious reaction to being told to take off his mink coat during the video shoot in Trinidad & Tobago.

You can watch the full interview above and subscribe for more Fresh Pair at Youtube.com/UproxxVideo. Check out a YouTube short of the moment below:

At Uroxx, we only want the best for the people’s princess, Mr. Stanley Tucci. The man who gave Anne Hathaway a makeover in The Devil Wears Prada, who turned Chris Evans into a superhero in Captain America, and who went searching for an entire country while gorging himself on pasta and wine is an American icon. A well-dressed, finely-aged sex symbol who deserves the world. Which is why we find the story about how he fell in love with his now-wife, Felicity Blunt — yes, the sister of Emily Blunt — so damn charming.

While appearing on a BBC podcast last week, Tucci revealed that he tried to end things with Blunt early in their relationship because of their 21-year age gap.

“I was afraid to get into a relationship and I kept trying to break it off because I am 21 years older than she is and I didn’t want to feel old for the rest of my life. But I knew this was an incredibly special person,” Tucci said.

The actor lost his first wife, Kate Spath-Tucci, in 2009 after a painful battle with breast cancer. He met Blunt a few years earlier at The Devil Wears Prada premiere, but the pair didn’t reconnect until 2012, three years after his wife’s passing.

“Felicity has been so incredible taking on a widower and three children whose mother died,” Tucci explained. “That’s a huge thing, at a very young age too. If anybody made things better for all of us, it’s her. She’s the one.” The couple share two children of their own along with two children from Tucci’s first marriage. And while the actor said he’ll always grieve the loss of his first wife, he’s grateful to have found love again with Blunt.

(Via Page Six)

Variety reported last night that Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Kenneth Branagh, and other stars of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer discussed a game plan for their UK Premiere should the Screen Actors Guild go on strike, including moving up the red carpet start time to get it in under the wire. (Under union rules, actors aren’t allowed to do press for projects while on strike.)

As of around midnight last night, they all walked, following the breakdown of negotiations between SAG and the producers guild, even though a strike has not yet been officially called.

“It’s really about working actors,” he continued. “It’s $26,000 to qualify for health coverage and a lot of people are on the margins and residual payments are getting them across that threshold. This isn’t an academic exercise. This is real life and death stuff. Hopefully we get to a resolution quickly. No one wants a work stoppage, but we’ve got to get a fair deal.”

Damon, Blunt, and Branagh all empathetically related their solidarity with the strike and support for their fellow actors.

“Obviously we stand with all of the actors and at whatever point it’s called, we’re going to be going home and standing together through it because I want everyone to get a fair deal,” Blunt said before adding that she plans to join a picket line when the time comes.

If you’re wondering what kind of professional jobbing actors can’t even qualify for health insurance, what with their lavish lifestyles and fancy parties, Mara Wilson (Matilda, Big Hero 6: The Series) offers some perspective:

Obviously Damon, Blunt, and Branagh represent the top of the pay scale, meaning they’re also miles away from being representative of what the average SAG member makes in a year.

Be prepared for more press events to get canceled and for more actors to go on talk shows to discuss their risotto recipes instead of the latest project they’ve got hitting theaters.

(via Variety)

Remble returns after over a year away from the spotlight to deliver more of his hyper-enunciated bars on Blxst‘s new single “Child Of God.” After Blxst sing-raps his way through a gospel-tinged inspirational, the beat switches up and Remble raises some hell, contemplating the darker side of life in Southern California. Where Blxst gives thanks for his growing list of blessings, Remble prays for protection — but still makes sure to let any potential enemies know he’s got a backup plan on him at all times.

The San Pedro rapper seemingly disappeared from the public eye in 2022 after having an impressive breakout year in 2021. After dropping his debut album, It’s Remble, in July and caught a wave in September with “Rocc Climbing” featuring Lil Yachty, though, he was devastated by the death of his greatest benefactor, Drakeo The Ruler, who’d signed him to his Stinc Team label. It seems he’s making his recovery now, making his first foray back into the spotlight with the help of Blxst, who has been as visible lately as Remble has been low-key.

Blxst is fresh off of curating the soundtrack to NBA 2K23‘s Season 7 and contributing his signature smooth choruses to tracks from Tyga & YG and Roddy Ricch. Check out “Child Of God” above.

Remble is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

By now, you definitely know that someone brought cocaine into the White House, and this was discovered over the Fourth of July weekend. No one from the First Fam was on site, but that didn’t stop the right-wing from acting like Hunter Biden held an unabated drug orgy on the premises. For some reason, this prompted Donald Trump Jr. to get hyperbolic about Diet Coke, and Marjorie Taylor Greene has been on a rage bender as a result. She wants President Biden tested for drug use and to quit NATO while he’s at it, and for the whole family to be tested and “all staff.” Seems a bit excessive.

On Thursday, Greene grew even more heated about the subject after the Secret Service closed their investigation without pinpointing any suspects. The agency couldn’t determine probable cause tie anyone to that baggie due to surveillance footage that was apparently lacking, but that’s not good enough for Greene, and it’s getting to be a bit The Naked Gun up in the joint.

The far-right congresswoman called a press conference as though this was a national emergency and tweeted a clip, along with her complaint about this being “a total failure” because “[t]he Secret Service has narrowed down 500 people as the potential source of cocaine.” She believes that the ball has been dropped because these 500 people haven’t been ordered to take a drug test.

At this point, if any of these 500 people had cocaine in their bloodstream at the time that the errant baggie surfaced, then it would be long gone. Too many days have passed for testing to draw anything close to an admissible conclusion, but Greene’s obsession with the coke makes me wonder if she simply wants to distract from getting booted from the House Freedom Caucus.

Then again, Greene has been known to be a little bit… scattered. Like the time she bid $100,000 for Chapstick during the debt celling fiasco. It happens.

A historic strike has been called in Hollywood, with the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) joining the Writers Guild of America (WGA) on the picket lines. It’s the first “double strike” since 1960. The work stoppage will begin at midnight tonight.

“We are the victims here,” SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher said during a press conference on Thursday. “We are being victimized by a very greedy entity. I am shocked by the way the people that we have been in business with are treating us.” She added, “You cannot change the business model as much as it has changed and not expect the contact to change, too.”

CNBC reports:

Heading into negotiations last month, Hollywood performers were looking to improve wages, working conditions and health and pension benefits, as well as create guardrails for the use of artificial intelligence in future television and film productions. Additionally, the union is seeking more transparency from streaming services about viewership so that residual payments can be made equitable to that seen on linear TV.

“The eyes of the world and particularly the eyes of labor are upon us,” Drescher said. What happens here is important because what is happening to us is happening across all fields of labor.” Meanwhile, Hollywood executives — especially the ones making millions in bonuses every year (so, most of them) — have sided not with the writers or performers, but with greed.

(Via CNBC)

Billie Eilish unveiled “What Was I Made For?,” her new song for the Barbie movie, today (July 13), and it’s an emotional gut punch. It certainly had an impact on Barbie star Margot Robbie, who says she cried the first time she heard it.

In a recent interview, she explained, “You know, the Billie Eilish song at the end of the movie made me cry the very first time I heard it. I still cry.” She then spoke about the recording of the film’s orchestral score before continuing, “There’s been a lot of emotional moments on this movie, unexpectedly emotional moments. But the music music and what Mark Ronson’s done: absolutely incredi… and Dua, of course. Dua Lipa is our Mermaid Barbie and is just the coolest and I’ve loved her for so many years as well. Again, that was the dream, to get her in there, and she said yes, and then she did the song, and we did it for the whole dance at the block party, and it’s just… the soundtrack’s killer, absolutely killer on this. There’s so many artists, I can’t even begin to go through everyone, but it’s killer.”

Robbie shared similar excitement about the Eilish song at the movie’s recent premiere: When asked what song she’s most excited for fans to hear, she responded after not much hesitation, “Uh, Billie’s, yeah. It comes at a really emotional moment.”

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