‘Game of Thrones’ is known for its gruesome, bloody fight scenes and few have been more difficult to watch than those perpetrated by The Mountain. The hulking juggernaut of a man is most famous for (spoiler alert) crushing the head of Oberyn Martell like an over-ripe cantaloupe among other unspeakable acts. The menacing role had previously been held by a […]

Lots of shops call themselves coffee bars, but they’re really just glorified takeout counters. Not so at the Intelligentsia Coffee location in Chicago’s Logan Square, which smartly houses its equipment on a center island flanked by two long rows of bar-style seating. In this clip, Intelligentsia educator Ryan Soeder pulls an espresso on the shop’s custom La Marzocco Strada EP […]

Many of us have tricks to get us through the most unpleasant parts of our daily routines. Maybe it’s buying a bagel before braving your commute. Maybe you eat your vegetables before digging into the cheesy, creamy entrée. (Delicious though they can be, “vegetables first” has become an expression for doing a difficult task before the reward for a reason.) […]

Sorry, Unicorn Frappuccino lovers. Starbucks is cutting down on the number of special limited-time drinks. The past year saw a number of special concoctions including the Unicorn Frappuccino, the Christmas Tree Frappuccino and the recent Crystal Ball Frappuccino, which debuted in March 2018. But it seems Starbucks’ tastes have changed. The coffee company is cutting back on those available for […]

Does your wine smell bad—like rotten eggs or burnt matches? Drop a penny in it. This is one of those too-simple-too-actually-work solutions that most people assume must be a myth. But there’s real science behind the trick to explain why it does, in fact, work. The YouTubers from the Reactions channel, who have previously taken on such food mysteries as […]

Margaritas, whiskey sours, French 75s, Sidecars—any number of classic cocktails feature citrus in a starring role. Lemon and lime are cocktail staples, while you’ll often see orange and grapefruit juice called for, too. But why stop there? We’ve played around with fresh, fragrant Meyer lemons and juicy little clementines in the past, but recently, we’ve been enamored with these little fellows, known […]

Move aside, George Clooney. While it’s becoming ever more fashionable for celebrities to foray into booze (see: Clooney’s Casamigos, Bob Dylan’s Heaven’s Door, Jon Bon Jovi’s Diving Into Hampton Water), no amount of star power can supplant years of behind-the-bar cred. These days, the best stuff on the market is being made by bartenders.  It’s worth pointing out that, thanks to […]

Ever wonder what would happen to your body if all you drank was soda? In lieu of some sort of ridiculous Super Size Me stunt, you’re probably better off getting your answer from YouTube – which admittedly is still not as authoritative of an option as speaking to health experts firsthand. The YouTube channel AsapScience has a history of tackling […]

A new company called Whiskey Elements started with one question: “What’s the difference between top shelf and well whiskey?” Of course, there’s a lot of history and tradition that goes into making great hooch, but the simplest answer is the taste. Good whiskey can age in oak barrels for decades, a process that adds a range of rich flavors as […]

Is it 150 degrees in NYC right now, or is it just us? Even if you’re in a more temperate climate, you are probably well into iced coffee season. If you can’t wait for the 12 hours it takes to cold brew a cup, the roasting aficionados from Counter Culture have a pour-over how-to for you. They brew it hot, directly over […]