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Gleefully Lurid 'Brand New Cherry Flavor' Explores The (Black) Magic Of The Movies

Glen Weldon

L to R: Lisa (Rosa Salazar) gets more than she bargained for from Boro (Catherine Keener) in Netflix's Brand New Cherry Flavor . SERGEI BACHLAKOV/NETFLIX hide caption

L to R: Lisa (Rosa Salazar) gets more than she bargained for from Boro (Catherine Keener) in Netflix's Brand New Cherry Flavor .

The trippy, lurid and defiantly weird Netflix series Brand New Cherry Flavor wears its influences on its blood-flecked sleeve. Scenes involving a character periodically vomiting up several [spoiler], or discovering a new orifice on their torso, aspire to the exultant body horror of David Cronenberg.

Whenever Catherine Keener's mysterious witch Boro suddenly appears — grinning, watchful, still — amid crowds of people at parties inside swanky art galleries or Hollywood Hills homes, you are meant to recall David Lynch's Mulholland Drive and Lost Highway .

The version of Hollywood depicted in the eight-episode series is one prone to going feathery at the edges, the way films like Barton Fink address the notion of Los Angeles as "The Dream Factory" by forcibly smearing it into the realm of surreal nightmare.

Which is not to say that Brand New Cherry Flavor doesn't succeed in telling its own strange, gruesome, often humorous tale (it's remarkable how well it manages to be dryly funny amid all its wet gore). I cite the filmmakers to which the series is indebted simply to acknowledge that all of its borrowing is clearly both intentional and deliberate.

That may not be immediately apparent in the comparatively restrained episode one, when we meet young Lisa Nova (Rosa Salazar) as she arrives in Los Angeles to crash on the couch of her friend Code (a woefully underused Manny Jacinto) so she can take a meeting with the washed-up producer (Eric Lange) who's expressed interest in her student film.

The series cruises along the broad, sunny freeway of its main plot — Lisa wants to direct the movie that will be based on her student film — for so long that you start to wonder when or if it will take that off-ramp onto the dark surface-streets teeming with the fun stuff promised in the promotional materials — revenge, murder, magic curses, shadowy entities, popped eyeballs, zombies, worm-laced cocaine, creepy plants, poisonous toads, a love interest (Jeff Ward) outfitted with a hilariously convenient death-wish that keeps him hanging around Lisa long after he should flee her — but once it does make that turnoff, it hits the accelerator.

Lisa Nova (Rosa Salazar) in Brand New Cherry Flavor, a tale of Hollywood ... and vines. Netflix hide caption

Lisa Nova (Rosa Salazar) in Brand New Cherry Flavor, a tale of Hollywood ... and vines.

The characters in Brand New Cherry Flavor confront an endless series of deeply disturbing (sometimes pulsating, often slimy, always creepy) things as they go about their day, but one of the series' most appealing (and funny) aspects is the degree to which its two leads — Salazar and Keener — roll with everything they're dealt with.

Salazar's large, searching eyes can and do express surprise, but her demeanor, and especially her voice, suggest someone so preternaturally unflappable that she shouldn't be messed with. (You'll find out the reason for that, if you stick with the series.)

Keener underplays her role, too, delivering her dialogue with a wry, knowing, everyday matter-of-factness, even — especially — when she's discussing the mundane particulars of, say, blood-magic vs. sex-magic. A scene midway through the series, in which Boro takes Lisa along to revisit some people from Boro's past, is an example of Brand New Cherry Flavor playing to its idiosyncratic strengths: The two actors fall into a fluid, symbiotic rhythm — Salazar all sardonic defiance, Keener all smiling, shoulder-shrugging resignation. Both characters project a blithe confidence that they're in control of any given situation, but the key difference — the thing that drives the engine of the series — is that Keener's character is actually in control, while Salazar's only pretends to be.

Some viewers will find Lisa profoundly unlikeable as a lead. To them, her determination to direct a major studio movie with only a single student film under her belt makes her foolish, demanding, even spoiled. Certainly the fact that, when denied that opportunity, she immediately sets out to seek vengeance against Lange's sleazy producer in the form of an irrevocable curse won't help her case.

But the series knows exactly what it's doing. Lange plays her victim, producer Lou Burke, with a smarmy, avuncular charm that can curdle into toxic rage and preening entitlement on a dime. (His is the only character who gets to register how truly insane things get, as the series goes on; Lange, an actor who's turned up on your TV in roles large and small for years, gets a long overdue chance to shine, and seizes it.)

And yes, the revenge Lisa seeks is extreme, outsized, disproportionate. That's the whole point — her desire for vengeance creates a vortex of pain and misery (and creepiness) around her that draws in everyone and everything around her.

Late in the series, we finally get an explanation of who and what, exactly, Keener's character truly is, and where she comes from. It's all a bit undercooked, as is the precise nature of her connection to Salazar's character, and at such moments the series vacillates between being intriguingly mysterious and frustratingly vague.

But by that time you hit that scene, you'll have been on the long, strange, and deeply trippy trip that Brand New Cherry Flavor takes you on long enough that you'll most likely do what most of the characters on the series do, whenever they're faced with the uncanny or arcane: shrug, and keep going.

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Netflix’s series Brand New Cherry Flavor might be the grossest thing you see this year

That’s kind of a recommendation

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In almost every one of the eight episodes in Netflix’s limited series Brand New Cherry Flavor , the protagonist barfs up a live kitten. That isn’t a euphemism. Each time, she doubles over, convulses in pain, and heaves until a slimy mass exits her mouth and splats on the floor. Upon closer inspection, it’s always a writhing newborn kitten with wet white fur. A zombie then surreptitiously collects the kitten and brings it to a witch, who drinks its blood. It’s important to know all this beforehand diving into the show, because this isn’t the wildest thing Brand New Cherry Flavor has in store. Things get wilder. And considerably grosser.

That isn’t necessarily obvious from the start. Brand New Cherry Flavor begins plainly by comparison: Movie director Lisa N. Nova ( Alita: Battle Angel star Rosa Salazar) arrives in early-’90s Hollywood with a shocking short film under her belt, determined to expand it into a feature debut. Much of the first episode is dedicated to the work that goes into getting noticed in Hollywood: parties and meetings and conversations over drinks, all of it suspect and drenched in ominous light, because exploitation is in the very air. Then Nova meets producer-director Lou Burke (Eric Lange) who agrees to help her realize her vision. But he betrays her, so she asks a witch (Catherine Keener) to curse him, which ends up costing more than Nova bargained for.

The first and easiest mistake in sizing up this occult horror-noir from Channel Zero creator Nick Antosca and Lenore Zion would be to reduce it to its overly apparent influences. Put frankly, Brand New Cherry Flavor comes across as a shameless ripoff of Davids Lynch and Cronenberg. The former is evident in the lens the series takes to Los Angeles, one obsessed with foreboding, winding highways and nonsensically dreamy imagery. The latter comparison comes when Brand New Cherry Flavor digs into its occult elements, all of which come with a healthy amount of body horror.

Brand New Cherry Flavor — the mildly obnoxious title comes from the novel of the same name by Todd Grimson, but is never really explained — isn’t terribly clever in cribbing from two of cinema’s most beloved weirdo auteurs. Most of its imagery recalls better projects like Mulholland Drive or eXistenZ , but Antosca and Zion’s commitment to telling a deeply unsettling occult story is, for lack of a better word, bewitching.

In spite of the seemingly endless possibilities brought on by the streaming era, I’m hard-pressed to think of the last thing I saw that was this fucking gross . Stews of raw rodent entrails are consumed, repulsive substances are extracted and injected, and there’s a sex scene I’d rather not talk about. This makes Cherry Flavor feel disorienting and oppressive in a way that mirrors Lisa Nova’s descent into Los Angeles’ occult underworld, where horrible things are done in exchange for power and influence.

But Brand New Cherry Flavor lingers beyond that initial shock of revulsion. It’s a story about power and exploitation, a dark revenge thriller about a woman who wants to punish the powerful man who iced her out of her own dream. The series uses its occult twist to complicate its story in compelling ways. Its portrayal of art and witchcraft aren’t that dissimilar: The show’s characters view both as selfish acts that always come at a steep cost, one that the perpetrators might not be willing to pay.

The barfed-up kittens are a metaphor, of course. Boro, the witch, tells Lisa that there’s something special inside of her, and that the price of the curse Lisa seeks will be a regular taste of that essence. Lisa doesn’t make anything after arriving in Los Angeles, but the story never lets the audience forget that she is an artist , and that her art cost something. Across eight episodes, the writers of Brand New Cherry Flavor argue that these are both dangerous things: People should be careful when they’re about to commit an act of witchcraft or art, because they never know what they might find spilling from their mouths further down the line.

Brand New Cherry Flavor launches on Netflix Friday, August 13.

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Netflix’s ‘brand new cherry flavor’: tv review.

This new Hollywood horror-satire series offers zombies, slithery executives, kittens, revenge curses and shades of #MeToo drama.

By Daniel Fienberg

Daniel Fienberg

Chief Television Critic

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If you have a loopy film or TV premise that requires massive audience buy-in of the sort only a truly committed central performance can engender, having Rosa Salazar as your star is a tremendous boon.

In just the past five years, Salazar has been integral to helping sell the imaginative whimsy of Man Seeking Woman , the technological ambition of Alita: Battle Angel and the rotoscoped philosophical madness of Undone . Salazar makes interesting choices and her commitment to those oddities is reliably worth watching.

Brand New Cherry Flavor

Airdate: Friday, August 13 (Netflix)

Cast: Rosa Salazar, Catherine Keener, Eric Lange, Manny Jacinto, Jeff Ward

Creators: Nick Antosca and Lenore Zion from the book by Todd Grimson

Netflix ‘s new horror-satire Brand New Cherry Flavor may be the best showcase yet for Salazar and her ability to carry a project that, with a different lead, would have collapsed under the weight of its self-conscious weirdness. She’s funny, sympathetic and possessed of an off-kilter energy that represents the best aspects of the limited series around her. She isn’t the only reason to watch Brand New Cherry Flavor , but she’s surely the best reason to keep watching a show that, stretched far beyond the capacity of the material at eight hours, will probably be too disturbing for those who like their entertainment vanilla and too vanilla for those who like their entertainment truly and consistently disturbing.

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‘Brand New Cherry Flavor’ Review: Revenge Gets Horrifying in a Sensational Netflix Fever Dream

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“ Brand New Cherry Flavor ” takes place roughly 30 years ago. If the murderer’s row of college radio deep cuts didn’t eventually tip you off, the on-screen setup puts the new Netflix show somewhere in the “early ’90s.” What transpires after that simple introduction is a meticulous, slow-motion fever dream, one that transpires with the occasional help of pay phones, VHS tapes, and print headlines.

The new limited series has plenty more on its mind than aping a particular time and place. “Brand New Cherry Flavor” carries all the psychological trappings that come with the curdled glamor of Los Angeles, but this is a specific kind of Hollywood story; one that exists in its own self-contained universe, detached from a conventional decade-signaling aesthetic. Very quickly, the show establishes its primary concern isn’t enduring stardom or lavish luxury. It’s a supernatural revenge tale brought on by what’s ostensibly a simple legal dispute.

Lisa Nova ( Rosa Salazar ) is an aspiring filmmaker, arriving in L.A. armed with an air of directorial confidence, a creeping sense of paranoia, and a killer calling card of a short film that quickly lands the attention of ethically murky producer Lou Burke (Eric Lange). When the promise of furthering her artistic vision doesn’t quite come to fruition, Lisa’s first stop isn’t the DGA. Going off little more than ethereal suggestions and the same kind of impulses that guided her short, she consults a mysterious woman (Catherine Keener) with a very particular way of helping Lisa get what she’s looking for.

Series co-creators Nick Antosca and Lenore Zion are both alums of the Syfy anthology series “Channel Zero,” a perfect primer for their latest project’s hazy blurring of real-world trauma with more mystical dangers. (Antosca created both series, while Zion worked on the last season — the one haunted by a childhood imaginary friend come to life .) Industry horror stories turn out to be just as fruitful as ones birthed from the internet, with “Brand New Cherry Flavor” taking on the same kind of reality-puncturing developments that don’t need an explanation to be terrifying. The longer the story goes, the more the pretense of a conventional drama falls away.

In the process, few series this year prove as adept at translating stress into visual form. Whether by shades of degrees or through a kilowatt jolt of nervous energy, “Brand New Cherry Flavor” feasts on the insecurities of both character and viewer, even as it veers toward a brewing showdown that covers far more than rights of first refusal. Pilot director Arkasha Stevenson (another “Channel Zero” alum ) and the rest of the season’s directors (Gandja Monteiro, Matt Sobel, Jake Schreier, and Antosca) each offer their own ever-so-distinct takes, each insidious in their own way and bathed in a lava-lamp rainbow palette that drives home the dreamlike feel of this particular rabbit hole. Credit also to DP Celiana Cárdenas, whose camera never moves along the same plane twice, taking in as much of this world’s detail as possible without taking focus away from the key developments happening within the frame.

It isn’t an all-encompassing world on display in “Brand New Cherry Flavor.” Before long, this metaphysical tug-of-war draws in a movie megastar (Jeff Ward), though his presence is less about establishing any fictional on-screen talents than setting him up as a willing accomplice. Still, when the show needs to be specific, it does so with skill. Lisa’s short has to be this tractor beam of an artistic object, luring in big-shot producers and above-the-title talent. Unspooled in snippets throughout the series, it’s recognizably a student film, the kind of work conjured after a steady diet of Maria Falconetti, Cindy Sherman, and Luis Buñuel. Yet it’s haunting in its own right, in a way that shows the power Lisa has over everyone who stands in her way, even when she’s not in the room. The whole thing doesn’t come into focus until well after things in Lisa’s life begin to spiral, and there’s a tactile nature to what’s in those few minutes that gets mirrored in these eight episodes’ most unforgettable sequences.

After “Undone” (a 2018 Amazon Prime Video gem ripe for discovery in its own right for those who haven’t caught it yet), “Brand New Cherry Flavor” marks yet another series Salazar is able to carry, even through some taxing performance demands. The sheer physicality of Lisa’s trials — some pain meted out in otherworldly forms and still more in ways frighteningly real — are tall enough a task. To be able to shade the moments in between with the kind of alternating bewilderment, exasperation, and resignation that marks Lisa’s rocky road to reclaiming her own work (and body and life) is proof of a skillset that few other actresses would be able to bring.

Her on-screen sparring partner Lange is presented with plenty of Lou’s ordeals, too. To watch him slide in and out of scummy producer mode, all while slowly losing grip on the control that he feels his status in the industry implies, is a fascinating parallel arc. Lange arrives channeling some of the best ‘90s Michael Keaton energy since ‘90s Michael Keaton — where Lou goes from there is a case study in eliciting a certain kind of blunted empathy for a character who arguably deserves it the least. Keener remains an enigma throughout the series (and necessarily so). As Lisa tries to parse out who this woman is and what she’s really after, the matter-of-fact way that Keener presents an escalating series of gnarled details and directives is chilling in its own right.

Through the swirling storm of alliances and oaths and performative rituals both pagan and showbiz, “Brand New Cherry Flavor” is fragmented without being incoherent. The idea of healing becomes an emerging theme over the course of the series, and it’s almost as if this hazy narrative is a collection of broken bones trying to set itself back into place. As the past and present start to converge, there’s a distinct sense that these characters, as they lose their ability to track certain rules and consequences, are gradually giving themselves over to whatever fantastical turn this story takes.

Whether it’s Lisa or Lou or anyone else swept up in their battle of wills, there’s a particular kind of inconsistency in the way that characters respond to the disturbing, absurd developments surrounding them. At times, these oddities are accepted at face value, tiny trip-ups in reality that can be explained away by bad coke or just Hollywood being Hollywood. Watching that relative nonchalance melt away as these curious developments get stranger and stranger is part of what gives the show its magic. In a showbiz-centered story rife with metaphorical possibility, the overarching theme seems to be what you’re willing to endure and to whom you’re willing to bind your fate. Rarely has a story about a movie proven the old adage that “no one knows anything” quite like this.

“Brand New Cherry Flavor” premieres Friday, August 13 on Netflix.

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Brand New Cherry Flavor review – crazy, original & bizzare

This review of the Netflix limited series Brand New Cherry Flavor does not contain spoilers. It will be released on the 13th of August 2021.

Following the release of Hit & Run last week, Netflix is rolling the dice again with Brand New Cherry Flavor. Set in the early 90s, an ambitious filmmaker, Lisa Nova (played by Rosa Salazar), travels to Hollywood with hopes of making her own movie. But following betrayal, she embarks on a supernatural mission of revenge, which just so happens to collide with her hallucinatory rabbit hole of sex, magic, revenge, and kittens. Trust me; the kittens are going to be the part that you remember.

Rosa Salazar is outstanding as the leading actress in Brand New Cherry Flavo r; she brings a lot of flavor to the role. Plus, when it’s hard to imagine anyone else playing the lead character, it shows how great Rosa’s performance is. It also has to be said that Jeff Ward, who some may remember as Seth Marlowe in the No-End House entry of the Channel Zero horror anthology, is fantastic in his role as A-list movie star Roy Hardaway. Let’s hope that Jeff gets a role as a Leading Man in the near future. A little side note, Brand New Cherry Flavor was co-created by Nick Antosca, who created Channel Zero! Additional cast members Catherine Keener and Eric Lange have characters that will have you feeling all kinds of emotions. In particular, Eric Lange’s role as Lou Burke will have you shouting with anger.

It’s a unique watch with a heavy sense of WTF throughout, mainly due to the loopy nature of how the story plays itself out. But with the writing and directing being top-notch, the craziness makes sense in the world of Brand New Cherry Flavor . The craziness alone brings enough originality that ensures that the limited series is well worth a watch (or two).

Brand New Cherry Flavor won’t be to everyone’s flavor; some might not make it past the first episode, but for those that do, it’s going to be hard to take your eyes off the screen. (Even if you want to in some cases). As the show is such a bizarre watch, you likely need a summary of what’s happened. With both this series and Hit & Run being among the most entertaining that Netflix has been released, the streaming service is seriously proving to be top of the pack.

What do you think of Netflix’s Brand New Cherry Flavor? Comment below.

Article by Jonathon Wilson

Jonathon is one of the co-founders of Ready Steady Cut and has been an instrumental part of the team since its inception in 2017. Jonathon has remained involved in all aspects of the site’s operation, mainly dedicated to its content output, remaining one of its primary Entertainment writers while also functioning as our dedicated Commissioning Editor, publishing over 6,500 articles.

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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Brand New Cherry Flavor’ On Netflix, An Oddball Horror Series About Early ‘90s Hollywood And Deranged Kittens

Where to stream:.

Brand New Cherry Flavor
Stream It Or Skip It

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What is “horror” to you? Is it seeing a lot of blood and guts? Is it being scared and shocked? Or is it just seeing a lot of weird stuff going on that makes you scratch your head at times and just say, “Ewwww” at others? The new Netflix series Brand New Cherry Flavor tests what you think you like about the horror genre by giving you shocking moments that are more strange than scary.

BRAND NEW CHERRY FLAVOR : STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: A cat wriggles on a dark, windy road. A car is speeding down that road, the driver fiddling with the radio. The cat manages to get out of the way right before the car smushes it pieces.

The Gist: Lisa Nova (Rosa Salazar) is driving that car, a beat-up ’70s-era Trans Am. A graphic says: “EARLY ’90s. On The Way to Los Angeles.” Lisa stops to call a former boyfriend she knows in LA and tells him she’s on the way and can she crash at his place. All the while a mysterious man on a motorcycle is hovering nearby.

When she gets to LA she finds the apartment of her ex, Code (Manny Jacinto), whose girlfriend Christine (Hannah Levien) is more than a little wary of her. But she’s also one of the few people hanging around the flat that’s not in the business; she’s in real estate.

Lisa is there to meet a big-time producer, Lou Burke (Eric Lange), who showed interest in the horror short she made and sent around (on VHS in those days). When she meets him, he’s the usual Hollywood big-shot quirky: Wearing sunglasses indoors, drinking coffee with his sushi, spewing all sorts of bromides about his experiences in show business. But he also likes her film and wants to make a feature version of it. She wants to direct as well as write. He promises that, and the contract he sends over after he options the short says she will direct.

Christine gets Lisa an apartment in a seedy neighborhood, where on one of her first nights there, she sees a group of cats eating from the carcass of what looks like a much bigger cat.

Lou takes Lisa under his wing, trying to shape her pitch and get her past the usual, “I love movies” and “I’m different from other directors” platitudes. He even takes her to a big Hollywood party to introduce her to a backer. There, she sees weird things like a mask that shows people’s thoughts on a screen, and she meets a weird lady named Boro (Catherine Keener), who his holding a cat and tells Lisa that “for you, I could hurt someone.” She scrawls the corner on which she lives on Lisa’s arm.

Before the party, Lou made a pass at Lisa, which she rejected. He tries a more overt pass when they stop on a cliff overlooking the city. When she rejects it and the ride home, he leaves. The next morning, Code tells Lisa that Lou is taking meetings with someone else to direct her film. She storms into his mansion demanding answers. He just gives bromides on “promises vs. arrangements” and others. But when he chokes her in his driveway, she goes to the corner inscribed on her arm and looks for Boro. And then things get really, really weird.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Brand New Cherry Flavor feels like a Hollywood cautionary tale like Hollywood or even something like Episodes told in a style that evokes Twin Peaks .

Our Take: It’s hard to watch Brand New Cherry Flavor , created by Nick Antosca and Lenore Zion, without thinking the entire time, “Huh. This show is pretty freakin’ weird.” And weird can be good; there are some shows that are weird in a good way, like Ultra City Smiths . Some are weird in an interesting way, like the aforementioned Twin Peaks. But Brand New Cherry Flavor just feels like it’s weird for weirdness sake. And that’s never a formula for anything that’s sustainable.

Don’t get us wrong, there’s actually a story that fills in around all the weirdness. But it’s not that complicated a story. A young woman comes to Hollywood to pursue her filmmaking career. She meets with a lecherous producer who wants to stick his tongue down her throat. When she rejects him, he exercises his power to make her life miserable. It’s a story that we all knew about before Harvey Weinstein got brought down, and there’s nothing particularly new about it in this context.

Eric Lange, so brilliant as a series of creeps and weirdos in shows like Unbelievable , does a great job here of making Lou into a quirky but seemingly harmless guy on a power trip who turns violent when he doesn’t get his way. Salazar plays well off him, though we couldn’t shake the feeling that the role of Lisa was written for Audrey Plaza, and the producers found and actress that looked and sounded like her when Plaza wasn’t available. That might not have been the case, and that shouldn’t count against Salazar’s performance, but we felt that it needed a little more eye-rolling snarkiness.

The only other character so far that distinguishes herself is Keener as Boro. We never thought we’d say this about anything Keener does, but she might not play Boro weird enough. The writers linger on her first meeting with Lisa a bit too long, where Boro tells her to feel like she’s inside of a cat like it’s a house then to mentally break stuff. And then when Lisa goes to her after the incident with Lou, we’re still not sure what her magic is or what kind of hurt she’s going to put on the smarmy producer. It obviously involves kittens to some degree, as the deranged final scene of the first episode shows.

But so much of the first episode leaves the relationships and story still undefined, leading the viewer to just concentrate on the weirdness. And that weirdness is so disconnected from the story during that first episode that it’s hard to see where the connection will eventually be made.

Sex and Skin: We see Lisa naked in her bathtub, when Boro’s cat suddenly appears. In Boro’s house, there’s a skinny, weird naked man sitting in amongst her plants.

Parting Shot: After a scene that needs to be seen to be believed, a sweaty Lisa tells Boro, “I want to set his life on fire.” Boro replies, “We can do that.”

Sleeper Star: Jeff Ward plays a well-known actor named Roy Hardaway. He’ll factor into the story somehow, though he doesn’t have a lot to do in the first episode.

Most Pilot-y Line: We know that setting the story in the “Early ’90s” gives the writers some leeway as far as music selections are concerned. But the song “Natural One” was played in one scene; that song came out in 1995, which doesn’t quite make it “Early ’90s”. Tighten that shit up, folks.

Our Call: SKIP IT. Brand New Cherry Flavor has its high points, but its story isn’t unique enough and its weirdness seems like the free-floating kind that makes most viewers scratch their heads at what they’re seeing.

Will you stream or skip the oddball horror series #BrandNewCherryFlavor on @netflix ? #SIOSI — Decider (@decider) August 13, 2021

Joel Keller ( @joelkeller ) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com , VanityFair.com , Fast Company and elsewhere.

Stream Brand New Cherry Flavor On Netflix

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[Review] Netflix’s “Brand New Cherry Flavor” Is ‘Mulholland Dr.’ Meets “Channel Zero” and It’s Glorious

Netflix’s horror opus is a lucid love letter to revenge that thrives on nightmare logic, unhinged performances, and Hollywood’s fake veneer.

“Curses aren’t real.”

There’s a line of dialogue early on in Nick Antosca and Lenore Zion ’s Brand New Cherry Flavor where a character innocently remarks, “You know those nights where every twenty minutes you wake up from a different dream?” That feeling is exactly the chaotic, dizzying, surrealist energy that courses through Brand New Cherry Flavor at every single moment.

Brand New Cherry Flavor begins in an aggressive place that only grows more visceral. It’s full of moody sequences that are bathed in neon light and juxtaposed with uncomfortably extreme close-ups of the human body. It’s the non-existent Bret Easton Ellis and Chuck Palahniuk adaptation that you didn’t know you wanted from a story that’s more layered than what either of them could devise. It’s what Neon Demon should have been. It’s a series that bursts with a glossy look and satirical sheen that’s gloriously in excess. The art design, costumes, and every inch of set dressing work overtime, but in a way that feels infinitely natural. It simultaneously contains some of the wildest visuals and ideas from Antosca’s ( Channel Zero, Hannibal, The Act ) oeuvre that unravel in a slow Rube Goldberg-like nature that shows that revenge–and curses–take time to be done right. And boy does Brand New Cherry Flavor do it right. It’s a neon-soaked nightmare-fueled exploration of identity, sexuality, and the artificial constructs that perpetuate their exploitation.

Brand New Cherry Flavor is largely filtered through the erratic personality of Lisa Nova ( Rosa Salazar ) in her efforts to take 1990s Hollywood by storm. She’s convinced that her hot, new independent short will revolutionize the film industry. This is a story about the inherent power that not only exists inside of women, but how people are desperate to sap this strength for themselves. It’s a perspective that fits Hollywood like a sequined glove as fabricated personalities struggle to sell themselves and their art, but more importantly, learn to accentuate how the spectacular can be hiding in plain sight. Lisa Nova is a character that’s overly ripe when it comes to her desires for the real her to be seen, but it’s also accompanied by a white-hot rage that festers whenever this version of herself is denied and belittled.

Lisa’s discouraging journey begins in a manner that’s meant to feel intentionally traditional and common. Thousands of naïve, optimistic ingenues experience this every year in Los Angeles. She’s repeatedly told that she’s just one in a million. Lisa’s pedestrian origins only strengthen her gradual transformation that asserts why she’s anything but ordinary and actually a phenomenal and unpredictable agent of change. Brand New Cherry Flavor scratches at the surface of complex territory with Lisa’s manipulation and her subsequent revenge plans. It’s naturally difficult to see her get abused, but the actions that she takes are arguably overkill. This forces the audience to reckon with whether Lisa deserves to achieve any of this or if she’s somehow even worse than those that she takes down. Perhaps humility and better coping skills would be a far healthier plan of attack for Lisa.

The audience innately empathizes with Lisa, but each episode entertains the idea that maybe the best solution to all of this would be for her to be taken down. Would audiences rally so hard behind John Wick if the villain just took away the final cut from his debut film rather than killing his dog? That’s almost the question that Brand New Cherry Flavor asks its audience to consider, which seems insane, but it actually makes perfect sense in this artificial world that it constructs. Lisa doesn’t lose a pet, spouse, or child. She’s sad about the loss of her movie, which in Lisa’s lonely existence is more important than all of these things combined. It adds a fascinating wrinkle to this mission where it’s celluloid art that puts all of this horror in motion, which is certainly fitting with Brand New Cherry Flavor’s themes.

Brand New Cherry Flavor is a triumph of tone and upsetting imagery, but it also hits as hard as it does because of the performances that bring these characters to life. Rosa Salazar is an absolute revelation as Lisa Nova. Salazar has been an actor to watch for years now and she’s progressively gotten more exciting opportunities. However, Brand New Cherry Flavor is the showpiece that she deserves and will hopefully garner her even greater attention. She negotiates so many complicated emotions in ways that are just gutting. There are entire episodes where Lisa is strung out on a heightened drug trip and Salazar is able to maintain her wide-eyed invaluable intensity for the full runtime without any of it feeling like a repetitive schtick.

The series also negotiates the unlikely pairing between Lisa Nova and her producer, Lou Burke ( Eric Lange ), who are at opposite ends of this, but have similar passions. Their relationship gets poisoned in the way that L.A. can taint and misrepresent the many things that get fetishized by Lisa and the people that are in the social circles which she strives to enter. To Brand New Cherry Flavor’s credit, it strangely finds a way to almost humanize Lou after it seemingly pushes him to beyond the point of redemption.

Brand New Cherry Flavor is Rosa Salazar’s show to steal, but Catherine Keener as the mysterious Boro is also on a whole other level. This is some of the best work that she’s ever done, which is saying something for the consistent actress. It honestly feels like she’s doing her best Lin Shaye impression as her character walks out of the eerie party from Lost Highway. She’s absolutely chilling and Keener needs to tackle more horror. Boro’s backstory grows increasingly fascinating and it routinely subverts the expectations of what it looks like it’s setting up.

In Brand New Cherry Flavor , Lou tries to force intimacy with Lisa, but the series is also very interested in the shared bond between punisher and sufferer. It argues that there’s inherent pain in intimacy and that it’s its own form of collective trauma. There are some overwhelming sequences that juxtapose pain on top of each other as a way to connect abuser and victim in a disturbingly powerful way. It’s moving that Lisa’s roaring rampage of revenge causes such significant fallout and sheds so much blood, yet at its core, this is just a story about acceptance and culpability that any person can relate with on some level. Brand New Cherry Flavor just delivers it in such haunting and uncomfortable ways that effectively emulate Lisa’s surreal trip to Hollywood.

All of Nick Antosca’s previous horror projects are goldmines of nightmare fuel. Brand New Cherry Flavor dips its cloven hoof into voodoo and witchcraft territory that feels both genuinely upsetting and original. It forces a look inward which prompts great character studies in a natural way. The horror series also has the impeccable ability to take innocuous things like cats or plants and turn them into supernatural conduits of dread. Brand New Cherry Flavor evokes a lot of haunted magical realism, but in the best way possible. It feels like a curse gets unleashed early on in the series and this heavy dread is felt more in every entry.

Brand New Cherry Flavor also contains one of the most disturbing mixes of body horror and sexual expression since Crash or Videodrome . Cronenberg gets explicitly name-dropped in the series, but this show deserves kudos for what it contributes to the subset of horror. It’s unreal. Admittedly, there are few situational scares that feel slightly contrived in their executions, like how Lisa’s Ayahuasca-esque drug trip just happens to come with a side effect of Cenobites. At the same time, these visuals are still super effective so they’re easy to excuse.

All of the directors, which includes Gandja Monteiro, Jake Schreier, Matt Sobel (the director of the upcoming Goodnight Mommy remake), and Arkasha Stevenson ( Legion, Channel Zero: Butcher’s Block ), guarantee every episode is filled with arresting imagery. The series also makes exceptional use of cover songs to recognizable music, which continues to hammer in the series’ themes of transformation.

Netflix has a reliable roster of limited series horror programming that makes offerings like Brand New Cherry Flavor easy to give a chance. However, Brand New Cherry Flavor is such a frightening, refreshing change of pace. Just when it feels like the series verges on predictability it takes a wicked turn and at only eight episodes it doesn’t suffer any problems with pacing. Brand New Cherry Flavor tells an important, timely story that often feels like a new season of Channel Zero , but with an even bigger scope and mission to provoke. Brand New Cherry Flavor provides the perfect taste for horror fans, and audiences won’t ever want to cleanse their palates.

All eight episodes of “Brand New Cherry Flavor” premiere on August 13th, only on Netflix.

Daniel Kurland is a freelance writer, comedian, and critic, whose work can be read on Splitsider, Bloody Disgusting, Den of Geek, ScreenRant, and across the Internet. Daniel knows that "Psycho II" is better than the original and that the last season of "The X-Files" doesn't deserve the bile that it conjures. If you want a drink thrown in your face, talk to him about "Silent Night, Deadly Night Part II," but he'll always happily talk about the "Puppet Master" franchise. The owls are not what they seem.

[Review] Tabletop RPG ‘Mothership’ Has All the Tools for Exploring the Terrifying Corners of Outer Space

In 2019, the first iteration of Mothership , now known as 0e , won several awards at the Ennies, one of the biggest awards in the tabletop RPG space. A couple years later, they ran a massively successful Kickstarter campaign for a print run, earning over $1.4 million. Not only did this include updated 1e rules, but also a core set that contains four additional books along with some fun pieces to bring life to your table. While the game was obviously well acclaimed in its original incarnation, it’s clear that everything in the new Mothership 1e Core Set has improved upon it, making it a total package for any RPG fan.

Mothership allows players to play out sci-fi horror stories about the terrifying things you’ll encounter while exploring the reaches of outer space. While this isn’t exactly new (I’ve previously reviewed both Alien RPG and You’re in Space and Everything’s Fucked for this site to name a few), but it stakes out a space for itself in the genre through a set of rules that are easy enough to learn, but have a character-focused level of complexity to them.

The Player’s Survival Guide is your core book in this set, with all the rules you’ll need to both play and run Mothership . It’s a pretty slight book, clocking in at just about 40 pages, but it packs a lot into its small page count. The dice resolution is done by rolling two ten sided dice, with one representing the tens and one representing the ones, giving you a number between zero and ninety-nine. You have scores for both Stats, which are used to do actions, and Saves, which are used when your character is reacting, and you’ll be attempting to roll under your number anytime you do a Stat or Save check. These Stats can also be boosted by specific skills that come from your class, but those skills only come into effect if they are relevant to the roll. For example, if you have the Botany Skill, that will give you a +10 to investigating a horrible plant growth that’s infecting your ship, but not to all intelligence rolls in general.

Should you fail, not only does the situation get worse, but your character also earns stress, which will come into play when making Panic Checks. These Panic Checks use a twenty sided die, and should you roll less than or equal to your current stress value, there is an effect that is chosen from a panic table that can permanently affect your character going forward. This can be as simple as gaining another stress point or as impactful as being haunted by visions of something visiting them in their dreams. Since the game is about throwing players headfirst into high-pressure situations, adding in these psychological effects will help players roleplay them more complexly, creating a more interesting journey for their characters.

And that character’s journey will likely be a short one. Mothership is meant to be a highly lethal game, so characters often do not survive very long. There’s even a high score that you’re meant to keep track of at the top of your character sheet which keeps track of the number of sessions this character has survived as you continue to rotate in new characters for the players to inhabit. The core of the character survival system is a combination of health and wounds. Characters will start a specific amount of hit points and a maximum number of wounds. Should their hit points reach zero, they reset their HP to max and roll on the wound table. There’s a D10 table with columns for the die result as well as the type of damage you received to help figure out what happens to your character. This could be anything from a snapped collarbone that gives you disadvantage on strength checks or a gunshot wound that will require surgery to survive.

If you reach your maximum number of wounds, you’ll be forced to make a death save. The game encourages you to roll the die and keep it concealed under a cup, only allowing players to find out the result if another player spends a turn checking their vitals. Like the panic system, the wound system does a good job of tying the health mechanics of the game to your character’s development, making for a desperate narrative as you continue to get more and more beat up as you go. The game intends for you to center an adventure on a single, very powerful threat, and it’s thrilling to see how quickly you can go from in control to completely on your back foot.

In addition to the basic rules about stats and dice resolution, the Player’s Survival Guide also includes lots of supplemental rules to make it more of a fully rounded experience. There’s a long list of equipment, including firearms, armor, and trinkets, that can all be purchased in order to aid your character in their adventures. If you want to lean more into the survival aspects of the game, there are rules for dealing with food, water, radiation, cryosickness, and the like so you can fully portray the dangers of outer space travel. You’re also provided with rules for shore leave, where players can reduce their stress levels and convert that stress into improvements of their Save scores, which is a smart way to reward players who embrace the danger and let their stress levels increase through play.

The real highlight of the package for me was the Warden’s Operation Manual , which is a comprehensive guide on advice for running Mothership . This is less about the specifics of the rules and more about the philosophy of conceptualizing and organizing your prep for each session, and it’s full of a ton of great lessons. Since most of the adventures are organized around facing off with one horror, as they call it, they lay out a very smart system they call TOMBS for planning them out. This stands for Transgression, Omens, Manifestation, Banishment, Slumber, the five acts they see in the narrative of interacting with the enemy. This system does a great job of pacing your tale, allowing you to appropriately build tension as players find out more about the nature of what’s going on.

Since stories at the table often come from forcing players to make compelling choices, another piece of advice they give is trying to force players between three different things in the narrative: survive, solve, or save. When you have to make a meaningful choice between helping the scientist get free, figuring out the mystery of the signal that’s been broadcasting, and escaping with your life, it’s guaranteed to make for a memorable session no matter how they react. This book not only helped me think about running the game of Mothership , but also was amazing advice about running any other horror tabletop game, making it a valuable tool that I’ll refer to constantly.

Two of the other books included are supplements that will provide you with some more tools for your GMing arsenal. The first is the Shipbreaker’s Toolkit , which gives you some rules for running a ship, from combat to upkeep, and a list of ship models to give you some base stats and deck plans to work with. The second resource book is a monster manual of sorts, evocatively named Unconfirmed Contact Reports . Inside you’ll find not only stat blocks, but wonderfully creative descriptions of the monsters. As I flipped through this, I found several creatures within that would be easy to center an adventure around. Some of them are more ‘simple’ monsters like zombie or greys, but many of them are more out there than that, ranging from a VHS that makes people into cannibals to a field of energy that can revive any biological life, no matter how many pieces it’s been cut into. The descriptions are well-written, giving you just enough flavor for the entity without filling in all the blank spaces, allowing you to use them however you see fit.

Rounding out the set of books is Another Bug Hunt , an introductory adventure for Mothership that’s meant to span four sessions of play. As the title would indicate, it takes a lot of inspiration from the setup of Aliens, but there are some wonderful twists to the formula that makes it standout. It’s a great storyline with a solid cast of characters and lots of options to present to the players. Carrying forward the tradition of the Warden’s Operation Manual , Another Bug Hunt has a wealth of advice for running the adventure, telling you when and how to present information to the players and how to handle their actions in specific situations. It does a great job of demonstrating how to pace an adventure, starting out with a mission that slowly ramps up the dread and ending with a desperate fight for survival.

The box also contains a bunch of little extras that can give the game a bit more punch at the table. Not only does it give you a set of the dice necessary to play, but it also gives you a set of more than a dozen standees of people, monsters, and ships that can help bring your scenario to life. There’s a double side map that works as an example for a ship layout and a place to play out ship combat scenarios. My personal favorite bonus is a tri-fold GM screen that features all the tables you’ll need right at your fingertips. These elements aren’t all entirely necessary, but they make the total Mothership package feel more special than just a game manual.

All these different books and extras are unified by a nice black-and-white art style that feels very dark and ominous. The images throughout the various books play with several sci-fi horror tropes, but add their own little spin to them to make it their own. Unconfirmed Contact Reports in particular has drawings that range from horrific but clear renderings of monsters to more impressionistic nightmares that capture the entire vibe of the beast in a single image.

The Mothership 1e Core Set is a great package for anyone looking for a sci-fi horror game to bring to their TTRPG group. At its most basic, its rules are simple enough that anyone can pick it up quickly, but there’s also enough to the game beyond the resolution mechanics to allow you to play either a quick and exciting one-shot or a long-haul space-faring campaign where you rotate through a cast of characters as people continue to succumb to the horrors of your journey. Not only is it a great package for players, but the tools Mothership gives you as a GM will set you up for success. There’s a great amount of content that you get for the price, and there’s years worth of extra supplements out there that you can pick up if you’re looking for a thrilling adventure to run for your group.

Mothership is currently available for purchase at the Tuesday Knight Games store .

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Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, netflix’s ambitious brand new cherry flavor wants to mess you up.

“Brand New Cherry Flavor” is a mindf*ck in the best ways. Daring to tackle material that recalls David Lynch ’s deconstructions of the surrealism of Hollywood in projects like “ Mulholland Dr. ,” it's as ambitious as anything Netflix has produced this year. Held together by an incredible performance by Rosa Salazar , it’s not a show in which everything "works," but it’s also quickly easy to forgive its missteps because it’s clearly the product of a showrunner willing to take risks, something we still don’t see nearly enough of even in what should be the more creatively robust world of streaming television. Give me a series that takes big swings and I'll forgive it for missing a few pitches. Recalling everything from “Wild Palms” to “ Lost Highway ,” “Brand New Cherry Flavor” will be far too strange for a lot of Netflix subscribers—this is a good thing.

Co-creator Nick Antosca (with Lenore Zion) knows a thing or two about weird TV, having delivered on of the most underrated horror programs of the 2010s in “Channel Zero.” He brings that show’s energy to some of “Brand New Cherry Flavor,” a show based on the novel of the same name by Todd Grimson that will never offer an explanation for its title. The increasingly great Salazar (“Undone,” “ Alita: Battle Angel ”) does the best work yet of her career as Lisa Nova, a young filmmaker who has come to Los Angeles with dreams of bringing her visions to life. Before she gets the chance, she’s beset upon by a predator named Lou Burke ( Eric Lange ), a power player who promises to make her dreams come true but ends up being truly evil. Lisa turns to a mysterious figure named Boro ( Catherine Keener ) to get revenge, and then things get really weird. Manny Jacinto , having a great month with this and “Nine Perfect Strangers” co-stars, and then the great character actor Patrick Fischler shows up later in the season to remind viewers even more of one of Lynch’s masterpieces.

“Brand New Cherry Flavor” is almost impossible to adequately describe in narrative terms. Lisa starts vomiting kittens. There are actual zombies. A character from Lisa’s past returns in a subplot clearly designed to bring to mind “Saint Joan” and Jean Seberg (and the on-set trauma) for movie fans. Keener is the source of most of the magical stuff and I’m not fully convinced by every acting decision this typically strong performer makes here, especially early in the series when she seems to be playing weird a bit too directly, but Salazar always brings the show back into focus, even when it’s narratively going off the rails. She’s a fantastically present performer, selling the surreal aspects of Lisa’s journey without overplaying them with melodrama. She seems to be actually thinking, feeling, and responding instead of winking at the audience. It’s essential to the success of the show that it has a center that holds while everything goes mad around it, and Salazar understands that.

The first half of the season focuses a bit too heavily on just the battle between Lou and Lisa, but the shows gets stronger as it spins off into stranger flights of fancy in the second half, including a visit to Boro’s past and the aforementioned former of collaborator of Lisa’s. The old joke about Los Angeles is that no one was actually born there, coming to the city of angels from small towns around the world, bringing their own baggage on the trip. “Brand New Cherry Flavor” captures this feeling of displaced trauma, people who struggle to make connections as they run from demons they left in their wake. And yet it’s not a depressing show, often coming to life in gory, fascinating flights of humor and wit.

The truth is that “Brand New Cherry Flavor” only frustrated me when I felt slight twinges of trepidation regarding its tone. Especially in the first half, it's almost like the show really wants to get as crazy as “Twin Peaks: The Return” but someone, possibly Netflix, is holding it back from living up to its surreal potential. I’m not sure if I just adjusted to the fine line the show walks between realistic scenes of dialogue from fully-realized characters and puking kittens, or if it really does get more confident in its tone management as the season goes on. Either way, the last couple episodes are thrilling in a way that makes me want to taste more of this flavor of television as soon as possible.

Whole series screened for review .

Brian Tallerico

Brian Tallerico is the Managing Editor of RogerEbert.com, and also covers television, film, Blu-ray, and video games. He is also a writer for Vulture, The Playlist, The New York Times, and GQ, and the President of the Chicago Film Critics Association.

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Netflix’s ‘Brand New Cherry Flavor’ Makes for a Trippy, Disgusting Descent Into Hell: TV Review

By Caroline Framke

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A few days after enlisting enigmatic witch Boro ( Catherine Keener ) to put a curse on a director who’s wronged her, young filmmaker Lisa Nova ( Rosa Salazar ) is sick of throwing up slimy, mewling kittens as a consequence. “No!” she practically growls, staring Boro down. “No more throwing up kittens!”

Boro shrugs, less than bothered. “Fine, no more throwing up kittens,” she says as she steps back into the shadows, disappearing into the lush jungle that’s overtaken her Los Angeles home. Lisa’s temporarily mollified — until she experiences the bodily result of that request, which is, to say the least, far worse than any of her previous retching. Resigned, she sighs. “Tell her I’ll go back to puking,” Lisa says to Boro’s stupefied lackey (Mark Acheson), who can only grunt in response as he shuffles away.

This sequence of events is only unusual in the world of “ Brand New Cherry Flavor ” insomuch as it demonstrates something akin to a sense of humor about its gross-out surrealism. Otherwise, the limited series is moreso impressed with its own daring to Go There, or to be as disgusting as the freedom of a streaming service will grant it. A dark and twisty series that delights in getting truly gross, Netflix ’s newest tells a scattered tale of vengeance and ownership that’s lucky to have a stellar performance at its center.

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“Brand New Cherry Flavor” — adapted by “Channel Zero” producers Nick Antosca and Lenore Zion from the novel by Todd Grimson — feels like an R.L. Stine book come to visceral life, if Stine’s “Goosebumps” series were rebooted for the adult David Lynch devotees his imaginative kid audience eventually became. The series takes place in a neon-tinged, pulpy version of early ’90s Los Angeles that owes more than a little to horror B movies and paperback books that historically have existed in media’s margins. To this long avowed horror wimp, though, the show isn’t particularly frightening so much as unsettling (though I wouldn’t recommend that anyone follow in my footsteps by trying to eat lunch while watching it — a huge, if obvious, mistake).

Lisa’s thirst for revenge is aimed squarely at Lou Burke (Eric Lange), a predatory horror director who takes advantage of Lisa in order to steal her short film for his own material gain. Lisa, focused and furious, quickly takes up Boro’s offer to destroy his life without fully realizing how that choice might affect hers, too. Keener is clearly having fun embodying the malevolent spark that is Boro, but it’s the reluctantly symbiotic relationship between Lisa and Lou drives much of the show, and both actors quickly lock into that particular dynamic to the show’s benefit. Other actors such as Manny Jacinto and Jeff Ward do their best in supporting roles, but few are fleshed out beyond the core trio of Keener, Lange and Salazar.

Salazar is the show’s clear star, making it plain why experimental shows and films like “Undone” and “Alita: Battle Angel” have depended upon her magnetic performances to keep them somewhat grounded. Even when the series loses track of who Lisa is as a character, Salazar rarely does. No matter how hyperbolic a scene gets, she imbues every one of them with vivid emotion that almost — almost — grounds the show’s self-consciously weird reality. Any time “Brand New Cherry Flavor” gets specific about Lisa’s pain, it comes close to working. Too often, it loses her personality and motivation to Boro’s jungle, Lou’s ego, or the omnipresent viscera of her own blood and guts betraying her along the way. For those curious about getting lost right alongside her, perhaps proceed with a bit more caution than Lisa on her rapid descent into a hell of her own making.

“Brand New Cherry Flavor” premieres Friday, Aug. 13, on Netflix.

Production: Executive producers: Nick Antosca, Lenore Zion.
Cast: Rosa Salazar, Catherine Keener, Eric Lange, Jeff Ward, Manny Jacinto.

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Review: Netflix’s Brand New Cherry Flavor is a gruesome delight

August 10, 2021 Norman Wilner

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BRAND NEW CHERRY FLAVOR (Nick Antosca, Lenore Zion). All eight episodes available to stream Friday (August 13) on Netflix Canada . Rating: NNNN

I don’t know who Brand New Cherry Flavor is for, exactly. I don’t even know if it can be considered “good” by normal metrics. Its whole deal is gruesome, preposterous madness – and keeping the rules of that madness just out of focus. But even when we don’t understand what’s happening, it all makes a cracked kind of sense.

And that means this eight-part Netflix adaptation of the 2011 novel by Todd Grimson will be embraced by admirers of eccentric, weird takes on Los Angeles culture like Under The Silver Lake and, yes, David Lynch’s Mulholland Dr. Though I doubt Lynch would think to go to some of the places Channel Zero’s Antosca and Zion are more than happy to take Grimson’s tale of a young filmmaker, Lisa Nova (Rosa Salazar, of Alita: Battle Angel and Undone), who arrives in Hollywood sometime in the early 90s and is immediately swindled out of her big break by an asshole producer named Lou Burke (Eric Lange, late of Escape At Dannemora and The Man In The High Castle), who options her short film for a feature and immediately cuts her out of the loop. In her rage, Lisa turns to a very strange woman who calls herself Boro (Catherine Keener) to burn Lou’s whole world down. Lisa gets what she wants, eventually. But there’s a very messy price to be paid.

Lisa’s commitment to revenge – and Antosca and Zion’s commitment to going all the way with the story – is what makes Brand New Cherry Flavor so compulsively watchable. The show keeps piling wild twists and unpredictable complications into each episode just to see how much worse everything can get. And it can always get worse.

And through it all, Salazar and Keener’s performances are a delight, especially once Keener’s character reveals the reason for her perpetually nonplussed attitude and Salazar shifts her own intensity into a different, more overtly comic key. Lange’s sneering scenester is equally well-calibrated, in that you cannot wait for his comeuppance to arrive.

Here’s the really compelling thing: for a show that features self-loathing A-listers, backstabbing Hollywood producers, weird art galleries, undead bikers, inexplicable kittens and a couch that doesn’t do anything but somehow seems very threatening just the same, Brand New Cherry Flavor is weirdly, compulsively relatable. I don’t know if that says more about me than I would like to admit, but I couldn’t get enough of it. I cared about the characters. I wanted to know what would happen next.

At its dizzying peaks, it’s like watching some lost European cult movie from the 70 where no two actors were speaking the same language on set and the director was probably gobbling mushrooms between takes, but everyone understood the vibe.

This is a show, after all, where someone can literally eat someone else and have a perfectly good reason for doing so. Come to think of it, the show pays special attention to everything that goes into (and out) of its characters; part of Boro’s curse requires Lisa to eat nothing but a specially prepared stew for 24 hours, which means Lisa has to cart around a Tupperware container full of what looks like month-old oatmeal for most of an episode – requiring Salazar to incorporate it into everything she does like a prop comic. Lisa’s ability to roll with whatever impossible shit comes her way is also a clever device to get us to buy into the escalating weirdness; the place Brand New Cherry Flavor ends up is light-years away from its starting point, and yet there’s a clear path from A to B to whatever ancient rune ultimately stands in for Z.

Give Brand New Cherry Flavor a shot is what I’m saying, I guess. And no, I don’t know what the title means. But it has the right vibe, and that’s all that really matters here.

@normwilner

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Brand New Cherry Flavor

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Watch Brand New Cherry Flavor with a subscription on Netflix.

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Nick Antosca

Lenore Zion

Rosa Salazar

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Young Sheldon Finale Finally Explains Why Mary Was So Vile To George In Big Bang Theory

Why an original chicago fire character is unexpectedly leaving after 12 seasons, show boss explains, that ‘90s show season 2’s missing og actors have a perfect replacement after 20-year-old character introduction.

Here’s how Netflix’s Brand New Cherry Flavor compares to the book, an original cult horror novel by Todd Grimson. In terms of basic premise, both the Netflix series and the novel follow the incredibly twisted journey of filmmaker Lisa Nova, who gets enmeshed with the supernatural in 1990s Los Angeles. However, beyond basic narrative and character similarities, the TV show and Grimson’s source material remain markedly different, as emblematic of most journeys from the page to the screen.

Netflix’s Brand New Cherry Flavor is a macabre tale of power, temptation, and revenge, triggered when producer Lou Burke (Eric Lange) dupes Lisa Nova (Rosa Salazar) into signing an agreement that robs her rights as director in terms of her own work, Lucy’s Eye. While what Lou does to Lisa is a telltale example of the convoluted power structures and exploitation inherent within the glittery world of Hollywood, Lisa’s quest for revenge is nothing short of cruel and ruthless. Vowing to set Lou Burke’s world on fire, Lisa enlists the help of the supernaturally-gifted Boro (Catherine Keener) to snatch away every vestige of hope from the corrupt producer’s life, opening a portal to a hellish world in the process.

Interestingly, the Netflix show takes the element of the grotesque and the macabre up several notches in comparison to the book, taking inspiration from David Lynch’s nightmarish surrealism and David Cronenberg’s unique brand of body horror. Witchcraft plays a seminal role in the enactment of Lisa’s revenge, which unwittingly exposes her to the horrors of the spirit world and the ghosts of her own past. Here are the key differences between the Brand New Cherry Flavor show and book, and how Lisa’s story plays out in a markedly divergent way in the Netflix adaptation.

Brand New Cherry Flavor: The Show Vs The Book

It's important to acknowledge the fact that show creators Lenore Zion and Nick Antosca understandably approach Grimson’s novel from a postmodernist point-of-view, as opposed to the author writing about his own time. At the crux of both pieces lies the character of Lisa Nova, who, in the show, makes an almost immediate breakthrough after her short film, Lucy’s Eye , is circulated among top producers and the Hollywood elite. In the novel, Lisa’s struggle is more pronounced, as she has already co-directed a feature named Girl, 10, Murder Boys , centered around the brutal, real-life murder of Mary Flora Bell. Apart from this, Lisa’s other shorts are even featured in a film festival in Seattle, granting more depth to her filmmaking career while offering a comprehensive glimpse into her multifaceted talents.

While the Netflix show sets up Lisa’s arrival in Los Angeles with her being noticed by an A-list producer right off the bat, the novel opens with Lisa struggling to make it in the city of dreams for a span of two years. In contrast, the show adds a twist of the macabre to the process of Lisa adjusting to Los Angeles, be it in the form of the creepy, decrepit apartment building she chooses to move in, or the lurid reality of being duped by powerful men who intend to own her in one way or another. However, while Zion and Antosca add a touch of sentimental nostalgia to the city, wherein an optimistic Lisa sails smoothly upon arrival, Grimson paints Los Angeles as a death trap, an infernal hellhole, with scores of talented artists like Lisa indulging in rituals of debasement just to make it through the day.

As Brand New Cherry Flavor season 1 adapts certain parts of the novel, several characters like Lou Burke are imbued with greater agency in terms of Lisa’s journey. In the novel, Burke is a minor character who Lisa willingly sleeps with, and then ditches when he is unable to grant her an assistant director job as promised. In comparison, Lisa’s vengeance against Lou in the series is triggered by the latter’s nonchalant abuse of power, as he decides to snatch away ownership of her film due to the fact that she had refused his sexual advances early on in the series. While Lou’s fate in the series is slow and agonizing, even heartbreaking at times, Lou’s treatment in the book is brutal, quick, and not dwelled upon. The novel presents Lou being raped and tortured by Boro’s catatonic bikers, eventually murdered and cut into pieces.

RELATED: Why Modern Sci-Fi Movies Owe A Debt To A Cronenberg Body Horror Classic

What The Show Left Out From The Novel

As the show decided to adapt only a small chunk of the novel, at least for season 1, a lot has been left out or altered for the sake of advancing the plot. For instance, in the show, A-list actor Roy Hardaway is presented as Lisa’s ally, as he, despite his self-destructive tendencies, finds solace in her company. Having experienced intense moments together, such as their time together in the motel when Lisa births a kitten via an unexplainable opening on her torso, or the controversial sex scene that follows after, Roy and Lisa form an unlikely, yet solid bond. In the novel, Hardaway is more of a creep, obsessed with the idea of Lisa starring in a pornographic film, with the two rarely meeting in person or forming a bond of any sort. The same can be said for Boro’s character, gender-swapped for the show, who can jump from one body to another - a trait missing in the novel.

As the novel presents Boro as a witch with no covert intentions towards Lisa, the onus of responsibility is fully owned by our protagonist, who dives headfirst into terror with ease. In terms of what the novel totally leaves out is Lisa’s adventures in Brazil, which could potentially be the central plot in Brand New Cherry Flavor season 2, assuming it happens. In the novel, Grimson dives deep into Lisa’s morbid past, while she undergoes a series of transformations, including reuniting with her father and undergoing an intense exorcism that pushes her to the brink of death. Another seminal character missing from the show is Lisa’s best friend, Christine, although the character of Mary Gray, the lead heroine of Lucy’s Eye , acts as a stand-in, as both Mary and Lucy are Lisa’s former collaborators who seek out Boro for revenge.

What Brand New Cherry Flavor Season 2 Can Take From The Book

While it's too early to speculate the exact direction in which a potential Brand New Cherry Flavor season 2 might branch, it is clear that the next season, if it happens, will delve deeper into Lisa’s past in Brazil. As the jaguar creature is revealed to be her mother, and her oft-repeated visions of a moisture-laden forest haunt her, it will be interesting to witness how Lisa will react to the hidden caverns of her past. Too little is known about Lisa’s ancestry, and how she came to be possessed by an entity during the filming of Lucy’s Eye , which can be explored in greater depth, with direct inspiration from the novel. Also, as Boro’s tale is nowhere near over, as she jumps into Mary’s vessel towards the end of Brand New Cherry Flavor , a power tussle between the two is inevitable. As per what the show can take from Grimson’s tale, the element of Lisa ingesting rare psychedelic drugs to transfer her directorial vision onto a 16-mm film stock might be interesting.

NEXT: How The Mist TV Show Compares to the Book & Movie

SR Originals
Brand New Cherry Flavor (2021)

The Ending Of Brand New Cherry Flavor Explained

Spoilers ahead for Netflix's "Brand New Cherry Flavor."

Netflix's latest limited series, "Brand New Cherry Flavor," is arguably one of the most disturbing, twisted, and just plain gross television shows you'll watch all year. It also happens to be one of the most fascinating horror entries of 2021. Adapted from Todd Grimson's late '90s novel of the same name, the limited series comes from creators and "Channel Zero" alums Nick Antosca and Lenore Zion. "Brand New Cherry Flavor" stars Rosa Salazar ("Alita: Battle Angel"), Eric Lange ("Perry Mason"), Catherine Keener ("Get Out"), Jeff Ward ("Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."), and Manny Jacinto ("The Good Place").

Over the course of eight episodes, we're taken back to the Hollywood of the early 1990s. The story follows Lisa Nova (Salazar), a young filmmaker who gains the attention of fading film producer Lou Burke (Lange) through her shocking horror short film. Lou takes an interest in Lisa and offers her a deal to develop her short into a feature-length film, with the promise to have her direct the movie and mentor her. Lou's predatory side quickly reveals itself when he makes a pass at Lisa after weeks of mentoring her. She rejects him, but his bruised ego leads him to box Lisa out of working on her own movie. Devastated, Lisa seeks revenge with the help of Boro (Keener), an enigmatic dark magic practitioner whose offer to hurt Lou comes at a high price.

As Lisa battles it out with Lou (and eventually Boro), she gets sucked deeper into the macabre underbelly of Hollywood, where magic, deadly spirits, and zombies (yes, zombies) mingle amongst human affairs. To fully understand the finale, we need to take a closer look at Lisa's feuds with Lou and Boro, as well as analyze the meaning behind the show's surreal events.

Lisa wins her deadly power struggle with Lou

"Brand New Cherry Flavor" begins and ends with the fraught, frequently violent power struggle between Lisa Nova and Lou Burke. After forming a bond through Boro's dark magic, Lisa begins her revenge attempts with some shocking attacks: Phantom insect bites, incurable hiccups, and causing the director Lou picked to direct her movie to spontaneously combust at one of Lou's parties. Things escalate when Lou's son, Jonathan, is taken to the hospital and is preyed upon by one of Boro's many zombie guards. Believing Lisa is the person who ordered his son to be turned into a zombie, Lou turns murderous. He arranges for a hitman to kill Lisa, but the job is botched when Jonathan, who feels tied to Lisa, walks in on the attempted hit and Lisa is left for dead.

Meanwhile, Lou's health is spiraling downward after snorting what appeared to be a magical tapeworm amidst a batch of fake cocaine gifted to him by Lisa. As the tapeworm eats away at his brain, Lou grows weaker and more manic. After Lisa recovers her health thanks to a healing milk bath at Boro's, she resolves to kill Lou once and for all. Lisa is given a key to Lou's room at the Bel Air Hotel after having a surreal conversation with the spirit of her mother (more on that in a sec) in the chamber underneath her apartment. Lisa goes to Lou's hotel room, confronts him, and gets him to confess his motivations for ruining her life; her rejection of him made him feel "small." Although disgusted, Lisa eventually gets the last laugh when she removes the tapeworm from Lou's eye and it is revealed in the finale he has gone completely blind.

Lisa narrowly escapes Boro's clutches, but she's not in the clear

Turns out, things between Lisa and Boro are even trickier than Lisa's battle against Lou. Midway through the limited series, Boro reveals she is much older than she appears. In fact, Boro's consciousness has been hopping from host body to host body for centuries and merely inhabits a missing housewife's body at the present. In the final act, which roughly begins at Episode 6, Boro heals Lisa from the murder attempt by one of Lou's hitmen. As Lisa recovers, Boro tells her a story about a man in South America who sought out a mystical jaguar to give him what he desired. The jaguar helped fulfill his wishes but demanded the man give his wife to the animal as part of the payment. The man tricked the jaguar, leading to a struggle between the two for power. Boro says that this man was a body she once inhabited, thus drawing a subtle connection between Lisa's fight with Lou and Boro's fight with the jaguar; this stuff is cyclical, man.

Later, Lisa meets the spirit of the jaguar in a dark chamber that magically appeared under her apartment earlier in the show. As she talks with the spirit, it reveals itself to be Lisa's mother, whom she had never met before. Lisa is forever changed by the encounter and resolves to seek revenge against Boro for the pain she caused in deceiving her. However, Lisa's planned confrontation with Boro is ultimately botched. In the end, Boro attempts to take over Lisa's body but fails to do so. Lisa escapes Boro's house and eventually, Boro just takes over the body of Mary, the actress in Lisa's short film who was also wronged by Lisa and seeking revenge against her.

Brand New Cherry Flavor is ultimately about the allure, dynamics, and price of power

"Brand New Cherry Flavor" wears its cinematic and literary influences on its sleeve and through them, helps us understand what it's attempting to say. David Cronenberg's body horror, David Lynch's fascination with the dark underworld of shiny Los Angeles, and even Bret Easton Ellis' morbid fascination with the ruling class in Hollywood are all filters through which "Brand New Cherry Flavor" examines what it means to seek out and effectively wield power in Los Angeles, a place many movies and TV shows have repeatedly depicted as a hollow, morally bankrupt city.

Lisa's quest to find power through successfully getting her movie made devolves into a quest to regain the power Lou stole from her in both his mental and physical manipulations. Their feud takes the form of a haunting, #MeToo-esque struggle as Lisa works through Lou's predatory betrayal. Between Lisa and Boro, there is a supernatural battle for power, as Lisa tries to find power through magic and Boro tries to gain control over Lisa — much like Lou attempted — in every way possible. The kittens that Lisa coughs up as payment to Boro symbolize the grim toll of the Faustian bargain Lisa has made with Boro for revenge; In order to hurt Lou, Lisa must surrender another piece of her innocent self.

In the end, "Brand New Cherry Flavor" — a cheeky title poking fun at the state in which one arrives in L.A. before being worn down by all its darkness — tells us that it's hard to win a power battle. Instead, merely escaping with your life and trying to find peace in the fallout is perhaps the best you can hope for.

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Brand new cherry flavor, common sense media reviewers.

Stylish horror drama has sexual harassment, assault.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Positive messages about surviving and living with

Characters show resilience, tenacity, self-relianc

The main cast features few people of color, and ac

Violence is shown throughout. A woman is brutally

Sexual content includes dialogue about sex, some n

Profanity is used throughout: "f--k," "s--t," "bit

Some product placement is shown in Brand New Cherr

Characters are seen drinking alcohol, smoking, usi

Positive Messages

Positive messages about surviving and living with trauma.

Positive Role Models

Characters show resilience, tenacity, self-reliance, and business savvy.

Diverse Representations

The main cast features few people of color, and actors seem to be typecast by race in most cases; for example, the people in positions of power are all played by actors who present as White.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

Violence is shown throughout. A woman is brutally choked by a man, someone is hired to harm another person, a dead animal is shown being eaten by other animals, etc. However, Brand New Cherry Flavor generally seems to be more on the creepy side of the horror spectrum than the gory side.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Sexual content includes dialogue about sex, some nudity, and sexual harassment and manipulation.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Profanity is used throughout: "f--k," "s--t," "bitch," etc.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Some product placement is shown in Brand New Cherry Flavor, at least partly to establish the '90s time period.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Characters are seen drinking alcohol, smoking, using marijuana, and discussing other drugs.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Brand New Cherry Flavor is a horror drama about an aspiring filmmaker who turns to witchcraft to enact revenge on a producer. The series takes place in the 1990s and draws inspiration from a wide range of classic -- mostly cult -- horror movies. David Lynch's 1997 film Lost Highway , for example, is a major influence on the first episode. The series seems more interested in the creepy side of horror, as opposed to the gory side, giving it more in common with horror-adjacent work like Hereditary (2018) or Mandy (2018) than with slasher flicks like the Friday the 13th or Nightmare on Elm Street series. The show does feature violence and sexual content throughout, including the physical assault and sexual harassment that launches the main character's revenge plot.

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Parents say (1)
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Based on 1 parent review

Gave me nightmares and I'm 47

What's the story.

BRAND NEW CHERRY FLAVOR begins with Lisa Nova ( Rosa Salazar ) arriving in Los Angeles, fresh off of shooting her first short film and ready to make her way into the industry as a writer-director. Sure enough, her first meeting with big-shot producer Lou Burke ( Eric Lange ) nets her a contract to make a feature film. But when Burke betrays her, Lisa appeals to the mysterious Boro ( Catherine Keener ) for help exacting her supernatural revenge.

Is It Any Good?

From the very beginning, this show has no shortage of style or confidence, from its luminous cinematography to its cult movie visual references to the 1990s art direction and needle drops. But as it goes along, Brand New Cherry Flavor begins to feel more like a horror pastiche along the lines of a less-campy American Horror Story . The revenge plot feels very familiar and soon the story starts to meander. Ultimately it feels more interested in hitting as many genre touchpoints as possible (which can be satisfying in its own way) than in thriving on its own merits.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about why Brand New Cherry Flavor is set in the 1990s. What might the title be referring to? How does the film industry setting affect the rest of the story? Are there other horror movies set in the horror movie industry?

What are Lisa Nova's goals? What drives her? Why does she want revenge? How does her quest for revenge change her?

What are some ways that horror tropes are used in Brand New Cherry Flavor ? Do you recognize nods to other films? Are the horror elements in the series part of an overarching metaphor? What is the metaphor? Why is horror the right genre to tell this particular story?

Premiere date : August 13, 2021
Cast : Rosa Salazar , Catherine Keener , Eric Lange
Network : Netflix
Genre : Drama
TV rating : TV-MA
Last updated : February 18, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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Brand New Cherry Flavor (2021)

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The 2024 Rolling Stone Spirits Awards

By RS Editors

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.

It’s been an exciting few years for spirits releases, from craft distilleries experimenting with cask finishes, to additive-free natural and orange wines showing up on menus everywhere, and yes, of course, a seemingly endless sea of celebrity-backed booze launches . But even while we’re in the midst of an unprecedented “damp” movement , there’s still a plethora of new expressions and unique spirits to get excited about (barrel-aged limoncello anyone?).

Our editors have sipped and tasted plenty over the past year, and though our bar carts are fully stocked (seriously, don’t bring over anymore wine to the house party), there are a few bottles we keep coming back to again and again (or some that have recently caught our eye). That’s why we’ve rounded up the best spirits and alcohol of 2024 worth sipping during your next happy hour, no matter your preferred libation.

So while we’re in good spirits, let’s raise a glass (or two) to these best-in-class bevvies — you’re all top shelf in our hearts.

Best Tequilas

Alma del jaguar reposado.

One of their most understated expressions, if you’re in the market for a light Reposado that still has a bit of bite, look no further than Alma del Jaguar’s Reposado tequila . This caramel-forward spirit starts sweet on the tongue, but a palette of cola spices (allspice, ginger, clove, etc) gives it a peppery edge. Simple at first glance, its complexities prowl and sneak up on you after a few sips, much like the wild jaguars the brand aims to protect in northern Mexico.

Mijenta Añejo

A rare female distiller in the world of tequila (aka maestra tequilera), Ana Maria Romero is a shining star for the future of small-batch tequila, especially thanks to her craft Mijenta Añejo. They went the extra mile with the Añejo being aged around 18 months in four different casks: American white oak, French oak, acacia and cherry — and it paid off. With tobacco, caramel, cacao, dried fruits and coffee, it all hits your tongue silky and elegant as a moonbeam hitting your eye.

El Tequileño Extra Añejo

El Tequileño Extra Añejo is the gold standard of aging craftsmanship, a sophisticated and complex añejo that looks (and sips) like a work of art. Boasting an aroma of a crème brûlée that’s torched to perfection, its quality in taste doesn’t mask the notes of agave either, which can sometimes be the case with this style. Instead there’s almost a savory quality to this añejo that’s complemented by a smoky citrus and toffee palette that highlights the distinguished influence of the oak.

Volans Blanco Tequila

Volans Tequila is a family affair: founded by Jalisco-based Chad and Cristina Allen with Chad’s mother and Cristina’s father, an agronomist in Mexico who helped source the location to grow their agaves and secure a sustainable, multi-generational family distillery, El Pandillo, to produce their tequila. Their Blanco is a supreme example of additive-free, small batch tequila using ancient methods like a handmade tahona wheel to crush the agave plants. The agave shines as you sip, backed by floral, citrus and black pepper notes.

Best Mezcals

Paquera barril mezcal artesanal.

A bottle of mezcal you’ll want to spare for only your most special guests — Paquera Barril is made from agave that is matured 12-14 years prior harvesting and the taste is well worth the wait. Each sip unearths a flavor from the story of its making. Paquera Barril is noticeably muskier, and richer than competitor mezcals while still maintaining a light floral essence. This spirit indulges your full palette and will leave any drinker pleasantly surprised.

El Jolgorio Mezcal Coyote Ancestral

This mezcal is nothing short of a playful surprise. Originally distilled by a woman and served in clay pots, El Jolgorio Coyote tastes almost exactly like the circumstances it’s created under — woody, earthy and even leathery butter notes with a warm bodied bbq finish. Extremely unique with an unforgettable taste that is natural to its origin.

Palomo Maguey Espadín Joven Mezcal

An extremely approachable mezcal for both seasoned and newer mezcal drinkers. The smokiness of this spirit is more subtle, providing an ease of entry to those less familiar with mezcals. Palomo Maguey is the more likely mezcal to be a favorite among traditional tequila drinkers. This spirit leads with lighter and fruitier notes like a tequila but still maintains undertones of smoke and spice that are more commonly associated with mezcals. A perfect addition to a well balanced, agave-forward bar cart.

Madre Mezcal Artesanal Ensamble

This smooth sipping tequila is like a welcome guest at your door, with a sweet build that’s accompanied by a slight Cuishe-y funkiness that knocks on the finish. While Madre Mezcal’s Ensamble is known best for its smoky forwardness, the earthy florals gives this mezcal a more three-dimensional profile. It’s best enjoyed slowly to fully appreciate its depth of flavor, but you’ll want to savor every sip, anyways.

Del Maguey Tobala

It’s been around long enough to be considered an oldie, but will forever be a goodie — this mezcal combines a unique fruit-forward nose with a smooth cinnamon and mango finish. Del Maguey provides a soft cream-like experience that makes it perfect for pairing with dinner or dessert and gives the drinker the adventure of sipping and sniffing slowly to find each of the unique and hidden, surprise notes.

Mala Mia Cuishe

While Mala Mia Cuishe is the more boldly woody mezcal of this Mala Mia family of four, the only thing more beautiful than the bottle is the taste. This spirit hosts bold and smoky flavors that are rooted in citrus and other tangy notes. This spirit brings you as close to having the warm of crisp a bonfire in your mouth as you can likely get.

Rey Campero Tepextate Mezcal

Rey Campero provides a mezcal tasting journey that confronts you subtly with vegetable notes and finishes firmly with notes of green peppers and jalapeños. It’s like a hug that comes with a hard yet welcomed back slap. The food forward taste also allows for some funkiness that is well enjoyed.

Catedral de mi Padre Mexicano Mezcal

Slightly aggressive and smoke-forward, this is a mezcal that does not disappoint when it comes to its flavor. This beautiful spirit is the birthing of a father-daughter project who’s sister varieties of mezcal offer everything from lighter and sweeter flavors, to husky wood-bearen aromas. Their Mexicano mezcal falls on the heartier end of the spectrum that takes drinkers through full body vegetal notes before closing with robust firewood flavors. Perfect notes for a warm evening indoors or as an accompaniment to a hearty dinner.

Best Whiskeys

Old forester 1920 prohibition style bourbon whiskey.

Bursting with quintessential dark bourbon notes like warm wood, vanilla, and maple syrup, Old Forester’s 1920 Prohibition Style bourbon is a real treat — especially at around $50-$80, depending on where you’re shopping. Bottled at 115 proof, the 1920 is a throwback to the style of bourbon Old Forester was producing for medicinal purposes during prohibition. Although no longer considered medicinal, we’d prescribe it to every bourbon-lovers bar shelf.

Wild Turkey Rare Breed Bourbon

It’s been out for a while now, but Wild Turkey Rare Breed is a bullet-proof option if you’re looking for a widely-available barrel proof whiskey. Comprised of six, eight, and 12-year-old stocks, the bourbon delivers exactly the kind of thick, rich profile that we turn to barrel proof whiskey for. On the nose you’ll find charred wood, chocolate, and fruit, while the palate brings cinnamon, more burnt wood, and sweet flavors like licorice and apple.

The Beverly High Rye

Bottled in small batches at the illustrious Cedar Ridge Distillery in Swisher, Iowa, Beverly High Rye is an exciting young brand out of Los Angeles. You get a healthy dose of rye spice, but also other elements of oak, vanilla, and caramel. It’s a fresh, welcomed addition to the rye category — and surprisingly good in an old fashioned.

Loch Lomond 18 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Loch Lomond’s 18 year is a steal at under $100, but it also happens to be an amazing Scotch — even if it had cost twice as much. It’s on the sweet side with plenty of fruit notes, but there’s a deep complexity here with leather, a bit of peat, and a unique, faint bitterness.

Balblair 12 Year Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

One of Scotland’s oldest distilleries dating back to 1790, Balblair remains a “sleeper hit” whisky for Scotch aficionados, distilled on a remote hillside in the Scottish Highlands. Their 12 year single malt is their most affordable Scotch, its base going through an unusually long 62 hour fermentation and 4 ½ hours of “low and slow” distillation that’ll give you the most intense, pure Highland flavors of spices, orange and honey possible from the first sip.

Compass Box Hedonism Blended Grain Scotch Whisky

John Glaser brought back respect for the long-held art of blended Scotch back in 2000 when he launched Compass Box Scotch whiskies. Hedonism remains one of his most beloved blends, and for good reason — a whisky creamy in texture and vanillans, but also shining with dried fruit, coconut, caramel, black cherry and toasted wood, makes every sip better than the last.

Uncle Nearest 1856

Uncle Nearest got enthusiasts’ attention as a Black-owned brand named after the first Black master distiller — and Jack Daniels’ mentor — Nathan “Nearest” Green. But it kept everyone’s attention (and started winning awards) because they make truly delicious whiskeys that generally come with very accessible price tags.

Bushmills 25 Year

You won’t find a better single malt Irish whiskey than Bushmills’ 25 Year , a dreamlike dram that’s a coveted bottle worthy of your highest shelf on the bar. What you get is a pour of delicious dark fruit and a special whiskey finished in port pipe oak casks from one of the world’s best whiskey makers — transporting you to the Giant’s Causeway with each sip.

Starward Ginger Beer Cask #7

It’s hardly a surprise that Starward’s Ginger Beer Cask #7 is sold out – every spirits lover across the globe wants a taste of the stuff. But what’s up with the name? The whisky was finished with barrels that used to contain the distiller’s very own ginger beer – making for a rare batch each and every time. If you’re lucky enough to get a drop yourself, you’ll get a taste of what makes it so special with fruit-forward notes and a candied ginger finish.

Best Vodkas

Harridan handcrafted vodka.

The New York-based, woman-owned brand Harridan is my new go-to vodka. It has a buttery mouthfeel and a bit of subtle corn sweetness that’s easily noticeable, even if you’re not an enthusiast. It’s one of the only bottles in my (very large) collection that friends will request another drink from when visiting, and I always get two glasses.

If you’re buying a big-name vodka for cocktails, go with Haku . It’s extremely crisp and clean with just a hint of sweetness — exactly what you want in a great vodka martini, Moscow mule, or lemon drop.

Wooden Walls Distilling Evening Tide Vodka

Distilled in St. John’s on a Newfoundland island off of Canada’s Atlantic coast, Wooden Walls Distilling tributes the island’s seafaring history named after local 1800’s oak-hulled steamers. Their Evening Tide Vodka is a multi-grain vodka showcasing Canada-grown oats, rye and wheat. Evening Tide benefits from a creamy vanilla texture and roundness on the palate, with a sip so smooth it should be coveted.

When shopping for a good white white rum, we look for staple flavors — light tropical fruits (maybe on the underripe side) and a bit of spice — and a reasonable price tag. Ten To One’s White Rum is a great example of this. The brand (backed by Ciara) shines even brighter than its celebrity story, and makes an excellent go-to for mojitos and other classic white rum cocktails.

Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva

The popular Venezuelan rum, Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva is a molasses-based rum distilled in copper pot stills and aged 12 years in whiskey barrels. While sweet tooths among you will appreciate notes of caramelized brown sugar, toffee and banana, the rum is incredibly balanced, with hints of orange, chocolate, oak and spice. It’s arguably one of the best things we’ve tried throughout the year.

The Lovers Rum

Gold rum is a funny category, with its biggest use by far being for Daiquiris. And that’s why we love The Lovers Rum — it’s flavorful and amply complex, but not too rich (like a dark rum), making it the perfect base for delicious Daiquiris.

Don Q Oak Barrel Spiced Rum

Rum geeks love to hate on spiced rum, often with good reason. Don Q Oak Barrel Spiced is a more balanced spiced rum, aged three years in American white oak barrels. It exudes the vanilla and baking spices you’d assume, while whispers of coffee, toasty oak, pear and ginger add some wonderful nuance.

KōHana Koa

One of the most exciting things about rum is how unrestricted its production is. Good rhum agricoles, like this KōHana Koa , is a great way to understand how exciting rum can be. It’s at once earthy and briny, sweet and peppery, and, of course, sugarcane forward. If you’re looking to liven up your evening dram, give this one a try.

Brooklyn Kura “Occidental” Dry-hopped Junmai Ginjo

Brooklyn Kura in NYC has come out with some fascinating sakes recently, most notably this dry-hopped bottle . That process gives this the yeasty nose of an IPA with the look of a rosé — and yet it still remains one of the most well-balanced experimental sakes out there. It’s light, with a rice-forward taste including notes of tropical fruit. The texture itself is so silky smooth it’s almost velvety, and it leaves a refreshingly floral taste on your palette once you’re done sipping.

Okunomatsu Ginjo

Accessible but still more complex and “cult” than other bottles, nothing about Okunomatsu Ginjo’s brew is average. This aromatic sake manages to balance both minerality and fruity notes, with a subtle melon-y finish. But take a sip, and that bright, initial burst of juicy flavor dances on the tongue, and then all at once, vanishes like a wisp of smoke. Of the lighter-bodied sakes out there, this is an exceptional option for first-time sake drinkers thanks to its ethereal sipping experience.

Dassai “39”

This extremely sippable sake exhibits some of the best qualities from the previous Dassai “23” and “45” to create a sake that’s more luscious and aromatic than ever. It has notes of pear, red apple and mango, but is still restrained in its sweetness. The surprisingly bright finish also lingers well on the tongue, which makes it pairs nicely with most cuisines in our opinion (especially shellfish and sashimi).

Kurosawa “Junmai” Kimoto Sake

If you’re a fan of rich, dry sake you’ll love this Kurosawa brew . Cool and clean, this tastes like sipping from a rushing river — no, really — and thus has some wonderful earthy notes, too. The finish is, of course, refreshing, and you’re left with an aftertaste that balances the vegetalness with some minerality that will make you want to dive in for another sip.

Keigetsu Junmai Daiginjo Nigori 50

This nigori version of Keigetsu’s famous Junmai Daiginjo is every bit as elegant and refreshing as you’d expect. It’s creamy and cloudy, but some light fizz adds another textural element that instantly lifts the palette, taking it above and beyond anything else in its category. It’s also just so incredibly aromatic — those tropical lychee and pineapple notes waft up to let you know you’re in for a treat as soon as you open up the bottle.

Yaegaki “Mu” Junmai Daiginjo

“Mu” (which means “nothingness”) represents a return to the basics for Yaegaki, who concentrate on traditional hand-craftsmanship rather than a machine-forward sake brewing process. While not as heavy as other ultra-daiginjo, this delicate junmai daiginjo is fruity enough for the sake-curious while still delivering a solid depth of flavor. It’s a soft, smooth sake where the initial sweetness of the green apples and Asian pear are skillfully balanced with a clean finish.

Kikusui Funaguchi Ginjo Nama Genshu Aged “Red” Sake

An aged nama classic, Kikusui Funaguchi “Red” is distinct from the other three cans in this series due to being aged one year, which mellows the brew out a bit. It’s still pleasantly acidic on the tongue though, with a rice-forward taste and notes of plum. I’ve also found that the earthy finish counteracts the head of the alcohol. More smooth and sessionable than “Gold” or “Green,” this is the kind of sake you’ll want to crack open and sip surrounded by friends.

First established in 2017, Tokki (which means rabbit in Korean) serves up four tantalizing bottles that’ll make you rethink everything you knew about soju. From hints of vanilla and the light earthiness we discovered in the White Label variety, to the full body and rich mouthfeel we experienced with the eucalyptus finish of the Black Label , we favor this complex collection of sojus that leaves our taste buds wanting more.

Best Vermouths

Contratto bianco vermouth.

Carrying on the rich tradition of vermouth in Piedmont, Italy, Contratto uses the same recipes since the early 1900s. Their white wine and Italian brandy-based Bianco vermouth benefits from a subtle infusion of over 50 herbs, spices and seeds, including bitter orange, hibiscus flower, sage, liquorice, coriander, chamomile, aloe, cinnamon and cardamom. It’s beautifully mixable in cocktails but just as winning drinking it the traditional way: on its own on the rocks.

Quady VYA Whisper Dry Vermouth

Andrew and Laurel Quady pioneered U.S.-made vermouth in Madera, California (inland between Fresno and Modesto), back in 1975 when they opened Quady Winery. While they produce ports and dessert wines, they’re more widely known in the craft bartending world for Vya Vermouth with three expressions since 1999, long before the vermouth resurgence. Whisper Dry Vermouth is everything you’d want out of an aperitif and more — herbaceous and aromatic with orris root, linden and fir needles in their Quady Essensia Orange Muscat base.

Del Professore Rosso

This Del Professore sweet vermouth is like a summertime hug. It’s warm and playful, but still brings a characteristic helping of gentian bitterness. Take a sip neat, then try it in a negroni or a Manhattan.

Martin Miller Westbourne Strength Gin

Expertly balanced, if you’re mixing up classic cocktails, there’s no better London Dry to add to your bar cart arsenal than Martin Miller’s Westbourne Strength Gin . Designed for bartenders who wanted a higher ABV version of Martin Miller’s classic, it still retains that juniper-forward flavor and fresh vegetal aroma, just with a little extra punch. Contemporary style gin enjoyers should come for the nuance from those clean citrus and cucumber notes, while classic gin drinkers should stay for that botanical kick.

Monkey 47 13th Edition Distiller’s Cut Gin

Every year, Monkey 47 adds one new, out-of-left-field ingredient to their annual release — and their 13th edition pairing is set to be their finest yet. Distilled in Germany’s Black Forest region, they took a 4,000-mile leap, adding pure Canadian maple syrup to the 47 different botanicals. So did it work? Rather than cloying sweetness, the addition of maple imparts a soft, caramel-like flavor, which complements (rather than dominates) an already stellar herbaceous gin.

Hernö Gin

The first exclusive gin distillery in Sweden is turning out an Old Tom that deserves every bit of success it’s received over the past few years. The gin has an almost transportational quality to it that reminds us of sipping on a lush, tranquil mountainside, with lemon peel that coats the tongue and freshy, pine notes in tow. There’s the familiarity of London Dry about it, but the addition of more meadowsweet to the distillation gives it a sweetness that elevates all the floral notes to new heights.

Jettywave California Botanical Gin

Half Moon Bay is an idyllic Bay Area farming town on the California Coast, just south of San Francisco. Their Jettywave California Botanical Gin is incredibly successful as a showcase of the wealth of herbs and produce grown around them with the touch of sea air. It’s distilled from organic American corn in a one-of-a-kind pistachio corn mash, and you can thank Mother Nature (and the Jettywave team) for the delightful mix of juniper-forward, coriander seed, cardamom, ginger root, thyme, black pepper, meyer lemon, shiso and nasturtium blossoms.

broVo Amaro #1

Feeling like a more small batch Campari or younger sibling to Tempus Fugit’s Gran Classico, broVo Amaro #1 is leading the pack in the amaro space from pioneering Woodinville, Washington, distillery’s line of amari, vermouth and herbal liqueurs. They partnered early on with bartenders around the U.S. to craft their unique amari, and with Amaro #1, it’s John Ueding. Orange, fall baking spices, galangal, pink peppercorn and lemon keep it bright and complex, playing off a rhubarb-infused distillate base.

Best Cognac

Martingale cognac.

Despite a more than 100-year-old history of producing eaux-de-vie in the small village of Ars for other prestigious houses, if you’re a cognac-drinker, you may have unknowingly sipped a blend from Martingale’s cru without even knowing it. But with the release of their own cognac , which delivers a fresh and surprisingly complex taste, they’ve successfully made something more youthful for what can be a stodgy (yet still amazing) category. Martingale rightfully deserves the attention of cognac sippers, new and old alike.

Best Brandy

Germain-robin.

Germain-Robin turned us into brandy fans, and we think it’s still the best widely-available option on the market. It’s balanced and full in the mouth, delivering oak spice, ripe fruit, and some floral notes, but it’s light enough overall to sip neat (no over-sugariness at all, like you get with some brandy).

Tapi Sauvignon Blanc (2023)

Marlborough is a region known for its fantastic Sauvignon Blancs, and Tapi does not disappoint. Though this producer is fairly new to the wine scene, they’re coming out of the gate strong with sustainable and organic growing practices. The sipping experience is exceptionally crisp and refreshing, so this would pair nicely with fresh fruits and vegetables, or seafood. The high acidity and minerality combined with citrus notes is a match made in Sauvignon Blanc heaven.

A Tribute to Grace Grenache Rosé (2023)

A respected and quality Santa Barbara female winemaker, A Tribute to Grace’s latest rosé is very, very delicate — light enough to sip for days. An extremely elegant and drinkable rosé, this wine has beautiful, perfumed notes of fresh berries and anise. This wine is made from a single vineyard old-vine Grenache, which is then foot-read before fermentation. This gives it a creamy, pillow-soft finish that even dry wine drinkers will adore.

Realm Cellars The Bard Vintage (2021)

Respected at hip wine bars, this dense and weighty Cab is an excellent showing for a Napa Valley wine. The Bard’s unique blend offers notes of black berry fruits like black currants and blackberries, as well as grounded graphite and the soft edge of oak. It’s an incredibly versatile wine, but it also commands presence, and nothing pairs with it better than just a simple, seared piece of meat.

Jansz Premium Sparkling Rosé

This Tasmanian wine is a bonafide crowd-pleaser, meant to be passed around on a tray at a party. Made from a mix of several small batch vintages, all the vintages are kept separate in the winemaking process before blending to preserve their unique character. With this sweet wine, you should expect notes of wild strawberries and rose petals, as well as an unexpected hint of brioche. This is the result of its traditional sparkling wine-making method, which incorporates yeast in its second fermentation process. Supremely sippable (and cheers-able).

Santa Julia La Oveja Torrontes Natural (2023)

One of our favorite natural winemakers, Santa Julia, is kind not only to the environment, but to its employees as well. They provide childcare for their workers’ children, adult learning opportunities, and access to health and fitness centers. For their La Oveja Torrontes , we were drawn to its green-gold hue, along with its bright aroma. Expect notes of lychee, orange, and white flowers, with a long, citrusy finish. It’s everything you want out of a vegan wine, with none of the added sulfites you don’t.

Wavy Wines LS Gris Skin Contact (2022)

There’s a fun, playful quality about Wavy Wines that we just can’t get enough of, most of all the intoxicating flavor of their LS Gris Skin Contact . This 13-day skin contact wine was co-fermented together in stainless steel vats, and consists of 80% Pinot Gris and 20% Chardonnay. Beyond the technical, a glass just feels like summer in a fruit grove, the initial juicy nectarine and peach tasting juicy before tannins dry the taste buds. A ripe strawberry finish makes this one of the best sips of the summer.

Château Coutet Sauternes Blend (2022)

In 1787, former U.S. President Thomas Jefferson, then ambassador to France, celebrated Château Coutet as the best Sauternes. Even centuries later, Château Coutet still creates some of the best dessert wines out there, including this Sauternes Blend . This style of wine is known for its thick texture and honey-sweet flavor, and this particular label also has notes of citrus, flowers and vanilla. If you’d like to have a sip of history, we’d recommend pouring a glass of this classic, quality blend after your next meal.

Best Premixed Drink

Via Carota’s at-home beverage collection is much more than you’d expect from any assortment of premixed drinks. If you’ve ever struggled with making the perfect Negroni or a Manhattan on your own, you’ll gladly find that these Via Carota drinks are like having a world class bartender in a bottle. Bottom line? Via Carota cocktails eliminate the harder parts of hosting.

Best Hard Cider

Tepache sazón.

Tepache Sazón is made in the coastal town of San Pancho, Nayarit, just 50 kilometers from where the pineapple for this sessionable bevvy is grown. While regional Mexican spirits like raicilla, charanda, and sotol are tantalizingly close to breaking into the mainstream U.S. palette, we wouldn’t be surprised if this ready-to-drink version of tepache becomes a standard at your next backyard BBQ. Made with piloncillo (raw cane sugar) and canela (commonly known as “Mexican cinnamon”), the result is a slightly sweet, refreshingly fizzy crowd-pleaser that’s perfect for sipping on a hot day.

Best Hard Seltzers

Amass botanical hard seltzer.

Amass’ hard seltzers are particularly sophisticated and almost cocktail-like, which sip as if you were on your own private island. The carbonation here is almost as light as champagne, with refined botanical ingredients like the herbal zest of green cardamom and holy basil in their “Faerie Fizz.” These intriguing and subtle flavors make Amass a welcome Copenhagen meets LA tie-in.

Volley Tequila Seltzer

Volley Tequila Seltzer is the graduate school of seltzers, when you want to move on to more elevated tastes and leave your old-school days of malt beverages behind. The quality just can’t be beat here, sourcing tequila from Jalisco and flavoring with organic juices — it just gives it a crisp, clean taste that feels more like sipping a real, refreshing cocktail than a seltzer. Ideal for rooftop parties and late nights, this is your ultimate tequila soda replacement.

Casalú Rum Seltzer

You can throw a stone and hit seltzers a-plenty made from vodka or tequila, but you’d be hard-pressed to find any rum-based varieties. Enter Casalú , a very necessary “tropicalization” of hard seltzer. With a smooth and refreshing taste, their “Limón” seltzer is crafted with dark aged rum, a hint of limón, sparkling water, and agave. Crack open a can (or two), and disfrútalo — like most things in our community, Casalú is an experience meant to be shared.

NÜTRL Vodka Seltzer

Looking for a way to replace your standard summer bar order? Nütrl’s vodka-based (rather than malt-based) seltzer feels like a club cocktail you could serve in a red solo cup, or in an ice-filled tasting glass — and we mean this in the best way possible. Focusing on simple vodka, blended with sparkling water and real fruit juice, these seltzers smell and taste remarkably flavorful (especially the pineapple and watermelon). It’s great when you’re looking for a drink that doesn’t just taste like a hint of a hint of a hint of fruit.

HaiBall Whiskey Seltzer

Capturing the delicate art of Japanese whiskey in a can, we can confidently say HaiBall is a seltzer tailored to perfection. Using cherry-pick barrels juices blended with near-obsessive care, you can taste the oakiness and sweet vanilla of Bourbon right off the bat, then the spiciness of Rye, with just a hint of Scottish smoke to round out the palette. Complex yet unfussy, layered yet refreshing, and dare we even say a little sexy, these are what you break out when the in-laws come over.

The Finnish Long Drink Traditional Citrus

Created with the mission of bringing the “national drink of Finland” to America, the Finnish Long Drink is delightful proof that sipping on traditional beverages doesn’t have to be boring. As with other versions of the long drink, this one is a combination of grapefruit soda, tonic water and gin, but it’s got a pleasant tartness that’s even a bit sour. There’s no bitterness here, though — it goes down as easy as a Fresca, but feels more elegant and refined.

Pampelonne Wine Spritzers

Pampelonne successfully harkens back to old-world wine cocktails, all with a playful, modern twist. Their Rosé is not just a rosé, it’s Rosé Lime, while their cherry sparkling wine is combined with tart Yuzu juice. Crisp, dry and not cloyingly sweet, Pampelonne is bringing a refreshing level of fun to fine French wine.

Russian River Pliny the Younger

When you see Russian River’s Pliny on the beer menu, there’s a rule among beer lovers that you order it. The brewer’s Pliny the Younger turns just shy of legal drinking age in 2024 – and the beermakers continue to push the envelope with each and every release. Packed with loads of hops, the hard-to-get 10.25% Triple IPA is “loaded with citrus, orange, stone fruit, nectarine, mango, and strong pine/resinous aromatics,” as the brewer notes. Put another way, no one’s doing it quite like Russian River.

Tree House Brewing Company Very Hazy

Very Hazy delivers all the beauty of Tree House Brewing’s classic Haze IPA, but with an even greater depth of flavor (and a more potent hoppy punch to boot). You’ll get that vibrant, tropical orange-mango nose along with dank hops on the first sip, all of which provide a powerful flavor spotlight. But their team knows just when to pull back, and that slow and easy transition into an earthier palette feels like sinking into the center of a pleasantly smooth galaxy.

Killsboro Gimme Gimme Blackberry Peach

Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! a delicious sour ale that’s 7% and the ultimate warm-weather standby. The answer? This tasty blackberry peach dessert brew, complete with vanilla bean, milk sugar, and a refreshing finish that’s like summertime in a can. Dessert never sounded so crushable.

Cellar West Brewing Farmhouse Saison

Since 2016, Cellar West has churned out stellar brews that, for anyone who’s tried a cold one, might’ve made them consider packing up and heading out to the Centennial State. Now, the crew from Lafayette, Colorado, have crafted an award-winning, effervescent saison that’ll seal the deal.

Alvarado Street Brewery Land & Sea XPA

With four California Central Coast locations, Alvarado Street Brewery first hit downtown Monterey as a brewery, gastropub and beer garden, one block from the Pacific Ocean. Their Land & Sea XPA 100% Nelson Extra Pale Ale goes tropical, refreshing and lean with Nelson Sauvin hops — it’s just a damn good Pale ale.

Jester King Brewery Doom Forge Coffee Stout

Jester King has been an über-cool cult craft brewery since it opened in Texas Hill Country on the outskirts of Austin in 2010, and produces a stout truly worth seeking out. On 165 farmland acres, they brew farmhouse and barrel-aged ales. The 2024 release of their Doom Forge Coffee Stout sources coffee from another Austin local, Figure 8’s Finca Fatima beans from Veracruz, Mexico, resulting in a nutty, cacao and stone fruit-graced coffee stout.

Old Caz Beer Chismosa Mexican Amber Lager

Sonoma might be better known for its wines, but Old Caz just might make your taste buds do a double-take, especially with releases like its Modelo-inspired lager . As for the beer’s name, the brewery notes that it “comes from the Spanish word Chisme, or, to gossip.” That’s only appropriate: After all, this lager’s going to be on everyone’s lips.

Highland Park Brewery High 10 West Coast Pilsner

Take your first sip of Highland Park Brewery’s refreshing, High 10 pilsner , and you instantly find yourself sitting on the brewer’s sun-kissed patio in Los Angeles, with views of the nearby park, Dodgers fans on their way to a game, and the smell of delicious wings passing by your table from the kitchen. It’s a signature beer, made for and by beer lovers, from one of the best breweries on the West Coast.

Ayinger Celebrator

Head 30 minutes southeast out of Munich and you’ll find the team behind one of today’s most-celebrated bocks. With a name like “Celebrator,” living up to the hype is no small feat. But Ayinger continues to blow the competition away with its deliciously dark 6.7% bottom-ferment dopplebock. Time to book that plane ticket.

Great Lakes Brewing Edmund Fitzgerald Porter

In the mood for a porter to sip along with a side of oysters or a morsel of dark chocolate? Nothing beats Great Lakes’ Edmund Fitzgerald , a flavorful beer complete with eye-catching packaging of a ship in rough water. As the brewery describes it, the porter is a “bittersweet tribute to the legendary freighter’s fallen crew — taken too soon when the gales of November came early.” But don’t worry, a glass of this rich porter goes down like smooth sailing.

Humble Sea Sunday Sends Kolsch

First launched in the chill NorCal beach town of Santa Cruz by three childhood friends, Humble Sea now has five total taprooms in the region, including their second Pacifica location, another surfer town just minutes south of San Francisco. Their easy-drinking Sunday Sends Kolsch goes tart cherry candy meets malty-crisp, and is the ultimate cure for your Sunday Scaries.

Fat Head’s Goggle Fogger

With accolades from the World Beer Cup to the Great American Beer Festival, crack open a cold Goggle Fogger and you’re in for a wildly impressive brew. Expect a bit of bubblegum, a bit of wheat – this is a must-try unfiltered German-style Hefeweizen.

Allagash White

Call it the MVP of wheat beers. When you think of the best wheat beer, you probably think of this Belgian-style classic. And while it might not be a new entry, Allagash White is a household name for good reason, a crowd-pleasing crusher that will go with any meal, any time.

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A woman with brightly painted nails holding a piece of candy on her finger

Summer is the season of flaunting more creative, adventurous styles , and our nail beds are the perfectly safe location to start making some bolder choices.

Behold the collaboration we’ve all been waiting for: Brooklyn-based beauty label, ImPRESS , has teamed up with everyone’s favorite iced-tea brand, AriZona Beverages to curate a collection of no-glue, press-on nails inspired by AriZona’s signature colors and flavors.

The latest nail launch is available alongside AriZona’s catalog of delectable merch , including neon sweatshirts, sweatpants, graphic tees, drinkware, caps, tote bags, skateboards, and more cheerful accessories. There’s even a dedicated AZ kid’s section , so you and your little one can rep your favorite sweet drink brand in style.

Let’s face it. Painting your nails yourself never goes exactly like you’d want it to. Plus, professional manicures take time and money, and rarely last as long as we’d like them to. Especially during the warmer months, when we start to head outside, and it seems that our acrylics are always chipping, and polish is cracking everywhere we go. Press-on nails are the more affordable, easy-to-use, hassle-free alternative. One of the best parts about press-ons is the ability to put them on a take them off as you please — so you can style your outfit with your manicure accordingly.

AriZona and ImPRESS want you to be sipping in style all summer long, so the brands have teamed up to design an iconic nail kit that is stocked with all the essentials: 30 perfectly manicured press-on nails, a prep pad, a mini nail file, and even a manicure stick.

These press-ons are safe on natural nails, glue-free, and last up to seven days if you’d like them to stick around for a bit! The best part — they’re available for just $9.99, a fraction of the cost of a market-rate manicure.

AriZona ImPRESS Nails

A group of different colored nail designs reminiscent of Arizona

There are four Arizona X ImPRESS nail kits to choose from, which is why these are ideal for anyone who frequently switches up their style.

Those who prefer shorter, squoval-shaped nails might opt for the iconic Cherry Blossom or Impress Lemon Tea sets — which look just like their respective best-selling teas with florals, teals, bright pink, and checkered patterns emitting 90s summer vibes. The longer, oval Watermelon style features red hot tips resembling Americana’s Southwestern style, and the Fruit Punch kit packs a pop of vibrant purple personality.

Reviews are already pouring in, and customers can’t say enough about the cute, colorful designs, and speedy delivery. These press-on nails are great for all your upcoming celebrations — weddings , cocktail parties , and vacations . Shop them now before they sell out!

Hunting for a headline-worthy haul? Keep shopping with Post Wanted.

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Brand New Cherry Flavor (2021)
'Brand New Cherry Flavor' Review: A Creepy '90s Horror Throwback
Brand New Cherry Flavor (2021): A Review

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Review: In 'Brand New Cherry Flavor,' Hollywood Is A Horrorshow : NPR
SERGEI BACHLAKOV/NETFLIX. The trippy, lurid and defiantly weird Netflix series Brand New Cherry Flavor wears its influences on its blood-flecked sleeve. Scenes involving a character periodically ...
Brand New Cherry Flavor review: The sickest thing on Netflix ...
Brand New Cherry Flavor begins plainly by comparison: Movie director Lisa N. Nova (Alita: Battle Angel star Rosa Salazar) arrives in early-'90s Hollywood with a shocking short film under her ...
'Brand New Cherry Flavor' Review
Netflix's 'Brand New Cherry Flavor': TV Review. This new Hollywood horror-satire series offers zombies, slithery executives, kittens, revenge curses and shades of #MeToo drama.
'Brand New Cherry Flavor' review: Rosa Salazar stars in a Netflix
Those shadows, alas, become the real impetus behind "Brand New Cherry Flavor," which seems more preoccupied with delivering shocks and emulating David Lynch's filmography than disgorging its ...
'Brand New Cherry Flavor' is the perfect horror binge to ...
An adaptation of Todd Grimson's 1996 novel by the same name, Brand New Cherry Flavor stars the captivating Rosa Salazar (from Alita: Battle Angel) as Lisa Nova, a young, talented, and ferociously ...
Brand New Cherry Flavor Review: Netflix Show Reveals a ...
August 9, 2021 12:00 pm. "Brand New Cherry Flavor". Netflix. " Brand New Cherry Flavor " takes place roughly 30 years ago. If the murderer's row of college radio deep cuts didn't ...
Brand New Cherry Flavor (TV Mini Series 2021)
Brand New Cherry Flavor: Created by Nick Antosca, Lenore Zion. With Rosa Salazar, Catherine Keener, Eric Lange, Jeff Ward. Lisa Nova, an aspiring film director in the sun-drenched but seamy world of 1990 Los Angeles, embarks on a mind-altering journey of supernatural revenge that gets nightmarishly out of control.
Brand New Cherry Flavor: Season 1
Watch Brand New Cherry Flavor — Season 1 with a subscription on Netflix. Though definitely not for all tastes, Brand New Cherry Flavor is a delightfully deranged trip anchored by another ...
Brand New Cherry Flavor review
This review of the Netflix limited series Brand New Cherry Flavor does not contain spoilers. It will be released on the 13th of August 2021. Following the release of Hit & Run last week, Netflix is rolling the dice again with Brand New Cherry Flavor. Set in the early 90s, an ambitious filmmaker, Lisa Nova (played by Rosa Salazar), travels to Hollywood with hopes of making her own movie.
'Brand New Cherry Flavor' Netflix Review: Stream It Or Skip It?
Brand New Cherry Flavor feels like a Hollywood cautionary tale like Hollywood or even something like Episodes told in a style that evokes Twin Peaks. Our Take: It's hard to watch Brand New ...
[Review] Netflix's "Brand New Cherry Flavor" Is 'Mulholland Dr.' Meets
Brand New Cherry Flavor is a triumph of tone and upsetting imagery, but it also hits as hard as it does because of the performances that bring these characters to life. Rosa Salazar is an absolute ...
Brand New Cherry Flavor Season 1 Review
Season 1 of Brand New Cherry Flavor will premiere on Netflix on Aug. 13. Brand New Cherry Flavor has nothing at all to do with cherries, but it does offer an abundance of flavor in a sea of ...
Netflix's Ambitious Brand New Cherry Flavor Wants to Mess You Up
Recalling everything from "Wild Palms" to " Lost Highway ," "Brand New Cherry Flavor" will be far too strange for a lot of Netflix subscribers—this is a good thing. Co-creator Nick Antosca (with Lenore Zion) knows a thing or two about weird TV, having delivered on of the most underrated horror programs of the 2010s in "Channel ...
'Brand New Cherry Flavor' Review: Dark New Netflix Show Gets Gross
Netflix's 'Brand New Cherry Flavor' Makes for a Trippy, Disgusting Descent Into Hell: TV Review. A few days after enlisting enigmatic witch Boro ( Catherine Keener) to put a curse on a ...
Review: Netflix's Brand New Cherry Flavor is a gruesome delight
BRAND NEW CHERRY FLAVOR (Nick Antosca, Lenore Zion).All eight episodes available to stream Friday (August 13) on Netflix Canada.Rating: NNNN
Brand New Cherry Flavor
Watch Brand New Cherry Flavor with a subscription on Netflix. A filmmaker heads to Hollywood in the early '90s to make her movie but tumbles down a hallucinatory rabbit hole of sex, magic, revenge ...
How Brand New Cherry Flavor Compares To The Original Book
Here's how Netflix's Brand New Cherry Flavor compares to the book, an original cult horror novel by Todd Grimson. In terms of basic premise, both the Netflix series and the novel follow the incredibly twisted journey of filmmaker Lisa Nova, who gets enmeshed with the supernatural in 1990s Los Angeles. However, beyond basic narrative and ...
The Ending Of Brand New Cherry Flavor Explained
Netflix. "Brand New Cherry Flavor" begins and ends with the fraught, frequently violent power struggle between Lisa Nova and Lou Burke. After forming a bond through Boro's dark magic, Lisa begins ...
Brand New Cherry Flavor TV Review
A woman is brutally. Parents need to know that Brand New Cherry Flavor is a horror drama about an aspiring filmmaker who turns to witchcraft to enact revenge on a producer. The series takes place in the 1990s and draws inspiration from a wide range of classic -- mostly cult -- horror movies. David Lynch's 1997 film Lost….
Brand New Cherry Flavor (TV Mini Series 2021)
Brand New Cherry Flavor: Set on the early 90s an aspiring director Lisa (Rosa Salazer) heads to Hollywood with her short horror film hoping to get it made into a feature. Cheated out of the director role by a Movie Producer (Eric Lange) she turns to a Witch (Catherine Keener) to get revenge.
Brand New Cherry Flavor [Reviews]
Summary. A filmmaker heads to Hollywood in the early '90s to make her movie but tumbles down a hallucinatory rabbit hole of sex, magic, revenge - and kittens. Networks. Netflix. Initial Release ...
Brand New Cherry Flavor
August 13, 2021. ( 2021-08-13) Brand New Cherry Flavor is an American horror drama television limited series created by Nick Antosca and Lenore Zion, based on the novel of the same name by Todd Grimson. The cast includes Rosa Salazar, Catherine Keener, Eric Lange, Manny Jacinto, and Jeff Ward. The series premiered on Netflix on August 14, 2021.
Watch Brand New Cherry Flavor
Watch Brand New Cherry Flavor | Netflix Official Site. A filmmaker heads to Hollywood in the early '90s to make her movie but tumbles down a hallucinatory rabbit hole of sex, magic, revenge — and kittens.
The Best Alcohol And Liquors Of 2024: Editor And Expert Picks
Focusing on simple vodka, blended with sparkling water and real fruit juice, these seltzers smell and taste remarkably flavorful (especially the pineapple and watermelon). It's great when you ...
Get an instant manicure with Arizona's press-on nail kit
Try the brand's new press-on nail manicure kits ... squoval-shaped nails might opt for the iconic Cherry Blossom or Impress Lemon Tea sets — which look just like their respective best-selling ...

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Gleefully Lurid 'Brand New Cherry Flavor' Explores The (Black) Magic Of The Movies

Netflix’s series Brand New Cherry Flavor might be the grossest thing you see this year

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[Review] Netflix’s “Brand New Cherry Flavor” Is ‘Mulholland Dr.’ Meets “Channel Zero” and It’s Glorious

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