It’s wedding bells for Suzanne, who is marrying the oldest, meanest (and wealthiest) man in Atlanta after learning her accountant ran off with all her money. That’s OK, Julia’s gonna solve everything with a flirting technique that will haunt us ‘til our dying day.
Crack open something good for this week’s “Extra Sugar” where we’re talking about the history of canned cocktails. If that leaves you thirsty for more, here are a couple of our resources:
The Daily Beast article discussing historic trends in canned cocktail consumption in America
A really juicy Smithsonian Magazine article cutely-titled, “The Intoxicating History of the Canned Cocktail”
Liquor.com’s ranking of the best canned cocktails on the market and then a list of the best Southern canned cocktail brands
Come on, let’s get into it!
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Transcripts
Speaker A: Hey, Nikki. Nikki: Hey, Salina. Speaker A: And welcome to Sweet tea and TV. Speaker A: We don't have to sound so professional anymore. Speaker A: Drop that right away because I got some good news. Nikki: Good news? Speaker A: Good news. Nikki: What's the good news? Speaker A: The good news is today is our final proust question. Nikki: Dun dun. Nikki: I'd love to say I'm a better person because of it. Nikki: I'm not sure I am. Speaker A: We've done way we've done a lot of thinking. Speaker A: We have a lot of talking. Nikki: We have. Speaker A: So I like to think that we're all better. Nikki: We have to be stronger because of it. Nikki: Okay. Salina: Yeah. Speaker A: Just really taking a cold, hard look at yourself. Nikki: I love to do that. Nikki: I love to do it in bad lighting. Nikki: Yeah. Speaker A: It's like putting your makeup on in natural light. Nikki: There you go. Speaker A: Going to be some stuff that you're going to be oh God, what is that? Nikki: So is the last question something that's going to make me think, oh God, what is that? Speaker A: It's very random but it's not depressing. Speaker A: Okay, well, maybe until you hear my answer. Nikki: Well, you might have to go first depending on the question. Speaker A: Well, the final and 35th question is what is your motto? Nikki: Motto? Speaker A: Motto? Nikki: Live, laugh, laugh. Speaker A: Dance like no one's watching. Nikki: What's yours? Speaker A: Okay, I think you've heard me say this one before. Speaker A: Expect the worst. Speaker A: That way when something good happens you'll be pleasantly surprised. Speaker A: It's very pragmatic. Nikki: It is. Nikki: It is. Nikki: I I think that's a useful perspective. Nikki: I have trouble I actually have trouble thinking that way. Nikki: I have trouble proactively thinking about the oftentimes likely scenario. Nikki: That is not what you wanted. Nikki: I have trouble thinking of it but I am challenging myself to think more that way so I can especially in this current world, so that when something horrible happens I'm not totally floored and left behind. Speaker A: You're just like, of course, of course, of course. Nikki: Pretty much. Speaker A: But then when it's like good you're like, what? Nikki: Right. Nikki: How fantastic. Speaker A: What do you say? Speaker A: Are you saying you want to adopt my motto? Nikki: I might have to because I don't know that I have a formal one. Nikki: There's something in there about a leading with love sort of thing. Nikki: We've talked through the proust survey because they've introduced us to all these questions. Nikki: I've done a lot of personal work over the last couple of years and one of the things I was telling someone at the end of last year, the gift that they've given me as sort of a mentor and someone that I've worked with is the value of seeing the value of empathy. Nikki: So seeing me it's not you, Salina, I'm sorry. Nikki: You've taught me many other lessons, but seeing that being an empathetic leader at work or being empathetic in my own life and being willing to see people where they are and acknowledge that their viewpoint is valid, their feelings are valid and worthy of being sort of understood and being given that time that those are actually strengths. Nikki: I think the way that a lot of us were raised to think about the way that we work and to think about the way we live is like work first. Nikki: And you always put your head down and you only focus on facts. Nikki: And I've always thought that I'm too soft. Nikki: That's the way I would describe it. Nikki: I would say she's just too soft. Nikki: I think too much about emotion. Nikki: I am too emotional. Nikki: But actually there is value in that. Nikki: And leading people with love is a good way to one help people. Nikki: It's just helpful to other people to feel loved and appreciated and in turn, then they want to collaborate with you or contribute to the world in a positive way. Nikki: But then you can lead with love in your own life too. Nikki: So instead of I saw something on Next Door last night that just really I ignore everything, really, on social media. Nikki: Like I rarely comment on things, but that one really triggered me. Nikki: And I had a response written and they are very lucky that it timed out on my phone because my point to them was just absolve yourself of judging people until you know all the facts. Nikki: They didn't know all the facts about a situation they were commenting on, but they were judging really hardly. Nikki: And so I think looking at someone and assuming like, I don't know everything in your life, I understand you probably are facing your own challenges. Nikki: So I'm going to start there. Nikki: It just makes everybody's lives better. Speaker A: That's nice. Speaker A: It's okay to be emotionally intelligent. Nikki: It is. Nikki: And I don't think I realized that for a really long time. Speaker A: Well, it is very societal. Speaker A: It's beat into us that we're not like I was even also thinking about with you talking about the work aspect. Speaker A: Like at some point in time someone told me, don't ever say you feel something. Speaker A: Say you think something. Speaker A: And I tried really hard to adopt that. Speaker A: And then sometimes I'm like, so what? Speaker A: So what if I feel something, it doesn't mean I'm not thinking. Speaker A: It doesn't mean I turned off my brain and I'm going to like, because I am a woman that I'm going to just blow everything up. Speaker A: So emotional. Speaker A: It's just silliness. Speaker A: Right? Nikki: Right. Speaker A: So I like it. Nikki: So where does that leave us? Nikki: Does that leave us moving right into. Speaker A: The episode, moving right in with just one question. Speaker A: One question. Nikki: I feel like I won the lottery today. Nikki: So this episode is called The Return of Ray. Nikki: Dawn Hulu says the ladies of Sugar Bakers band together when Suzanne learns that her accountant has absconded with all her money and the Internal Revenue Service has impounded her home. Nikki: IMDb says Suzanne learns she has amassed a large amount of backed taxes and she has to pay it. Nikki: Or so she decides to marry a wealthy older man. Nikki: When Julia learns of this, she decides to talk to IRS man Ray Don Simpson, with whom she's had dealings to try and help her sister. Nikki: And this one aired on February 1, 1980. Nikki: As a reminder for folks, ray dawn first appeared in the pilot when he tried to pick the ladies up at a sushi bar. Nikki: I think they referenced that in this episode. Nikki: That was Julia's first kind of terminator tirade. Nikki: Then he reappeared a few episodes later as the man who is actually auditing Sugar Bakers. Nikki: So this one was written by LBT and directed by David Trainer. Nikki: Okay, that leaves us with general reactions and stray observations. Speaker A: Indeed. Nikki: In general. Speaker A: Yeah. Nikki: Can I just say, I feel like this was a palate cleanser after the last one. Speaker A: Oh, okay. Speaker A: Yeah. Nikki: I would say a welcome one. Speaker A: Yeah. Nikki: What was your general reaction? Speaker A: My general reaction is I have nothing but stray observations. Nikki: Perfect. Nikki: Well, let's go right on into strays. Speaker A: And a lot of minor questions. Speaker A: So do you ever wonder how you'd react to someone dressed like Suzanne in real life? Nikki: I do. Nikki: I really do. Nikki: I think her furs are not in vogue now. Speaker A: Hey, they could be. Speaker A: Not real fur, vegan fur. Nikki: But even vegan fur isn't something you see a lot of because you can't tell just by looking at it. Nikki: So people don't want to be judged. Nikki: So I would be judging pretty hard. Nikki: Not because I care. Nikki: I mean, I do care about fur in my own life, but I don't care what you wear. Nikki: But I would be like fur. Nikki: That's a weird choice. Speaker A: In Atlanta. Nikki: Yes. Speaker A: Today withstanding and for however reason, in whatever way this has occurred, like, it's actually been cold, but it's hot in Atlanta even in the winter. Speaker A: I feel like maybe you'd need that coat once every five years. Speaker A: She's wearing them all the time. Nikki: I got a corduroy Levi's sort of jean jacket almost for Christmas and had to return it and exchange it for a different size. Nikki: And I was so excited the day it came this holiday season. Nikki: I was excited because it was about to get cold, so I was going to have a chance to wear this light Levi's jacket. Speaker A: I just wore boots for the first time yesterday. Nikki: FYI. Nikki: Guys, it's January. Nikki: Yeah, right. Speaker A: So I was just wondering I don't know why it's taken me this long, because I kind of know some of that's built into Suzanne's character and everything, but for whatever reason, this one, it felt like I think they're trying to make even more of the point that she's, like, losing all her money, set her up to look pretty rich. Nikki: They were leaning into the rich richness in this episode. Nikki: Yeah. Speaker A: I don't know if you want to bat this back and forth. Speaker A: Do you have well, I'll say I. Nikki: Really appreciate how detailed LBT is in the cold openings when she incorporates design commentary into the script. Nikki: So we talked really early on, and we probably mentioned at a time or two since then that this wasn't intended to be a design firm. Nikki: She actually didn't have a workplace in mind. Nikki: And then when she went into the pitch meeting, she was like, sure, they're interior designers. Nikki: So we've talked. Nikki: Again, I don't know that she has an interest in interior design if this is totally just made up for the show. Nikki: At any rate, Mary Joe had this whole thing about minimalist design and how basically she doesn't care for it, which to me feels very Southern. Nikki: We are not known for our minimalism maximalism, but it also feels consistent with the time that I can believe that was a trend. Nikki: Like coming off the holiday season. Nikki: I saw Christmas Vacation, and you have that yuppie couple that lives next door. Speaker A: It's the exact thing I think of, like, glass top tables. Speaker A: Everything's, like, black and white. Speaker A: There'd be, like, a vase, and the flowers are, like, black and white in it not real. Nikki: So in that same vein, so when I want to give props to that, I just love that commitment to detail. Nikki: And then Charlene makes a commentary about artwork, fine art. Nikki: Sometimes I just feel like I'm listening to her talk, and I'm like, she is so talking for people like me, just like everyday people, because she talks about it's. Nikki: Like when you go into an art museum and there's a picture of a big dot. Nikki: And my favorite thing was, she says, in the cool gray dawn of the morning, they know it's just a dot, too. Speaker A: And there's a way we've talked before about how the actors in this show like the cadence, the pace. Speaker A: It's, like, melodic. Speaker A: The way that she says that, the way that she punctuates it. Speaker A: It's no wonder that even though she is not a real Southerner, that she continues to be cast as a Southerner. Speaker A: I forgot that she did, like a it's funny that you say Christmas Vacation because that's Julia Louise Dreyfus who is Veep in the show. Speaker A: She's the vice president in Veep. Speaker A: Salina Meyer. Nikki: Great name. Speaker A: I can't even blow past it. Nikki: Props to yourself. Speaker A: She's really killing it. Speaker A: But anyways, Jean Smart winds up being the parent of someone who works for her. Nikki: Oh, okay. Speaker A: And they're from Alabama. Nikki: Okay. Speaker A: And the way that she just something that's, like, gentle. Speaker A: I don't know. Speaker A: There's just something about it. Speaker A: And she just nails that. Speaker A: And the way she says this phrase there. Speaker A: And they know it. Speaker A: We know it. Speaker A: We all know it's just a dot. Nikki: It's just a dot. Speaker A: Yeah. Speaker A: And the way she keeps hitting that, it's just she is so good. Nikki: I actually got to use that line in a conversation with my husband a couple of days after hearing it, so it was just so perfect. Nikki: And I'm going to think of that every time I go into an art museum. Nikki: Sorry, artists. Speaker A: Everyone's important. Nikki: What I think of you has nothing to do with your importance. Speaker A: Even the dots? Nikki: Even the dots, yeah. Speaker A: I'll just keep going. Speaker A: Okay. Speaker A: Is it weird that Suzanne is still auctioning off all of her stuff if she's marrying someone who's really rich? Speaker A: I'm just going to say this. Speaker A: If you're going through that trouble, I say keep your knickknacks. Nikki: That's a good point. Nikki: I wonder if she was hedging her bets that it might not work out. Nikki: What if he dies before they get married? Speaker A: It could be, which would be entirely possible. Nikki: I loved and I have to say again in the writing of these episodes, I love how on the nose an anecdote about a character who's not on screen can be. Nikki: You can hear it and absolutely be able to picture that character doing it like it's on Brand, for example. Nikki: The reason I bring this up is the whole thing about Anthony asking if Suzanne turned him into the police again. Nikki: So the police call Sugar Bakers looking for Suzanne, and he's like, My God, is she turning me in again? Nikki: And it's just 100% what you would expect Suzanne to do. Speaker A: Does she not remember Stranded when we became best friends? Speaker A: Yeah, that's true. Speaker A: Old Ray Dawn really up the ante on the two pay in this one. Speaker A: It looked like they plopped a small bathroom rug up there this time. Nikki: It was intense. Nikki: It was a lot. Speaker A: They're really wanting to drive that point home, I think, actually. Nikki: So it's been so long since we saw him in season one that I had to go back and just double check that the actor was the same because he looked very different. Nikki: And I think it was the hair. Speaker A: Yeah, he did look a little different. Speaker A: Well, I mean, even from the pilot where they had him in, like, the unbuttoned shirt with the chest hair. Nikki: Well, he's so different in this episode from that. Nikki: Yeah, we see him in a work environment in this episode, but I don't even get the sense that he would be that kind of guy. Nikki: He sure didn't latch on to their offer of the canned cocktail. Speaker A: He was just not really having it. Speaker A: He's so professional. Speaker A: He says something. Nikki: Oh, no. Speaker A: When Julia mentions her sister, he says, oh, a full figure gal. Speaker A: Very attractive. Nikki: Yeah. Speaker A: I feel like he could have easily have just said something like, oh, yes, the one with the big bazongas. Speaker A: This is like just normal things to say about people, like at random. Speaker A: Just, that one hit me. Speaker A: I got more. Nikki: It's funny you say that. Nikki: I'm pausing for a second because I'm thinking it's funny you say that. Nikki: I think it is. Nikki: Now I'm trying to parse through the episode and see if it's this one or the next. Nikki: I think it's the next one. Nikki: We talk about Suzanne's weight a little bit more. Nikki: I think there's something to be said about what Delta was going through on the show. Nikki: And when he said full figured, I did not interpret it as big chested. Nikki: I interpreted it as another jab at her weight because later Mary Joe says, I just didn't like it when he called you full figured. Nikki: And Mary Joe has a breast obsession, a breast perception, if you will. Nikki: I can't say it, but so I took it as her. Nikki: She interpreted the same way I did, but that's a good point. Nikki: Maybe he thought she was well endowed. Speaker A: Well, isn't the old standard of whatever it's only first of all, in the histories, it was only white women that wanted to be really thin. Nikki: Right. Speaker A: And I didn't think that the stereotype of a man was ever minding a woman being full figured. Speaker A: Yeah, but I think you're making a really good point. Speaker A: Ray dawn, come on the show. Speaker A: Tell us what you meant. Nikki: So my last stray is the poster of Reggie Mac at the end of the episode. Nikki: Did you notice it says to call Anthony? Nikki: Just call Anthony Bouier. Speaker A: Okay, all right, I didn't, but that doesn't surprise me. Speaker A: And then I took this one out because I was like, maybe this is too straight, but since you brought up the posters, I was going to say if you're trying to save money is the best way to save money to buy a bunch of oversized posters. Speaker A: And as you know, printing things is very expensive. Nikki: It is expensive. Speaker A: Stupidly expensive, I would even say. Nikki: Yeah. Nikki: And those were detailed. Nikki: They were full on portraits, but it was a 404 number listed. Speaker A: Oh, good. Nikki: 404 is one of the original area codes for Atlanta. Speaker A: That's excellent. Speaker A: Don't you five five five me. Nikki: I don't need any five five five. Nikki: You can four five five. Nikki: That's all I'll take. Speaker A: I have, like, a handful of other strays. Speaker A: Keep going. Speaker A: Okay. Nikki: I feel like the fact that we both want to start with strays tells me this was a very stray episode. Speaker A: It was very stray. Nikki: It was stray. Speaker A: These women, they don't take cancun these hells purses to bars. Speaker A: No, I don't believe that for a second. Speaker A: So this had to have been a plan that was devised off screen, right? Nikki: I think that's right. Speaker A: Okay. Speaker A: I was almost expecting to find that the cut lines we didn't. Speaker A: Yeah, but spoiler alert to the cut line section, maybe you didn't. Speaker A: Yeah. Speaker A: Suzanne has an indoor swimming pool. Nikki: I also don't think that was true. Speaker A: Question mark. Nikki: Question mark. Speaker A: Oh, okay. Speaker A: Well, what were they going to do when they lowered him back there? Speaker A: Kill him? Speaker A: I don't think they were going to. Nikki: Really ever invite him. Nikki: I think it's that thing where you say, we should totally get together. Nikki: Oh, we totally should. Nikki: Let's do it next month. Speaker A: You're not going to love these strays then. Nikki: I'm just going to poke holes in all of them. Nikki: Okay, carry on. Speaker A: I got a couple of problems then with Julia's. Speaker A: Let's call it a hard sale to Ray Dawn. Nikki: Okay. Speaker A: She refers to them as guy gal parties and mixed swimming. Speaker A: Mixed it's the 80s, not the 20s. Speaker A: They're also all adults. Speaker A: And then she makes it sound like this is something unusual. Speaker A: And also it's a pool party, Julia. Speaker A: It's a pool party. Nikki: She talks about young, firm bodies, but they're, like, in their bodies can be firm. Speaker A: And you? Speaker A: Oh, sure, 40s. Nikki: Mine's just not. Nikki: And I really don't think I'm going to go around proposing that you want to come to a guy gal party with me. Speaker A: Well, remember, Suzanne is younger, though, so. Nikki: Like 32, though, right? Nikki: We're not talking about 22. Speaker A: Yeah. Speaker A: Look, Angelina Jolie is like, 46, and I bet you her body's real firm. Nikki: You'd call her a midlife firm body. Nikki: You know, an Angelina Jolie type. Nikki: You tell me Jennifer aniston's there, I'm there. Speaker A: Well, my real problem is not the bodies. Speaker A: I mean, that is a problem for me, but she says, have I outstraded your stray? Speaker A: No, because I'm going to bring it back. Speaker A: So she says this this is what you're referring to? Speaker A: Have you ever done any mixed women in December, you know, where you'll ride at eye level with all the beautiful white snow, but up close, all you can see is steam rising off the winter tans of hard, firm, single bodies. Speaker A: And this is like that is not far off from the way she said it. Nikki: Oh, yeah. Nikki: No, it's very cat purry. Speaker A: Yeah. Speaker A: Okay. Speaker A: So my problem is that's not a thing in Georgia. Speaker A: We don't get to see the white snow anywhere. Nikki: This is why I don't think Suzanne really has a pool, and I think she was giving him a sale of what is it? Nikki: Bill of sale of goods. Nikki: Sale of goods. Nikki: Selling him some goods. Speaker A: A bill of good of sales of kroger. Nikki: She's selling him things that aren't really going to happen. Speaker A: He's Krogering them. Nikki: She got him some coupon. Speaker A: He's over at public. Speaker A: I don't know. Speaker A: Okay, all right. Nikki: But you get me. Speaker A: We had different problems with it for different reasons. Speaker A: But is Julia a bad fart? Speaker A: I don't even think it's a question, but I'm posing it anyway. Nikki: Yeah. Speaker A: Let me be clear. Speaker A: I'm a horrible flirt, but I think she thinks she's good at it. Speaker A: I think she thinks she's doing a good job. Nikki: Yeah, maybe. Nikki: I think she has a different perception of Ray Dawn. Nikki: This is what I'm saying. Nikki: Like, the person they portrayed him as in episode one, that's who she's catering to. Nikki: Yes. Speaker A: Okay. Nikki: And he seems to me the fact that Mary Joe pulls out a canned cocktail and he doesn't immediately go, yeah, you know what? Nikki: Close the door. Nikki: I got to tell you guys some stories. Nikki: Let me grab the cigars. Nikki: Like, tells me he's really not that person. Nikki: And we had this whole I think even when he was approaching the women. Nikki: And Julia goes on her tirade charlene keeps coming back to this point. Nikki: She's made this point about Ray Dawn several times. Nikki: All he did was say hi. Nikki: He wasn't even coming on to us. Nikki: Like, he wasn't even being smarmy and skeezy. Nikki: He was just saying hi. Nikki: We know that he was probably flirting a little bit, but it's not like he propositioned them with some money. Nikki: He was just being friendly almost. Nikki: I didn't think he was skeezy. Nikki: You look like you disagree. Speaker A: I think it just resonated with me so much because I feel like that idea that this guy really is everywhere and just randomly comes up. Speaker A: Like, it was never for me, but it was always for my friends. Speaker A: So I also had to endure it a lot and just be like, jeez, will you just go away? Nikki: It's hard to say what I remember honestly from the pilot. Nikki: I will just say that the Ray Dawn we've seen in the two episodes since has not as the person that she was catering to. Speaker A: I totally agree. Speaker A: So when I say that she's a bad flirt and maybe all this is moot based on what you're saying, but after he turned down a beverage when he was at Sugar Bakers, she says, well, then is there anyone here you can't have sex with? Nikki: She got manic, right? Nikki: That was so funny. Speaker A: It was great. Speaker A: But anyways, I was just curious. Speaker A: Is she a bad fort? Speaker A: Maybe? Nikki: She might be. Speaker A: So I think it's fair to say you like this one. Nikki: I did. Speaker A: So tell us, what did you like? Nikki: These get a little random. Nikki: I continue to love the names in the show. Nikki: So in this episode we learn about Reggie Mac, Dawson, Trudy, Wilhoyt and Beau. Nikki: And Beau and Becky, Dylan, the twins, wilmont, Oliver, the 150 year old man. Nikki: So I just love the names. Nikki: They get, like, increasingly outlandish and just like pieces of Southern, but like, Southern to the nth degree. Nikki: Right. Nikki: Just pictured in my head, the picture of Reggie Mac. Speaker A: Well, yeah, he took all our money. Nikki: I love the second tier characters, so they're almost not even supporting cast. Nikki: I'm talking about Roland, who was Wilmot's attendant. Nikki: I couldn't make all of them out, but I did manage to catch money sucking w**** and society looking b****. Nikki: They're just so funny to me. Speaker A: I thought he was great. Nikki: He was so great. Nikki: And I just wish we could see an episode of him like him and all those other flamboyant characters that we have met so far. Nikki: And I imagine we'll continue to meet like the cruise ship guy that we met a few episodes ago. Speaker A: Right. Nikki: And then I just love a really good throwback. Nikki: So bringing back Ray Dawn, this character that we've known since the pilot, I thought was really clever. Nikki: I do have to ask, is the IRS really that understaffed that they just keep running into redone? Nikki: I don't know. Speaker A: Maybe it's jurisdictional. Nikki: Maybe. Speaker A: I agree with everything you said, and those were on my list, so I won't rehash all of that. Speaker A: I think one thing that I really liked was, again, we see Mary Joe's inability to hold her liquor. Nikki: Oh, sure. Speaker A: We don't see it. Speaker A: We hear about it. Nikki: Sure. Nikki: No, we do see it. Nikki: She's a little tipsy in that final scene. Speaker A: True. Speaker A: But after the one can cocktail well, we don't hear her say this. Speaker A: We just talk about it later. Speaker A: But she called him a hairless government weenie. Speaker A: Hey, now, who among us hasn't known. Nikki: A hairless government weenie? Speaker A: You know what I'm saying? Speaker A: I think that's why it's so funny. Nikki: It's funny because it's true. Speaker A: And then, like back at Sugar Bakers when they're recounting all of this, she says under her breath, I didn't like that. Speaker A: He called her a full figure woman. Nikki: Right? Speaker A: You've already said I didn't like it. Speaker A: And you know what? Speaker A: I don't like it either. Speaker A: Because whether it was sexual or whether it was starting the borderline on fat shaming, both were inappropriate. Speaker A: And he could have been like, oh, yes, I know who you're talking about. Speaker A: And that would have been an okay summary. Nikki: The one who wears all the fur. Speaker A: Right? Speaker A: The one who's stupidly wearing these fur coats in July. Speaker A: I like Suzanne's reaction to Charlene's suggestion to economize. Speaker A: She says economize. Speaker A: You mean like clip coupons, buy food that doesn't have any labels on it, stand in discount store, checkout lines and pump you on gas? Speaker A: Yeah, something like that. Speaker A: I'd rather be dead. Speaker A: First of all, it's very Suzanne. Speaker A: But also, it's all very visceral. Speaker A: And if you happen to live your life like this, points that self, you know? Speaker A: Well, yeah, me, too. Speaker A: But here we are, still clipping coupons. Nikki: Here we are. Speaker A: Digital coupons. Speaker A: I mean, come on, cat. Nikki: But to be like the flip of that, though, is I'd rather live that life than have to marry Wilmont Oliver so that I don't live that life. Speaker A: Yeah, well, Suzanne, she's just a little bit more I think you're different. Speaker A: There we go. Speaker A: Let's put it that way. Nikki: Fair enough. Speaker A: She's willing to put more of herself on the line. Nikki: Fair enough. Speaker A: Body, soul. Speaker A: I just want to echo the fact that I really did love Roland a lot, too. Nikki: He was so funny. Speaker A: He had great dry wit. Nikki: He really and just the physical comedy that happened there where Julia says, could we talk for a moment? Nikki: And then they both kind of very dramatically sit down on the couch. Nikki: And he says, Just between us, she says, of course. Nikki: And then he dishes the whole thing. Nikki: It's like he's just been waiting to share it. Nikki: And I just love the idea of this man attending night and day to this grumpy old man and just taking in all the tea along the way. Nikki: Just, like, watching all the drama unfold. Speaker A: That was good. Speaker A: I also have to side note, I had to delete something off of mine earlier that I feel like you would appreciate underneath me talking about how much I liked him. Speaker A: There was, like, a sub bullet, and it said, Anne, Roland's the only way we know that. Speaker A: And then I never finished the sentence, and I just thought you'd appreciate that. Nikki: Perfect. Speaker A: You know that week, don't you? Speaker A: That's called taking notes during the holidays with a cold or COVID cold. Speaker A: And let me tell you why. Nikki: You can have it all. Speaker A: That's what I'm trying to tell you. Speaker A: That's my likes. Nikki: So what about what we didn't like? Nikki: What do you have on your list? Speaker A: I don't even know. Speaker A: It's as strong as I don't like this, but I feel like we saw the things that I preferred would have happened off screen and vice versa. Nikki: Oh, that's interesting. Speaker A: Yeah. Speaker A: So I don't necessarily want to hear multiple conversations about what happened. Speaker A: I want to see what happened. Speaker A: Okay. Speaker A: I wish we could have met Wilmont's kids and seen that dinner with Suzanne. Speaker A: Yeah, I wanted to see that. Speaker A: I wish we could have seen drunk Mary Joe telling Ray Don off. Nikki: So what would you have cut to accommodate that? Speaker A: I probably would have cut the scene where Roland comes in and they're just. Nikki: Exposition the atrium, which is just a giant window. Speaker A: Right. Speaker A: They're just, like, over in the corner. Speaker A: I'm like, this feels so much like a play. Nikki: Shall we go to the solarium? Speaker A: Right. Speaker A: And you just literally see their backs. Nikki: I'm going to start calling the sunroom off the back of my house. Nikki: My atrium, though. Nikki: Yeah, it's not filled with kids toys and my work computer. Nikki: It's my atrium. Speaker A: Right, okay. Speaker A: And here's the thing. Speaker A: You didn't have to cut everything at the end where they're sort of recapping what happened at Raydon's office. Speaker A: But we could have gotten the government Weenie line. Speaker A: We could have gotten that. Speaker A: And then it faded over and they got until you called them a weenie and then started in there again, not as a professional, a non professional opinion, but that was the only thing that I felt that way about. Nikki: I have nothing that I disliked in this episode. Speaker A: Oh, you know what that means? Nikki: What does it mean? Speaker A: Well, one, it means, let's go to this rating. Speaker A: Let's rate this sucker. Speaker A: Okay. Nikki: I need those words. Speaker A: Excuse me. Speaker A: Are you ready to rate this sucker? Nikki: I'm ready. Speaker A: Also. Speaker A: Does that mean that giving it a. Nikki: Perfect don't spoil things, Salina. Speaker A: So what do you rate it? Nikki: So my rating scale is unfortunate slingshot accidents. Speaker A: Okay. Nikki: Because they did talk a good bit about Wilmont's children. Nikki: We'll get to it. Nikki: And cut lines. Nikki: There was a piece that was cut that I would have loved to have heard, but they're not great people, basically. Nikki: And so there was a slingshot incident. Nikki: I gave it a 4.99, and I'm. Speaker A: Doing just change it. Nikki: I'm doing that. Nikki: No, that was my skate. Nikki: Because I don't think it's quite five worthy. Nikki: I didn't want to rush back to watch it again. Nikki: I've had a couple episodes. Nikki: I can't remember now off the top of my head which ones they were, but a couple that I would love to watch again. Nikki: This one I would love to watch again, but not like let me just restart it right now, but I would totally watch it again. Nikki: And it was, like I said, a welcome palette cleanser from the last one, which was we talked a lot in that episode about discomfort, having to sit with a lot of uncomfortable feelings and parse through some uncomfortable perspectives. Nikki: This one was totally what I am at this point in my life watching TV for, which is genuinely just to be entertained. Nikki: I just need to turn my brain off for a little while. Nikki: And there wasn't a single thing in this episode that I didn't think was hilarious. Speaker A: That's nice. Nikki: I really liked it. Nikki: What about you? Speaker A: I gave it a 3.2 out of five. Nikki: Oh, that's low. Nikki: Yeah. Speaker A: I feel bad now. Nikki: You should. Nikki: What's your rating scale? Nikki: Maybe it's because you're colored. Speaker A: By your rating scale, it's 3.2 out of 3.3. Speaker A: Oh, you mean what's this? Speaker A: I was just trying to make you feel better about the numbers. Nikki: It's not working out. Speaker A: Full figure gals. Speaker A: Okay, so 3.2 out of five, full figure gal. Speaker A: What happened? Speaker A: I really don't know. Speaker A: I think I might have the rating is really hard for me because by the time I get to the rating, I'm tired, so it's probably more to do with that. Speaker A: I'm sorry. Speaker A: Let me hold on. Speaker A: Look, nothing's. Nikki: I just don't think a 3.2 tracks with only one thing you dislike. Speaker A: I'll do 3.7. Nikki: Although the thing you disliked was basically the structure of the episode. Speaker A: What a wonderful segue into me saying that I like the ingredients. Speaker A: I would have changed the amounts. Speaker A: I'm into seeing Ray Dawn again. Speaker A: I like that. Speaker A: For whatever reason. Speaker A: We like that. Speaker A: It makes for interesting interactions. Speaker A: But we skipped out before it got good. Nikki: Yeah. Speaker A: And it makes perfect sense to me. Speaker A: Everything Suzanne's doing. Speaker A: I think that character is being well written and very well within the guardrails of who Suzanne is on this show, especially with her money being threatened. Speaker A: But I wanted to live in that world for the day. Speaker A: That's a good complaint to have. Speaker A: I want more. Nikki: I get that. Speaker A: I want to meet these crazy kids. Nikki: Yeah. Speaker A: I really wanted to see them. Nikki: That would have been great. Speaker A: I'm wondering if it's just like, money. Speaker A: They just don't have enough money to oh, yeah. Nikki: They can't support all of that. Nikki: Another set. Speaker A: It's like a whole other layer of stuff. Speaker A: We're still on season two. Speaker A: I think it's creeping up in the ratings now, but it's not getting towards its peak, I think, until season three. Nikki: Anybody who creates TV, though, I do think a television show about a very, very wealthy old man, a woman who has been in society for a long time but has fallen on hard times trying to get in with the family and then his murderous children. Nikki: I would watch that. Nikki: I'm into it like a dark, schitt's creek. Nikki: I'd watch that. Speaker A: Thought you were Cussing, which sorry, nicky over there. Nikki: Cussing. Speaker A: Oh, don't be sorry. Speaker A: It just seemed out of character for you, so yeah, actually, the whole time I was watching this, I was like, this is like Succession, which is on HBO. Speaker A: It's really good. Nikki: I've heard of this. Speaker A: It's supposed to be like the Murdochs. Nikki: Okay. Speaker A: It's great. Speaker A: And it is. Nikki: The Culkin kid is in that. Nikki: Yes. Nikki: Okay. Speaker A: And it's really good. Nikki: The Culkin kid, who's my age, a little bit younger. Speaker A: Older. Speaker A: He's older. Speaker A: It's always exciting. Nikki: Thrill. Nikki: I know. Speaker A: A thrill a minute. Nikki: And the fact that I call him a kid, the Culkin old guy, but not the really old one. Nikki: That was in Home alone. Speaker A: Yeah, he's really old. Speaker A: Like 38. Nikki: Kieran Culkin. Nikki: Yeah, he's very entertaining. Speaker A: He's wonderful in the show. Speaker A: I mean, everybody's a terrible person. Nikki: Yeah. Nikki: So actually, he was I think he hosted SNL recently and I watched some of his clips and he's hilarious and I just love his story in Hollywood. Nikki: But one of the things I read an article about him where they were talking about the character he plays on that show, and they said in a cast of characters of everybody who's terrible, he's just really good. Nikki: Terrible. Speaker A: It's true. Speaker A: And I think one of the things that this is our new podcast about. Nikki: Success, what's happening in the Culkins. Speaker A: But I think this is worth saying, that it's billed kind of as a drama, but Will Ferrell is actually one of the writers or maybe an executive producer or something. Speaker A: But anyways, you feel that because it's funny. Nikki: Oh, good. Speaker A: Like they're terrible people who are hilarious. Speaker A: And it's like this real subtle humor. Nikki: Oh, I might like that. Speaker A: And I think that is the kind of difference how comedy has evolved, is because we started off with, like, slapstick. Speaker A: Yeah, I fell down, I hit my. Nikki: Head, which I still love. Speaker A: It still has its place. Speaker A: Right. Speaker A: But then just these kinds of things where it's so well built in that it's like you don't even realize that you're laughing. Speaker A: And that is like a whole different level of comedy, I think. Speaker A: So watch succession. Speaker A: That's what I'm trying to say. Speaker A: Watch. Speaker A: Designing women first. Speaker A: Come and listen to our podcast. Speaker A: Get on, succession. Speaker A: Then come back to our podcast. Speaker A: Leave us a review. Speaker A: Do you have a pen? Speaker A: Please write down these steps. Nikki: It'll be on our website later. Speaker A: In that order. Speaker A: Okay. Speaker A: Combination of 80s Southern or unknown references. Speaker A: 80s things. Nikki: Didn't have anything. Speaker A: Telethon. Nikki: Oh, yeah. Nikki: Good call. Speaker A: I guess they still happen. Speaker A: Do they? Speaker A: They do PBS. Speaker A: They still have telethons. Speaker A: It's crazy. Nikki: I know. Nikki: Who's calling them? Speaker A: I mean, they did a few years ago. Speaker A: Maybe they are gone now. Nikki: Let me stop sounding so that was. Speaker A: Just like five days ago, right? Speaker A: I can't tell anymore. Speaker A: I still think 2002 was yesterday. Nikki: I will die on that hill. Speaker A: Southern things. Nikki: Always with the Gone with the Wind references. Nikki: I like them. Nikki: We had a really long she's offensive. Nikki: She must be. Speaker A: Or do you think it's like the south? Speaker A: There's grits. Speaker A: There's Rhett Butler. Nikki: Right. Nikki: I think that actually might be more what it is. Nikki: Like, if you know nothing about the south, you at least know about Gone with the Wind, right? Speaker A: It was in the play. Nikki: There you go. Speaker A: Anything else? Nikki: That's what I had. Speaker A: Atlanta Police Department was my other one. Speaker A: If you're local, that would be the APD. Speaker A: Thank you. Speaker A: References that we either need to talk about just because we need to talk about them or that you needed to. Nikki: Look up I'm a little embarrassed to say I had to look up bimini. Speaker A: I assumed it was the Bahamas only because of the context, but I also looked it up. Nikki: See, I didn't catch that from the context. Nikki: And you know what's embarrassing? Nikki: I don't know if this is embarrassing. Nikki: I don't know. Nikki: Never mind. Nikki: I'm not going to tell that story. Nikki: I'm just embarrassed I didn't know it. Nikki: I should know from the context that that's what bimini means. Nikki: Okay. Nikki: I've heard it used in other places. Nikki: It always refers to something like marine or nautical or coastal. Nikki: Right. Speaker A: Stick around for sweet tea after dark. Nikki: What is sweet tea after dark? Speaker A: To learn why Nikki was embarrassed. Speaker A: I don't know. Speaker A: It's something we need to work on. Nikki: You know what I'm saying? Speaker A: This sweet tea has five fly vodka in it. Speaker A: What was in my coffee? Speaker A: Not slipping a little can cocktail in there. Speaker A: My other you were talking about references. Speaker A: I don't know what's happening. Nikki: I'm done. Speaker A: You're done? Nikki: I'm done with references. Speaker A: I have one. Speaker A: Okay, we get another 711 reference. Speaker A: Oh, this time charlene is like saying we can put little donation boxes in all the 711. Nikki: Oh, I remember that. Speaker A: Okay, fine. Speaker A: I got called out. Speaker A: I wasn't right. Speaker A: I was too strong in my assertion that there's never been a 711. Speaker A: There never will be one. Speaker A: And as long as God is my witness, while we're on the golf with the wind okay, fine. Speaker A: There were maybe, like, one or 2711, but there wasn't enough, I don't think, to go around and just put them in all the donation boxes. Speaker A: And I'm not saying it really bothered me, but that low key bothers me that we keep bringing up 711, like it's the most popular gas station in all of Georgia. Nikki: Is it possible that that falls in the same category as Gone with the Wind? Speaker A: Yes. Speaker A: Or this category of, like, if there was a Southern, like a gas station that was only in the south, which I don't think there was, but let's just say there was and no one knew it, they wanted to be clear that we are talking about, like, a rest stop situation, but I got to talk about it. Nikki: This is a southern podcast. Nikki: I get it. Speaker A: Cut lines. Nikki: I found a few little ones, but there was only one I really liked because again, this is, I think, part of what made me really want this story about Wilmont's kids. Nikki: It talks about their craziness. Nikki: So Julia says the slingshot accident story. Nikki: Then she goes on in the cut lines to say, now her younger brother Dexter wanted to marry, but he got himself, shall we say, clipped in an unfortunate horseshoe tournament accident. Nikki: This time Everett was doing the throwing. Nikki: And I think then someone says, you know, that's something you never hear about. Nikki: I'm going to guess it's charlene. Nikki: A horseshoe tournament accident. Nikki: What does Dexter do now? Nikki: He sings in the choir. Nikki: I mean, he could really only hit those high notes. Nikki: Julia, I'm sure it must just be a coincidence. Nikki: Nonetheless, you can imagine how thrilled they're going to be with Suzanne cutting into their inheritance. Nikki: So they really are a wild crew. Speaker A: Right. Speaker A: It was just like better context. Nikki: And they are hardcore rich and those. Speaker A: Are like crazier things that they did. Speaker A: I think what they wound up leaving in the show is like they put death threats in each other's pajamas or something. Speaker A: I'm like, well, that's not really we just call that Christmas. Nikki: I don't understand. Speaker A: So for me, I was like, well, this would have really kind of driven it home a little bit more. Nikki: Yeah. Speaker A: Hulu. Nikki: It's too much. Nikki: Did you have any I think that. Speaker A: Was really the only one that stood out for me. Speaker A: There was a fair number of cuts in this one, but they were all minor. Nikki: Yeah. Nikki: So our next episode is episode 18, what high rollers. Nikki: As always, we'd love everyone to follow along with us and engage. Nikki: We're on Instagram and Facebook at Sweettv. Nikki: Sweettvpod@gmail.com. Nikki: If you want to drop us a little, I'm doing this email. Speaker A: Okay. Speaker A: I'm like, what a harp? Nikki: I'm doing my fingers on a typing. Nikki: My fingers are a typing. Nikki: WW dot. Nikki: Sweettv.com is our website where we'll drop our references and all kinds of things. Nikki: And if you're having fun with us, I'm going to start saying this regularly. Nikki: Please leave us a rating or review wherever you listen to the show and hang tight for Extra Sugar. Nikki: Are you excited? Speaker A: I'm so excited. Nikki: This week we're going to do a special edition of Nikki's Nibbles. Nikki: We're going to talk about canned cocktails. Nikki: It'll be real exciting. Speaker A: Well, let's get straight to that. Speaker A: So we're going to see around the Bend by. Nikki: Welcome to this week's edition of Extra Sugar. Nikki: It's the next chapter in Nickies Nibbles. Nikki: Come on, y'all, let's talk fiddles. Nikki: Nickies Nibbles. Nikki: Come on, y'all, let's eat. Nikki: That's right. Nikki: In honor of another drunk Mary Joe episode, I want to explore the canned cocktail a little bit. Nikki: So if talk of alcohol isn't your cup of tea or if it triggers you in any way. Nikki: Just skip this section and come back next week. Nikki: But to start, Salina, you're not a drinker currently, but at some point in time you did enjoy the devil's juice. Speaker A: Now, I may have had a cocktail at some point. Nikki: Did you drink canned cocktails? Nikki: Did you have a favorite? Speaker A: I don't think that was a thing for me. Nikki: For you? Nikki: Yeah. Speaker A: For me, it doesn't mean it didn't exist. Nikki: I have a whole historical segment that's going to say it did exist. Nikki: So you weren't into it? Speaker A: No, I was more of like a beer and shot kind of girl. Nikki: Oh, my. Nikki: Honestly, this is a weird thing about me. Nikki: I don't really care for canned drinks in general. Nikki: I know that sounds weird. Nikki: I just think cans give it like a weird flavor. Speaker A: Absolutely, yeah. Nikki: And then if you add alcohol to that I don't know. Nikki: It's not for me. Nikki: But I think other people I know other people really like canned cocktails. Nikki: And actually I have a canned cocktail that I'm going to drink during this segment. Nikki: It's cut water. Nikki: It's a vodka mule. Speaker A: Do you want to shotgun it? Nikki: I'm going to. Nikki: That was my plan. Nikki: Just while we're sitting here right in front of all this equipment. Speaker A: It would be everything to me. Nikki: I just thought I would I'm going to talk about cut water here in a second and this particular drink in general. Nikki: But I thought, I mean, I can't talk about it without trying it. Nikki: But yeah, usually these things are not for me. Speaker A: But this is your first time trying this one? Nikki: This is my first time trying this one. Nikki: I have tried a canned mule before and I came back to the same conclusion. Nikki: I just think the can taste weird. Speaker A: What happens if you pour it out of the can into something else? Speaker A: Does it get better? Speaker A: Like if you were sitting like a glass? Nikki: I don't know the answer to that. Speaker A: I'm about to drive you home. Speaker A: Oh, my gosh. Nikki: Sorry. Nikki: Cut winter not for me. Speaker A: There's going to be like a beep over that. Nikki: I'm probably still going to drink it because that's the person that I am. Speaker A: You don't want to waste it. Nikki: But I don't know about. Speaker A: Anyway, other. Nikki: People really like canned cocktails and that. Speaker A: Kind of people who drink canned cocktails. Speaker A: The ray. Speaker A: Dawns at the world. Nikki: Not Ray Dawn. Nikki: Mary Joe. Speaker A: Just mary Joe. Speaker A: Mary Joe. Nikki: Maybe. Speaker A: Well, they devised a plan. Speaker A: We decided. Nikki: I guess they must have. Nikki: I guess. Nikki: I don't know. Nikki: Would you believe me? Speaker A: Sleep. Nikki: I'm bringing us back on track. Nikki: Would you believe me if I told you we're in the middle of the third wave of the canned cocktail revolution? Speaker A: I would have no idea. Nikki: That's what I'm calling it, the canned cocktail revolution. Nikki: Trademark that. Speaker A: Oh, that's nice. Speaker A: Feels like it needs a song. Nikki: It's cocktail. Nikki: A revolution. Nikki: I got to play with that. Speaker A: You're going to work here? Nikki: I'll workshop it later. Nikki: I'll save you all now. Nikki: But it's true. Nikki: According to a Daily Beast article I read, the first wave happened in the late 18 hundreds when they were first invented. Speaker A: Shocks me. Nikki: At the time, they were actually bottled cocktails. Nikki: But that was the first sort of like takeaway cocktail situation. Nikki: Another wave happened after the Prohibition era ended through to about the then we're having another one right now. Nikki: So I'm going to make a quick kind of, like, side note about this segment. Nikki: I wanted to use some of this time to talk about Prohibition and the impact on the south. Nikki: And I just feel like there's an extra sugar there that we need to explore. Nikki: But it really got a little bit unwieldy and a little bit unfocused. Nikki: So I am going to put a pin in that and hope that we get a chance to talk about it. Speaker A: I just like this idea of, like, drinking a cocktail whilst talking about Prohibition is pretty is everything. Nikki: It's the kind of gal I am. Nikki: I like that it's a revolution. Nikki: But I hope we can talk about it about that at some point because I do think there's something there. Nikki: The south has this weird, complicated history with alcohol. Nikki: Yeah, it's so strange. Nikki: We don't like drinking, but we do like drinking, and it just gets complicated in the south. Speaker A: We like to drink where you can't see us. Nikki: I like to drink in private. Speaker A: There's a whole history of it. Speaker A: Real nice. Nikki: So like I mentioned, this is just coffee. Nikki: She hasn't been drinking anything except her caffeine. Nikki: The first wave was a bottled cocktail wave. Nikki: It started around the late 18 hundreds when bars started bottling their liquor drinks. Nikki: These became so popular that advertising soon followed. Nikki: And I found a Smithsonian article that pointed to a 1900 ad where a woman instructed her butler, before you do another thing, James, bring me a club cocktail. Nikki: I'm so tired of shopping. Nikki: Make it a martini. Nikki: I need a little tonic. Nikki: And it's so much better than a drug of any kind. Nikki: Oh, ads in the 19 hundreds. Speaker A: That's like a lot to unpack. Nikki: We'll make that another. Speaker A: Yeah. Speaker A: She's like, I can't even snow any of this cocaine, but still illegal among Dockwaters. Nikki: But I don't want to. Nikki: But then after that sort of after that first wave, I guess they died off a little bit. Speaker A: Prohibition. Nikki: The whole thing where we told people not to drink. Nikki: That's probably it. Speaker A: We were just drinking. Speaker A: Bathtub. Nikki: Bathtub cocktails. Speaker A: Doesn'T sound terrible. Nikki: By about 1935, at least one company had started canning cocktails. Nikki: However, as I've noticed, the cans left a weird aftertaste. Nikki: So canned cocktails didn't really come into true vogue until a few years later in about the 1950s because because of a canning revolution. Nikki: So this is kind of a quick charlene style sidebar. Nikki: I didn't know where else to put this, but I'm going to put it here. Nikki: It fits here better than anywhere else. Nikki: The Smithsonian article I mentioned talked about a revolution in canning thanks to the Molson Cores Brewing Company in 1959, that was really the widespread kind of the starting point for widespread drink canning generally. Nikki: It was developed because of the CEO's commitment to sustainability. Nikki: So he came up with this unique method of canning that was able to use recycled metal. Nikki: And according to that article, because of that work, this is mind blowing to me. Nikki: It's all relative, but it blew my mind. Nikki: Roughly 80% of all the metal ever made, steel or aluminum, is still in use today. Speaker A: Oh, wow. Nikki: Because of how much you can recycle it. Speaker A: I am impressed by that because honestly, I thought you were going to say, and here's the five reasons that it blew up in his face. Speaker A: Oh, no. Speaker A: I thought you're going to be like an 80% of the metal in the ocean Saleet from beer can. Nikki: She's never been here for one of my extra sugars. Nikki: I look for the positive. Nikki: I found that too. Nikki: Blew my mind. Nikki: That is wild. Nikki: Anyhow, so we're going to fast forward to the late 80s, which is when our Designing Women episode was recorded. Speaker A: Well, see, now I feel bad. Nikki: About what? Speaker A: Because I feel like maybe I need to just suck it up and drink canned drinks anyway. Nikki: Oh, I wouldn't take that away from it. Speaker A: Oh, not that far. Nikki: I wouldn't know. Nikki: I wouldn't hear that. Nikki: I wouldn't make yourself force them to recycle metal on your account. Speaker A: Okay. Speaker A: I feel better. Nikki: Then that's all you needed. Speaker A: Yeah. Speaker A: Tell me it's okay. Nikki: So by the late 80s, canned cocktails really weren't hugely in fashion at that point. Nikki: So it's kind of surprising that that's what Mary Joe pulls out of her purse. Nikki: But I guess what else would it have been? Nikki: Maybe a can of beer or something? Speaker A: Is it like a hip flask? Nikki: And when I say canned cocktails, I'm talking I should have specified at the very beginning, I'm talking about liquor drinks in a can, not a beer. Nikki: This is different than a beer. Nikki: So that Smithsonian article included an anecdote about how even though they weren't really in fashion in the 80s, they were never really gone. Nikki: So the story goes that this guy named Fred got married in 1985. Nikki: So a couple of years before this is a fantastic year. Nikki: Many, many amazing people were born that year. Nikki: So this is a couple episodes a couple of years before this episode aired. Nikki: But his father Booker supplied the drinks at the reception. Nikki: So Booker happened to be Jim Beam of Jim Beam bourbon, happened to be his grandson and a 6th generation Master Distiller. Nikki: So he made Jim Beam bourbon for the reception that he made himself as the Master Distiller. Nikki: But he also brought cans of Jim Beam and cola. Nikki: They specifically say cola. Nikki: So not Diet Coke? Nikki: I mean, not coke. Nikki: I drink Jack and diet after the wedding back at headquarters, Jim Beam headquarters in Chicago. Nikki: They did brainstorming, soul searching, and they ultimately decided to make canned gym and Coke a thing and sell it, like out on the market. Nikki: It wasn't the company's first try at canned cocktails, but it had been several years since they had one, and it brought them back into the game. Speaker A: It's interesting. Nikki: So the Daily Beast article I mentioned at the beginning talks about this. Nikki: I don't know if you call it like a philosophical argument or whatever, but every trend toward complexity begets a significant trend toward simplicity. Nikki: So every time we have something complicated that's in fashion or in vogue, the next trend is going to be something very simple. Speaker A: Yeah, we can't decide what we want. Nikki: Sure. Nikki: Or we try enough of one thing and want to go the complete opposite. Speaker A: It's like politics. Nikki: But it's interesting because each one of these rises in canned cocktails has followed a trend of complex cocktails. Nikki: So Smithsonian says that Cosmos and flavored martinis came into favor in the 1990s, which may have been why canned cocktails died off a bit. Nikki: Yeah, we moved away from cans and we moved toward those really complicated I think of them as like the Sex in the City sort of drinks or. Speaker A: Like what's going on today? Nikki: Let's talk about that in a second because I think you have an interesting perspective maybe that I don't. Nikki: The guy from Jim Beam that I mentioned earlier pointed out that price could have been at play a little bit, too. Nikki: He said it's actually just cheaper to buy a Coke and a bottle of Jim Beam than to get the canned version to just go buy the raw ingredients. Nikki: Because canned cocktails are taxed as spirits, even though that only accounts for a proportion of the liquid. Nikki: And I guess when you do the math, it works out cheaper just to buy a bottle of the whole spirit and then you have it to make more. Nikki: They say that also helps explain the rise of malt beverages like Zima in the late eighty s and early 90s. Nikki: It sounds like those are just tax. Speaker A: Less poppy, a little Jolly Rancher in there and have a good time. Nikki: I've never had a zima. Nikki: I've never had a zima. Speaker A: Well, that's because you are an appropriate person. Speaker A: And in the mid to late 90s, maybe I shouldn't have. Nikki: So that tax law on spirit still holds today. Nikki: And they said that also might partly account for the stratospheric growth of drinks like White Claw, which are really the 21st century's version of Azima. Speaker A: Oh, yeah, for sure. Nikki: Either way, it's clear canned cocktails are having a huge moment right now. Nikki: I don't know if it's the flip of that Cosmo martini craze of the 90s or Part and Parcel to like it's a pandemic. Nikki: I'll drink anything mentality, or maybe both. Nikki: But actually what you just said I want to touch on for a second because you've mentioned to me before, like, how wild and crazy cocktails are right now. Nikki: And admittedly, I don't go to restaurants very often but I specifically don't go to really trendy restaurants. Nikki: So. Nikki: Maybe I've missed this. Nikki: I actually thought people had gone simple with their drinks. Nikki: You think that's not consistent with what you've seen? Speaker A: Well, I think we're seeing both. Speaker A: So when you're talking about the trulies and the white claws and all of that jazz, I think absolutely. Speaker A: It's having a big moment. Speaker A: Still enjoy that mule. Nikki: Oh, my gosh. Speaker A: So I think that's definitely happening right now. Speaker A: I think that especially in the south because we can finally have the microbreweries which we haven't traditionally been able to. Speaker A: We haven't had the same abilities. Speaker A: There was all these really weird laws on the books. Speaker A: Well, we've seen that market just flourish in the last five, six, seven years. Speaker A: And it's crazy how many breweries there are in the south now. Speaker A: So, like, IPAs, these, like, specialty brews, all this stuff, they're all having a huge moment too, I would say. Speaker A: I don't know beer has ever been as good. Speaker A: I will tell you that. Speaker A: A lot of this comes from the fact that I get to sit around and hear my husband talk about it with some of our friends sometimes about beer has just never been as good as it is today. Speaker A: But there really is a true revolution happening. Nikki: My 16 years of drinking experience tells me in all of the history of beer, it's never been as good as it is today. Speaker A: Screw those guys in Germany who've been doing it for 3000 years. Speaker A: I don't have a real clear picture of the history of the globe. Nikki: So that'll be a future. Speaker A: Nikki Nibble yeah, but then there are in a more traditional bar setting or in restaurants and I don't think it has to be like a super fancy or trendy one. Speaker A: They're just putting everything in there, like the egg whites and the foams and. Nikki: Stuff in a Mexican restaurant. Speaker A: Stuff that I can't pronounce. Speaker A: Or they'll do like, these giant bubbles on top of the cocktail or they're steaming or they walk over to you. Speaker A: Just a drink. Speaker A: You know what I'm saying? Speaker A: Put it on a robot. Speaker A: Yeah. Speaker A: And every time I always blink on the name of the mixologist. Speaker A: And there's definitely, like, a stereotype that exists of this person. Speaker A: But they're doing some really cool yeah. Speaker A: Handlebar mustache. Speaker A: That's right. Nikki: Just did it with my finger. Speaker A: And then it's like a very hipster kind of thing, is what I think people think of. Speaker A: But I've been to some really cool places, including, like, there's, like, a half bar, half. Speaker A: And it's not the only one of these exists. Speaker A: There's a lot of these now, but I've specifically been to one in Atlanta where it's like half mixology, half barber shop. Speaker A: And so it's like a really nice bar on one side and on the other side you walk through a door and you go and you sit in like, a traditional barber shop situation. Nikki: What's the link? Speaker A: Yourself? Speaker A: A cut and shave. Nikki: I don't understand the link. Speaker A: People want to drink all the time. Nikki: Men. Speaker A: You don't have to be a man to go there. Nikki: Okay. Speaker A: You can be a woman. Nikki: Okay. Nikki: To go to the bar or the barber. Nikki: The barbershop will see women, too. Speaker A: Sure. Nikki: Okay. Speaker A: Now, do most women want to go to a barber? Speaker A: I don't know. Speaker A: And obviously there were men in there, but I definitely know women who wear shorter hair. Nikki: They get the undercut. Nikki: Yeah. Nikki: Okay. Nikki: Interesting. Speaker A: And it was a really cool place, and I don't know why. Speaker A: Sometimes it's just cool to have weird things happen at places that are traditionally boring. Speaker A: The idea to keep someone around or you're going to be there for hours, why not make a little money off of them? Nikki: I get that. Speaker A: The other place where you see them pop up, too, is like that. Speaker A: You wouldn't think of as traditionally having a bunch of drinks as like a laundry match. Speaker A: Well, is it Catholic church? Speaker A: I don't know. Speaker A: Okay. Speaker A: That might be going down a different path anyways. Speaker A: So like a laundry mat situation, like bubbles and bubbles. Nikki: Does that exist? Speaker A: Yeah, they have places. Speaker A: Okay. Nikki: I thought we had a new business dog on it. Nikki: Slain. Speaker A: Whenever you're ready. Speaker A: All right. Speaker A: Well, canned cocktails, that was part of. Nikki: My segment, but thanks for that aside. Speaker A: Sorry. Nikki: No, it's helpful either way. Nikki: Any of this? Nikki: Any of this? Nikki: Taking it into account, the Smithsonian article said the ready to drink category, they call it the RTD category for the in the Know grew 214% from 2009 to 2019. Nikki: Then more recently, according to Nielsen, RTDs grew 40% from 2018 to 2019. Speaker A: Huge. Nikki: And in late September 2020, they were up 162% from the past 17 weeks compared to the same weeks the previous year. Nikki: So they grew a lot in 2020. Speaker A: I wonder why. Nikki: What happened that year? Nikki: What's going on? Nikki: So if you're a canned cocktail connoisseur, I found an article on liquor.com with a ranking of the best in 2021. Nikki: I am actually drinking the number one. Speaker A: It's like the fourth day of 2021. Nikki: I'm up to date. Nikki: She's behind. Nikki: I am actually drinking the first one, which is Cutwater Spirits. Nikki: I'm drinking the Vodka Mule, but Cutwater Spirits is just listed as the best canned cocktail in 2021. Nikki: Incidentally, I just will mention that that's a small outfit that was bought out by Anheuser Bush in 2019. Nikki: So I sent my husband into the liquor store with a list of like, three from this list. Nikki: That was the only one he could find because it's so widely distributed now. Nikki: Oh, the best craft is homeschool blood orange Manhattan. Nikki: And I'll link to this list on our website. Speaker A: That sounds delicious. Nikki: The best sugar free is called the Long Drink. Nikki: The best whiskey is Rogue spirits. Nikki: Ginger lemon whiskey, mule. Nikki: The. Nikki: Best vodka is Kraft House cocktails Moscow Mule. Nikki: I'm realizing now I'm not drinking the best vodka based drink. Nikki: I'm just drinking the best overall brand. Nikki: The best Bloody Mary is ten barrel Brewing companies. Nikki: Bloody Mary the best tiki drink. Nikki: This is really my wheelhouse is like the tiki drinks is called drinksmith. Nikki: So it's D-R-N-X-M-Y-T-H drinksmith. Nikki: Rum punch. Nikki: And the best margarita is Dolce Vita sparkling margarita. Nikki: I love a good margarita. Speaker A: That sounds refreshing. Nikki: But because we are who we are, I also wanted to share some specifically southern brands. Nikki: So this is a list of eight southern canned cocktails from Styleblueprint.com. Nikki: This list also includes some hard seltzers. Nikki: So seltzers are more in the beer, like the malted category, whereas what I had originally conceived of was like liquor drinks, which are like vodkas fermented potatoes. Nikki: So it's a little bit different. Nikki: But this is the list I found, so live with it. Nikki: Austin east Ciders. Nikki: They are ciders and seltzers from Austin, Texas, was number one cathead distillery. Nikki: Incidentally, Mississippi's first and oldest legal distillery is serving up ready to drink sparkling vodka sodas. Nikki: Canteen offers zero sugar, zero carbs vodka sodas. Nikki: And they're out of Austin, Texas. Nikki: Colony cocktails. Nikki: I found this fascinating. Nikki: They donate 10% of their proceeds to charities working to end hunger. Nikki: That's nice. Nikki: World hunger. Nikki: So that's Colony Cocktails pickers vodka ready to drink vodka sodas out of Nashville, Tennessee. Nikki: Post meridian spirits is from right here in Georgia. Nikki: They claim to be Georgia's first canned cocktail company. Nikki: And they offer my Thai and margaritas. Nikki: My husband couldn't find that one. Nikki: Yeah, I really wanted that one. Speaker A: See if I could picture up my. Nikki: Head, but I can't. Nikki: Ranch Water is a line of hard seltzers from Texas. Speaker A: I like that name. Nikki: Yeah, it's really cute. Nikki: And then Tip Top Cocktails is another Georgia line offering old fashions margaritas, et cetera. Nikki: So I'll leave you with this parting thought from the Daily Beast article. Nikki: Each time the premade cocktail has gotten popular, the cocktail boom that preceded it soon collapsed. Nikki: The bottled cocktails of the 1890s and 19 hundreds gave way to prohibition. Nikki: The bottled and canned drinks of the 1960s and 70s led to the Tequila Sunrise and Slippery Nipple. Speaker A: So what's next? Nikki: I don't know, but I can't wait to find out. Nikki: This has been this week's edition of Extra Sugar.