Latest news with #icedtea
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Blake Lively shifts her focus to new product launch... after 'losing friend Taylor Swift over Justin Baldoni lawsuit'
Blake Lively is focusing on her booze line this week. On Wednesday, the 37-year-old blonde Hollywood pinup announced that Betty Booze is coming out with two vodka iced teas in time for the hot months. The flavors are Meyer Lemonade and Passion Fruit. 'I come from a Southern family, so iced tea, especially in the summertime is a staple,' the actress told People. 'Sweet tea, passionfruit tea, tea with fresh lemonade … it all feels like relaxation and peaceful times. Enjoying an iced tea is a feeling as much as an experience to me.' The wife of Ryan Reynolds kicked off her Betty Buzz brand in 2021 with sparkling mixers. In 2023 came Betty Booze with tequila and bourbon. This comes after news that Blake has lost her friendship with Taylor Swift over her Justin Baldoni lawsuit. 'Vodka felt like the perfect next addition to our 'bar' lineup because of its subtle and popular flavor,' she added, calling the spirit 'an ideal backdrop to both of our yummy new teas.' And she suggested how fans should drink the beverages. 'I usually think of a barbecue or summer hang outside, even if it's just with one family member,' she said. 'Any time you'd have iced tea or an Arnold Palmer with alcohol is the time you'd have this,' she continued. 'At a party, dinner at home, at a restaurant, wherever is natural to you. I like seeing friends try both and swapping with each other back and forth as they drink. That's how you know they're close.' Lively then mentioned her Emily Nelson character from the Simple Favor movies. 'Emily had a fabulous wedding in Capri, which is all things lemon,' she said. 'Lemons have a sweet spot for all us Capri superfans. Though I think Emily would spike our [ready-to-drink teas] with much more vodka because ours are nice and subtle, and she is neither nice or subtle. Well sometimes she's nice. But never subtle.' 'These are the recipes I've been making for loved ones for years. But I have 4 kids now. And I'm tired. So here they are in a can. Enjoy. Responsibly…ish,' she said. Lively allegedly asked Taylor Swift to delete their text messages as part of her ongoing legal battle with actor and director Baldoni. The actress has been locked in a legal battle for months with 41-year-old filmmaker Justin after accusing him of harassment on the set of their film 'It Ends With Us', and her and Taylor's relationship became entangled in the lawsuit earlier this year. According to newly filed court documents revealed by Page Six, lawyers representing Justin and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, cite an anonymous source 'who is highly likely to have reliable information', alleging that Blake made the text deletion request to Taylor, 35 – though the exact timing of the apparent conversation was not disclosed. According to the filing, Justin's legal team further alleged Blake's lead attorney, Michael Gottlieb, had approached Taylor's law firm, Venable, to request a 'statement of support' from the pop star. The court document claims the request carried an implied threat: 'If Ms. Swift refused to do so, private text messages of a personal nature in Ms Lively's possession would be released.' Justin's lawyers said a representative for Taylor responded to the alleged threat in a written communication sent directly to Michael. 'It is those communications that the Wayfarer parties seek to obtain by way of subpoena,' the filing reads, referencing an ongoing legal battle over access to Venable's internal correspondence. The documents allege the communications 'would evidence an attempt to intimidate and coerce a percipient witness in this litigation.' Taylor has not been accused of any wrongdoing, but she has been subpoenaed as a potential witness in the case. Michael responded to the allegations by calling them 'categorically false' and 'completely untethered from reality' in a statement to Page Six, adding he 'unequivocally' denied them. Taylor's publicist also stated the Grammy winner 'was not involved' in the production of the film at the centre of the dispute between Justin and Blake, and had been 'traveling around the globe during 2023 and 2024 headlining the biggest tour in history.' Blake and Taylor have been close friends since 2015. In January, Justin filed a countersuit against Blake, accusing her of defamation and extortion. In the countersuit, he alleged Blake had invoked Taylor and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, as protectors in creative disputes. 'The message could not have been clearer,' Justin's lawyers wrote in the filing. They added: 'Baldoni was not just dealing with Lively. He was also facing Lively's 'dragons,' two of the most influential and wealthy celebrities in the world, who were not afraid to make things very difficult for him.'
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
I went to Sutton's LA Café, but calling it a ‘café' doesn't do it justice anymore
There are places you visit once, and there are places you return to again and again because they keep surprising you. LA Café is firmly in the second category. I've been there several times since I first discovered it last March, and each time I visit, the expectations are a little higher. Somehow, they always manage to meet them. Just before their fourth anniversary, I stopped by again, and once again, I left impressed. It was a warm Friday just before noon when I dropped in, ready for something light but satisfying. I ordered a peach and lemon iced tea, expecting the usual chilled drink to keep me cool. (Image: Ezekiel Bertrand) What I got instead was something that made me pause. It was crisp and delicate, a perfect balance of soft peach and sharp citrus. Not too sweet, not too sharp, and far from artificial. Just clean, refreshing and exactly what I needed. I've had plenty of iced teas before, but this one really stood out. The word "refreshing" gets thrown around too easily, but here it applies in the truest sense - it reset my mood for the day. At LA Café, the specials change every single day; that's one of the things I admire most. You never know what's coming, but whatever it is, it's always worth trying. That day's special was a wagyu beef burger with seasoned chips, served with truffle and hollandaise. (Image: Ezekiel Bertrand) I'll be honest - I had no idea what wagyu even was. Ankur, who's as friendly as ever, explained it to me. Wagyu is a Japanese breed of beef known for its high level of marbling and rich, melt-in-your-mouth flavour. It's not the sort of thing you expect to find in a local café. But that's exactly the point: calling LA Café a café doesn't do it justice anymore. Yes, the word is still in the name, but this place has evolved into something more. With its ever-changing menu, high-quality ingredients and thoughtful presentation, it feels much more like a bistro. It's casual but ambitious, and local but impressive. The burger itself was one of the best I've had in a long time. I took a photo first, of course, but ten minutes later, the plate was empty. The beef was juicy and rich, the bun held its shape without overwhelming the filling, and the hollandaise added a silky finish I didn't know a burger could benefit from. It wasn't messy or overloaded, just well-constructed and satisfying from start to finish. The chips were golden, crisp on the outside, and fluffy inside. The seasoning gave them life, and the drizzle of truffle and hollandaise added a layer of indulgence without making them too heavy. They didn't go cold, they didn't get soggy, and I didn't leave a single one behind. One of my favourite things at LA Café is the set of little squeezy bottle sauces they leave on each table. I always go for the chilli one. I physically can't eat a dry chip, and this sauce saves me every time. It's warm rather than fiery, smooth rather than overpowering, and it cuts through the richness of the chips beautifully. I'm convinced it would make even the plainest plate of fries worth finishing. By the end of the meal, I was full for the rest of the day. Not in a weighed-down, regret-my-lunch kind of way, but in a comfortably full. It's a rare feeling to leave a lunch spot feeling like you got everything you wanted without anything overdone. That's what keeps me coming back to LA Café. There's a standard here that never slips. Whether it's a quick visit for a drink or a full plate special, everything feels considered. The team know what they're doing, the menu stays exciting, and the food always lands exactly where it should. As they head into their fourth year, it's clear that this place has outgrown its original label. The word 'café' may still sit above the door, but this is a bistro through and through. It's rooted in Sutton but would hold its own anywhere. It continues to surprise me in the best way, and I already know I'll be back sooner than I should be.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
This gadget makes iced tea in just 10 minutes and it's down to $21: 'So crisp'
Summer is almost here and it's time to kick back on the patio with a tall glass of iced tea. It's probably the most popular summer beverage sans alcohol out there. If you're one of the millions of iced tea connoisseurs (sweetened or unsweetened), we've got a little gadget you're going to want to check out: the Takeya Premium Quality Iced Tea Maker. The gadget makes brewing and chilling a snap and right now, you can get it on sale for just $21 when you apply the on-page coupon. If you're an iced tea drinker, you're probably expecting to chug the stuff from now until Labor Day — and we don't expect the price to drop lower than this until then. Sure, you can brew your tea the good, old-fashioned way with just a pitcher, tea bags and boiling water, but this doodad speeds up the process significantly — and when you're thirsty on a hot summer day, that's very important. Thanks to the Patented Flash Chill Technology, you can get a tall, cool glass of sweet tea in just ten minutes. All you do is place the tea in the brew basket, pour boiling water over it and let it steep to the strength you need it to be. Then, remove the brew basket, add ice, close the lid, shake it for about 30 seconds and your tea will be ice-cold. If you're no novice to iced tea making, you know that traditional methods take a lot longer. If you have time on your hands, you can also skip the boiling part and pour in cold water and let it steep for four hours in the fridge for a cold brew. To keep the pitcher from exploding while you shake the heat out of it, the lid twists closed in two spots — that makes it leak-proof. That means you can take it with you on picnics without it spilling. But if you're keeping it at home, it fits nicely in the door of your fridge. On top of that, you can use whatever tea you want — that means you can use your fancy loose-leaf tea! More than 5,700 shoppers are already enjoying a refreshing summer beverage. "This was my favorite purchase this year," a rave reviewer wrote. "I went and had a formal tea with my wife on a date at a local tea room inside a B&B. I ordered iced tea. The owner of the tea room used this iced tea maker and it made iced tea in 5 -7 minutes instead of waiting for the tea to steep and then cool. The tea room did also sell these but I was not going to pay their price so I went home and found it on Amazon at a much better price and I had it 2 days later. I make iced tea 2 times a week." "The product works even better than I thought it would," another five-star fan shared. "I use loose-leaf teas and the mesh does a great job keeping everything in. Would recommend for anyone who frequently drinks iced tea." "My tea tastes better than ever!" gushed a happy sipper. "The tea tastes so clean and crisp after sitting overnight in the fridge. It couldn't be more convenient and affordable." Some shoppers had suggestions for the container. "Nearly perfect," wrote a shopper. "My only suggestion, if the tea strainer base could screw off to make it easier to empty out and clean the basket, but this is a minor issue." Another shopper shared: "There are no measurements on the container. I've taken to filling it ahead of time and using a Sharpie to mark pertinent marks since you're only supposed to do that. I understand that this makes it aesthetically pleasing but this bothers me so much because I like to measure my teas exactly to make sure it's the right strength." The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication. If you have Amazon Prime, you'll get free shipping, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up for your free 30-day trial here. (And by the way, those without Prime still get free shipping on orders of $35 or more.)
