Why Does the FDA Take So Long to Recall Food?

This Fruity Thai-Inspired Cocktail Tastes Like a Party

Welcome to A Drink You Can Actually Make, Eater's first ever recipe series dedicated to simple cocktails from new bars across the country.

Co-owners Zachary Mexico and Billy Jones of Brooklyn, New York's Baby's All Right have debuted Thai newbie Don Muang Airport within their live music venue. Jarrett Wrisley, chef and owner of Bangkok restaurant Soul Food Mahanakorn, developed Don Muang's eats and drinks—expect dishes like sticky tamarind ribs and fish steamed in a banana leaf. Meanwhile, Wrisley claims to draw influence from Thai beach parties for his cocktail list, and below he shares a super simple fruity sipper.

Fool Moon Party
Serves 2-4

3 ounces vodka
3 ounces Malibu rum
2 ounces pineapple juice
2 ounces orange juice
1 ounce lime juice
top with soda

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake. Strain into a large glass and top with soda.

McNuggets Will Soon Be Free of Artificial Preservatives

It’s part of McDonald’s new focus on “quality”

McDonald’s is nixing artificial preservatives from some of its menu items, including scrambled eggs, chicken McNuggets, and breakfast sausage. The chain will also cut high-fructose corn syrup from its buns.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Mike Andres, president of the chain's U.S. operations, “said the changes are part of an ongoing effort by McDonald's to cater to more health-focused customers who demand fresh, wholesome food.” McNuggets currently contain more than three dozen ingredients, artificial or otherwise.

The announcement comes on the heels of the fast food giant’s most recent earnings announcement, held last week. During a call with analysts, CEO Steve Easterbrook said the chain is investing in quality, adding that the use of better ingredients “signals the direction of travel going forward.”

McDonald’s certainly isn’t the first chain to axe artificial ingredients: In fact, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut made similar announcements over a year ago. Nestle and Subway have jumped aboard the preservative-free train, too.

Last year, McDonald’s announced its plan to transition to cage-free eggs at all of its 16,000 restaurants across Canada and the U.S. And earlier this year, the chain cautiously began testing fresh beef in select outlets — a controversial move, but one that could potentially go nationwide.

• A Cleaner McNugget? McDonald's to Remove Artificial Preservatives From Some Menu Items [Chicago Tribune]

• All McDonald’s Coverage [Eater]

Matthew McConaughey Is the New Face of Wild Turkey Bourbon

He’s signed on as the brand’s new creative director

Alright, alright, alright: Matthew McConaughey has officially signed on as Wild Turkey’s creative director. According to a press release, the Oscar-winning actor will serve as “a storyteller” for the bourbon brand, both behind the camera and in front of it.

McConaughey has a few ties to the company: the Wild Turkey distillery, for instance, is located just about 20 minutes from the University of Kentucky, where his parents first met. And according to the company’s website, the whiskey is fermented for 72 hours — so, as McConaughey keeps getting older, it keeps being aged the same way (pretty sure someone once said something similar about high school girls).

A series of TV and digital ad campaigns directed by McConaughey will launch in September, but he can currently be seen in a short film documenting his journey with the bourbon’s founders.

It’s safe to say McConaughey is a fan of adult beverages, but as the New York Times reports, the multi-year contract he signed with Wild Turkey goes far beyond just shilling the product. “This time, in addition to appearing on camera, he will write and direct the spots,” reports the Times. “He has also involved himself in recording music for the campaign, which will be introduced in September.” No word on whether bongo drums will feature prominently into those tunes.

A McConaughey-branded bourbon is also a possibility down the road, with the actor telling the Times the partnership would be “fun and wild, but the opposite of solicitous.”

It may seem odd that an A-list actor would move from the big screen, to the small screen (for HBO’s True Detective), to the even smaller (ad) screen — but time, as they say, is a flat circle.

• A Face for Wild Turkey? Matthew McConaughey Writes the Ads, Too [NY Times]

• All celebrity coverage [Eater]

Quiz: Do You Eat Like Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump?

Find out if your taste buds match your politics

Throughout the 2016 election, Eater's column Politics Plated will investigate the surprisingly interconnected relationship between politics and the food industry. In this installment, you can compare your taste in food to both presidential nominees.

The Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump campaigns' respective attitudes toward food are as conflicting as their political views. Last week, we examined a year's worth of campaign spending data from the Federal Election Commission to find out where each candidate and their campaign staffs have eaten, and how much they've spent on food. Now, we've used that data to build taste profiles for Clinton and Trump, and this quiz can match your taste in food with one of the candidates and their campaign team.

How do your taste buds compare? Are your dining habits similar to Clinton or Trump? Maybe your favorite candidate's political stances are more palatable than their food choices — or vice versa. Take the quiz and find out:

Vince Dixon is Eater's data visualization reporter. Results photos: Trump, realdonaldtrump/Instagram; Clinton, Justin Sullivan/GettyImages

· All Politics Plated [E]
· All 2016 Presidential Election Coverage [E]

Watch Martha Stewart and Questlove Film an Impromptu Snapchat Cooking Show

Directed by Jimmy Fallon, natch

Baguette Vending Machines Are Here; America's First Bacon Critic

Five things to chew on

Another Monday, and the start to another week full of potential. May political scandal and Donald Trump's mouth take a break this week so we can focus on more important things, like Darth Vader toasters, this peach cobbler recipe, and the absolute perfection that is the Great British Baking Show.

In today's food news:

— The U.S. Patent office rejected Whole Foods' bid to brand itself ‘world's healthiest grocery store.'

— San Francisco is now home to a baguette vending machine, which is both awesome and proof that San Francisco is intent upon becoming a caricature of itself.

— America, meet your new bacon critic, Scott Gold.

— Stranger Things' Eggo waffle-obsessed Eleven (played by LA native Millie Bobby Brown) on the show's behind-the-scenes food secrets, including the fact that on set the only things Winona Ryder eats are veggie burgers; that time Brown had to stuff her face with cold french fries; and why Brown would steal really good ham from the grocery store, if she had to.

— Finally, Christina Applegate is stoked that Disneyland serves booze now:

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