June 15, 2026

Title: DRINKS ARE ON ME

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme synopsis:

• HARVEY MILK (3D: First openly gay man elected to public office in California)
• LINDA COFFEE (7D: Lawyer who co-argued in favor of Roe v. Wade)
• MADISON BEER (11D: "Make You Mine" singer)

DRINKS ARE ON ME: Each theme answer is a person whose last name is the name of a DRINK. Additionally, each theme answer sits directly above a word that begins with the letters "ME," so the DRINKS ARE ON ME: MILK (META), COFFEE (MEH), and BEER (MED).

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• YETI (29A: Beast on some Kyrgyz stamps) Kyrgyzstan, whose name is officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. In 2016, the Kyrgyz Republic issued a Legends of Kyrgyzstan stamp set. There were two different stamp designs, one showing YETI at a ski resort, and the other featuring YETI at the beach. The stamps were an attempt to creatively promote tourism. I had fun learning about this!
• MATT (67A: "Gilmore Girls" actor Czuchry) Gilmore Girls (2000-2007) is a TV series following the lives of Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) and her teenage daughter Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel). That much I knew. Today I learned that in seasons 5-7, MATT Czuchry portrayed Rory's boyfriend, Logan Huntzberger.
• MADISON BEER (11D: "Make You Mine" singer) MADISON BEER's song, "Make You Mine" was released in 2024. It received a Grammy nomination for Best Dance Pop Recording. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• DEE (24A: "Mudbound" director Rees) Mudbound is a 2017 movie based on a 2008 novel of the same name by Hillary Jordan. The movie is a historical drama telling the story of two World War II veterans – one white, one Black – who return home to Mississippi after the war. DEE Rees won a New York Film Critics Online Award for Best Director for Mudbound.
• LAKERS (48A: LeBron James' team) LeBron James has played for NBA's Los Angeles LAKERS since 2018. He has also played for the Cleveland Cavaliers (2003-2010, 2014-2018) and the Miami Heat (2010-2014). Fun fact: LeBron James has won an NBA championship with each of the teams he has played with: in 2012 and 2013 with the Heat, in 2016 with the Cavaliers, and in 2020 with the LAKERS.
• TEEN DRAMA (61A: Show such as "Euphoria") Euphoria (2019-2026) is loosely based on an Israeli miniseries of the same name. The TEEN DRAMA tells the various experiences of a group of high school students in the fictional town of East Highland, California.
• CHILE (2D: Country with 3,999 miles of coastline) CHILE is a long and narrow country on the west coast of South America. The country lies between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. CHILE extends 2,653 miles north to south, yet its average width is only 110 miles.
• HARVEY MILK (3D: First openly gay man elected to public office in California) As the clue informs us, Harvey MILK was California's first openly gay elected official. He was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. Eleven months into his term, Harvey MILK and Mayor George Moscone were assassinated by a disgruntled city supervisor. Harvey MILK was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.
• LINDA COFFEE (7D: Lawyer who co-argued in favor of Roe v. Wade) Sometimes I coincidentally mention something in a blog post that shows up in a puzzle a few days later. Three days ago when we saw ROE clued as [___ v. Wade], I mentioned LINDA COFFEE and her fellow attorney, Sarah Weddington, who argued in favor of Roe v. Wade in the 1973 Supreme Court case. 
• IRENE (12D: Leader of Red Velvet) Red Velvet is a South Korean girl group composed of IRENE, Seulgi, Wendy, Joy, and Yeri. The group's music has been described as having a "Red" side - pop and funk, and a "Velvet" side - R&B and ballads.
• ALBA (34D: "Machete" star Jessica) Machete is a 2010 action movie based on a character from the Spy Kids franchise (though the character is not the same in the two movies). Jessica ALBA plays the role of immigrations officer, Sartana Rivera.
• OSCAR (42D: One of 11 for "Titanic") The 1997 movie Titanic was nominated for 14 Academy Awards, ultimately winning 11 Awards. Titanic's OSCAR Awards include Best Picture, Best Director (James Cameron), and Best Visual Effects.
• SPARE (49D: /, in bowling) In bowling, a player has two attempts to knock down all ten pins. If all the pins are knocked down on the first roll, that's a strike, indicated on the scorecard by an X. If only some of the pins are knocked down on the first roll, the number of pins is indicated on the scorecard. If the remaining pins are knocked down on the second roll, that's a SPARE, and is indicated by a /. Bowling is actually one of the few sports whose scoring I understand. My Grandma Doris was a champion bowler. She taught me how to bowl (though I was never as good as her) and how to keep score. 
• ATMS (56D: Devices first installed at Barclays in 1967) This is a fun fact! The cash machine installed at Barclays Bank in North London on June 27, 1967 is generally considered the world's first ATM.
• Other clues and answers I especially enjoyed:
• TIRE (17A: Car part that can be made into a swing)
• GENIUS IDEA (18A: "Wish I'd thought of that!")
• THERE (69A: "You had to be ___")
• LIT (26D: Like Hanukkah candles after sundown)
• META (58D: Like a story about a story)

I didn't really have a "what's the theme based on the title" guess today, though I wondered if it would somehow involve beverages and the word "ME." Well, I was a bit off! I had a nice "Aha!" moment when I uncovered HARVEY MILK. It was fun to then discover the other DRINKS. When I first solved this puzzle, I missed the extra ME layer. Many thanks to Zhouqin for reaching out and pointing this out to me. Very fun! Thank you, Zhouqin, for this interesting puzzle.

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