I'm stingy with my smoke.

Not in a "don't bogart that can, man" way. Just that if I'm going to go to all the trouble of stoking a hardwood lump charcoal fire, obsessively monitoring its low-'n-slow-ness for a goodly chunk of the day, feeding its greedy gut with beer-soaked mesquite and hickory chunks at half-hour intervals all for the sake of an albeit fabulous brisket or pork shoulder, I'm gonna want a bit more return on the investment.

Here's where foil pans of salt, cherries and lemons come in.

According to The New York Times, Tropicana's recent decision to redesign its packaging has resulted in parent company Pepsi Co's "own version of New Coke." The new Tropicana package, which features an image of a glass of orange juice, has been described by customers as "ugly" and "stupid," and has caused a widespread revolt. Bowing to the wisdom of the masses, Tropicana is discontinuing the new package and switching back to its popular "orange with a straw" design.

When I first heard about this, I mentioned it to my wife. My family regularly drinks Tropicana, which means that I am familiar with the new package. Like many of the company's critics, I don't really care for the design, but this is the sort of thing that I tend to ignore. Personally, I reserve my consumer rage for really big things like Jar Jar Binks and Claussen's inclusion of HFCS in their Kosher half-sour pickles. In fact, the last time that I got angry about a food package was when Stouffer's decided to portray nachos on the front of their frozen Welsh Rarebit.

Seriously: Welsh Rarebit nachos. The image still fills me with a barely-contained rage.

I first tasted coconut water when I was in Indonesia. I was 22 and fresh out of college, traveling with some friends before accepting adulthood and entering the work world. That coconut water was sipped straight out of a young coconut and a spoon was provided so that we could scrape the tender flesh off the sides.

While O.N.E.'s Coconut Water isn't consumed straight out of a coconut, if I close my eyes while drinking, I can almost imagine I'm back in Bali, holding onto a coconut instead of a small, 11-ounce container. My sister Raina has similar associations, writing:

One of my favorite summer drinks is a thai young coconut that's been chilling in the fridge. You take a large knife or a machete and hack the thing open (it takes finesse if you don't want to lose a drop) pour out the nectar and scoop out the perfect white flesh. It is a messy and wonderful process that can't be thrown in your purse. O.N.E. Coconut water is a great substitute in a really portable package, although second best to the real thing. Coconut water is also a terrific summer treat because it is full of amino acids and very hydrating.

Unfortunately, neither of us loved the other flavors as much as we enjoyed the coconut. The Amazon Acai is good on initial sipping, but is a bit too sweet. I like the Coffee Berry Juice but Raina nearly spit it back out at me. And the Cashew Juice has a slightly bitter aftertaste. All that said, all of these juices would make good players in summery mixed drinks.

I can't resist picking up jug apple cider whenever I stop by my local farmer's market. I've always loved the stuff, and I remember begging my mom to bring some home from the supermarket every fall when I was younger. Now that I can get it on my own and drink as much as I want (that's right, mom: sometimes I drink juice not milk), I love it even more. It's just so thick and delicious -- perfect in a cold, tall glass on an autumn afternoon, but also for cooking, mulling, and even baking! Here are some innovative ways to incorporate this fall treat into your daily diet...

Apple cider chicken -- One of my favorite fall recipes from Eating Well

Martha Stewart's spiced apple cider from Martha Stewart

Apple butter from 101 Cookbooks

Mulled apple cider sorbet from Epicurious

Warm autumn punch from All Recipes

Garden salad with apple cider vinaigrette from the Food Network

Apple walnut cake with apple cider glaze from Big Oven

Cider-glazed root vegetables from the Washington Post

It's Monday. Have a glass. Or a pitcher.

White Peach Sangria from All Recipes

Purple Corn and Pineapple Sangria from The Food Network

Cranberry Apple Sangria from Razzle Dazzle Recipes

Best Spanish Sangria from Spain-Recipes

Brazilian Sangria from Cocktail Times

Black Cherry Sangria from Seattle News

Sangria Jello Salad from Epicurious

Oprah's Green Apple Sangria from Oprah

If you thought that the grocery store was the only place you'd ever find Nestlé products, think again. As of last week they're on the cosmetic counters at Neiman Marcus.

The food-making giant launched the Glowelle brand, their entry into the nascent beauty nutraceutical industry. While nutraceuticals specifically for the beauty market have been popular in Japan for the last few years, that use is virtually unknown in the US.

Beauty nutraceuticals are generally drinks or juices that are aimed at some beauty issue, such as skin appearance. Drink the product and your skin will be glowing, or that's the idea. Nestle's Glowelle comes in two flavors: natural jasmine and natural pomegranate lychee.

There is an ingredient listed on the cocktail menu at Union which receives more quizzical looks, more gasps of surprise when sampled and generates more chatter than anything else we do in the bar. The complexities of it's aroma and flavors are hard to pin down, though everyone tries. This witches brew of cocktail goodness is popping up in scratch cocktail bars all over the nation, and in the well-stocked homes of cocktail aficionados all over the globe.

I'm talking about falernum, the nectar of the tiki gods.

What falernum used to be and what it has become are totally different. Since the beginning of the tiki boom in the 1930's, falernum has been used as a sweetener used primarily in tropical and Caribbean cocktails. Produced commercially rather sporadically in Bermuda, Barbados and the U.S., it had been, until recently, hard to get consistently. Keeping in line with the notion that you crave the most what you can't get, frustrated bartenders and cocktail historians began tinkering with recipes to produce their own.

A few years back, my pal Tom introduced me to the delicious, sweet taste of "Kaba-yaki," broiled eel served with a sweet sauce. As I'm always game to try new things, I scarfed down the piece that he offered me. As soon as I tasted it, I forgot about the fact that the meat came from a slithering, snakelike creature and began to focus on the flavor. It was tender, moist, and perfectly delicious. I was hooked.

Although time, geography, and economics have kept me from regularly partaking of the delicious Kaba-yaki, I can certainly understand why it is Japan's official summer food. I can even understand, to a certain extent, why Japan Tobacco, Inc. recently came out with "Unagi Noburi," or "Surging Eel," an eel-based carbonated beverage. Made from (among other things) the head and bones of eels, the soda contains several of the vitamins that are contained in the fish. The company is marketing it as a sort of energy drink, designed to extend its drinkers' stamina.

According to reports, the drink tastes more or less like Kaba-yaki. While the idea of a broiled, barbecue-y eel drink initially nauseates me a little, I have to admit that I wasn't all that hot on eel itself when I first heard about it. Given how the Kaba-yaki turned out, I may have to give the soda a try!

Unlike Manhattan, which is revered for its cuisine, or Queens, which is famed for its ethnic variety, the Bronx is known for its outstanding little Italy, its collection of Puerto Rican cuchifrito joints, and little else. However, in my constant search for the ultimate neighborhood restaurant, I sometimes find wonderful little gems. A few months ago, I wandered into the provocatively-named "Pisac: Peruvian Food and Pizza." Having tried a few Peruvian dishes in college, I was eager to try some more, and Pisac seemed like the kind of hole-in-the-wall joint that ends up becoming a favorite.

Over the last few months, my wife and I have made Pisac a regular hangout. In the process, we've discovered the wonders of chicha morada, a Peruvian purple-corn drink that is simultaneously sweet, spicy, and fruity. In addition to this, it contains a dizzying array of juices that makes it into something of a Peruvian cure-all. In fact, the patrons of Pisac constantly claim that a combination of chicha, ceviche, and Peruvian lime/onion sauce can cure everything from an underactive libido to leprosy.

A study that was recently released by Tulane University has found a link between the consumption of fruit juices and the development of type 2 diabetes. Ironically, the study also showed that one of the best ways to prevent the development of the disease is to consume a diet that is rich in whole fruits and vegetables!

Over the past eighteen years, the Nurse's Health Study has been carefully tracking the diets of over 71,346 women. Of those participants, 4,529 developed type 2 diabetes during the course of the study. In their analysis of the factors leading to diabetes, researchers at Tulane University discovered that fruits and vegetables were among the most effective ways to prevent development of the disease.

According to the study, eating an additional three servings of fruit per day can reduce the risk of developing diabetes by up to 18%. Similarly, a single serving of green, leafy vegetables can reduce the risk by 9%. However, just one daily serving of fruit juice can increase the risk of developing diabetes by 18%. This is highly significant; as the study's analysts note, earlier suggestions that women can drink juice instead of eating fresh fruit may be dangerously incorrect. Similarly, substituting fruit juice for other beverages in an attempt to become more healthy may also seriously backfire.

While the study will need to be replicated, and research hasn't been done to see if the findings are applicable to men, I will definitely be reconsidering my orange juice consumption!

There are few corporations as polarizing as Starbucks. Even on this blog, it is the rare Slashbucks post that doesn't incite a ruthless comments war. Yet there is no denying that Starbucks is a fast food force and their products deserve coverage like everybody else, so simmer.

Today Starbucks is introducing yet another beverage to their liquid arsenal. Though frozen and blended, the new Vivanno isn't another tired variation on the -ccino theme. Nope, this is Starbucks' answer to Jamba Juice: A protein-packed smoothie.

Here's the scoop:

• One whole - real! - banana (seriously! it will be peeled and pulsed before your very eyes!)
• Whey protein (16 grams) and fiber powder (5 grams)
• Choice of milk (default is 2%)
• Ice
• Secret Starbucks-Proprietary Orange-Mango Naked Juice
• Portion controlled (default is Grande, and always has less than 270 calories)

Although I believe it is rather naive of the financially-woed coffee conglomerate to try and break into the oversaturated smoothie market with a mere four options, I decided to give 'em a go.

I think I've heard of mangosteens before, at least I've heard the name. Apparently, though, the tropical fruit is all the rage in Japan.

According to this post from InventorSpot, mangosteens, or juice drinks made from them, are very popular in Japan right now because they're supposed to be high in antioxidants and ward off cancer in mice (though that hasn't been tested in humans).

Mangosteens are originally from Thailand, but they're difficult to export from the region because they are so preishable. Also, the tree can only be grown in tropical climates. Those factors make even pureés made from Mangosteens pretty expensive anywhere outside of Southeast Asia.

Now that I know a little more about the fruit I'm curious about it. Have any of you had mangosteen? What do you think about it?

For me, the beginning of every season conjures up images from my childhood. The changing of the seasons makes me sensitive to the passing of time. And so, while opening the freezer door on a recent particularly hot June evening, I remembered the orange popsicles I'd make during the summer. I romanticized those blisteringly hot summer days as a 7-year-old boy with both of my sisters sitting outside by our inflatable "kiddy" pool. At that moment, I felt compelled to make the same super sweet, mildly acidic, and juicy ice pops.

I went to Bed Bath and Beyond to purchase the identical plastic popsicle molds I used as a child. On the side of the plastic mold is a straw so that you can drink the orange juice that melts to the bottom. For some reason, I remember that being the most enjoyable part of the treat. As a child, creating these orange juice popsicles –pouring orange juice in the molds and placing them in the freezer-seemed so thrilling.

I highly recommend these orange juice popsicles! They're a great way to keep children excited and hydrated during the sizzling summer days. Find out some wild and crazy ice pop ideas and check out the gallery of popsicles of different shapes and sizes.

Excuse the standup comedian tone, but what's the deal with all these "anti-energy" drinks? First I posted about Drank, and now comes VIB - short for Vacation in a Bottle.

The web site says that you you will "experience the tender Polynesian breezes and the serene harmony of rolling waves with a vacation in a bottle." VIB has no caffeine, no alcohol, and is high in anti-oxidants while low in carbs and calories. Sounds like the perfect drink, if the taste is there. But that sounds good too: it's pomegranate berry, slightly carbonated.

Of course, I'm not talking about the ways you try to keep cool in general, such as cranking the AC, jumping into a pool, or going to the beach. I'm talking about liquid refreshment.

There are many schools of thought on this. My mom used to drink hot coffee in June, July, and August, going by the old theory that drinking hot liquids in hot months actually cools you down. I myself like iced tea and ice cold water during the summer, with some diet soda and icy Ocean Spray Light Ruby Red here and there too. Others seem to like beer and cocktails, though I really doubt their effectiveness (beyond the initial hit of cold liquid going down).

After the jump, give us your liquid solutions for the summer. Besides the drinks above, I'm thinking about asking the owner of the liquor store down the street if I can live in his giant walk in fridge for the summer..