I grew up in New England, and I'm not sure what other families did, but we never called the nighttime meal "dinner." We always called it "supper." Now I always call it dinner. I don't know when it changed, but somewhere along the line it did.

AOL Food has a fun poll where they ask you what you called certain food things in your region. Did you call it dinner or supper (there's also an "other" option, though I'm not sure what that would be). Sprinkles or Jimmies or 100s and 1000s? Sub, Hero, or Hoagie? Soda, Pop, or Tonic?

As you may know I am a spirits fanatic, especially gin, and a big fan of fine cocktails. I have been doing intense research in the areas of spirits and cocktails for quite awhile and examining the details of what takes a cocktail and elevates it to the realm of sublime.

Many cocktails have a plethora of ingredients, sadly they are dismal creations better suited to cleaning drains than sipping for enjoyment. For a good cocktail, usually less is more. Classically in a cocktail you have the main spirit or two, spirit or alcohol based modifiers to add their character, possibly a fruit component, a small but very important addition of something like bitters for complexity, and another modifier that brings down the strength of the drink. Usually this is melting ice/water, but in the case of highballs it is also soda, tonic, etc., and in some great cocktails it's topping off the drink with champagne.

Now that Spring has sprung and summer is just around the corner my thoughts go to the Gin and Tonic. I happen to really like G&T's. Since I was in my late teens and able to drink legally, this was the drink that I had more often by far than any other. (Actually it was my drink of choice from a much younger age, but times were different back then, and the legal drinking age of 18 was treated more like a suggestion, than a law.) The more I came to love my G&T, the more exacting I became about the ingredients and proportions in the drink. I came to think of it as a science and have made off the cuff speeches many a time while ordering my drink. I ask what types of gin they have available and what brand tonic water. Usually the choices are poor but lately that has been changing.

I was interviewed just a few days ago by the New York Post for a Sidebar on their Good Libations summer drinks feature on the state of gins and tonic waters available today. One thing I came back to again and again is that the brand and types of gin and tonic make a big difference in the final drink. All G&T's are not the same. In fact they can vary so greatly that at times one wonders if they are the same drink.

This may be the oddest article I've posted here, but hear me out.

I was a Pepsi drinker for years and years and years. Nothing really against Coke, it's just that I thought that Pepsi tastes differently, better, than Coke, so I always got Pepsi. Then, about five or six years ago, when I switched to drinking diet soda, I started drinking Coke. I don't know why. I think one night I went to the store to get some Pepsi, they were out of Diet, so I sent with Diet Coke instead. And for the past several years, out of taste and habit, I've bought Diet Coke.

Now I find myself going back and forth between the two. Yeah, yeah, I know, in America you're supposed to be a "Pepsi person" or a "Coke person," just like you're supposed to be a "Mac person" or a "PC person." (For the record, I'm a Mac guy.) It's not that I find that they taste the same. They don't. They taste very different, but I've learned to like them both.

Which is my very longwinded way of asking this question: I've noticed that Pepsi bottles often get some sort of film inside the bottle. Either condensation or some other scientific process I'd probably know if I paid attention in 7th grade science class. But I've noticed that Coke never gets this.

Anyone know why?

New Year's Eve parties are an occasion to get together with friends and family, reminisce about what has been and wonder what is to come. It's a time to resolve to have more fun, be more successful and get healthier. It's also a time to a have few drinks, which, while not necessarily being unhealthy, may not be the rich way to kick start your resolution to lose those extra few pounds. Making a few cuts in your cocktails is actually a good way to save a few calories.

Earlier this year, a list of the most fattening cocktails was released, so you're off to a good start by avoiding the 650 calories in a Pina Colada and the 780 calories in each Long Island Ice Tea. Try to have a glass of water between each drink to balance out your calorie intake and go for smaller servings, instead of novelty-sized margaritas.

Wine, at about 100 calories a glass, is a good choice compared to most mixed drinks, which have higher calorie counts from the juices and sodas used a mixers, in addition to alcohol. For "lighter" drinks, skip the tonic in favor of club soda as a mixer, a calorie-free alternative, or use diet sodas instead of regular. You can add fruity flavors with a shot or two of one of Torani's Sugar Free Syrup, which come in flavors from vanilla to lemon to Irish Cream. While they work well in warming coffee drinks,  HungryGirl has quite a few creative, calorie-saving cocktail recipes to choose from to get your party started on December 31st.