As one of the newer waters on the market (introduced in November, 2007), Penguin Ice is designed to accompany the “well-dressed table”—a trademark and image of the Penguin Ice Waterbrand. The company’s co-founders, Mikel M. Draghici and John R. Ingrassia, want nothing less than to elevate their water’s exterior status. Turning water into wine, as it were, the 750ml European glass bottles have a sleek wine bottle design. The founders envision a table elegantly set with china, silver, satin, flowersb and, of course, fine stemware filled with Penguin Ice.

The two longtime friends entered the water industry to quench a growing consumer thirst for higher-end water. Draghici, who had been a computer security executive, and Ingrassia, a former Washington, D.C. corporate attorney, wanted to create a water product that was impressive both inside and out. In 2006, they initiated a worldwide search to find the water and the glass bottle that met their standards.

The water is sourced from the banks of the Outaouais River in the village of St. Andre d’Argenteuil near Montreal, Quebec. The bottles tell a brief story of the water reserve (in both English and French) and the Laurentide Ice Sheet it once was. The Laurentide Ice Sheet covered most of Canada and the northern United States, down to New York City, during the Ice Age.

The last Ice Age peaked around 20,000 years ago, filling today’s rivers, lakes, oceans and underground water sources. Now, some of it is bottled as Penguin Ice, still and sparkling.

Read the full review on TheNibble.com.

We’ve had the house-made ice cream at the finest restaurants in America—Citronelle, Gary Danko, Jean-Georges, Le Bec-Fin and Patina, to name a few—and Patricia Sampson’s can stand toe to toe with any of them. In fact, having tasted some 30 of her cow’s milk and goat’s milk ice creams and sorbets, we’d bet on her to win Top Ice Cream Chef.

And you’re a winner too, because while none of those great restaurants will overnight you a pint of whatever you’re dying to dig into (unless, perhaps, you’re the president-elect or other A-lister), you can order to your heart’s content at IceDreamOnline.com. As you’ll read later in this review, while most goat’s milk ice cream has a distinct flavor, you’d never know that some of Delicieuse’s products are made of goat’s milk. (When tasting the goat’s and cow’s milk products side by side, we could taste a difference. But the difference didn’t say “goat,” just great.) That makes this exquisite-tasting ice cream a quadruple bonus for people who have high cholesterol or lactose intolerance: goat’s milk is lower in fat and calories and is more easily digested than cow’s milk. But make no mistake: We’re mad (or maaad) for the entire line—every flavor we tasted was superb. Read the full review on TheNibble.com.

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Toast your holiday with holiday-themed fruit-flavored vodka cocktails certain to leave a lasting impression. The recipes were developed by SKYY Infusions, which use all-natural fruit flavors (and this year won awards for best fruit-flavored vodka at the Beverage Testing Institute in Chicago). Impress guests by adding your very own twist, with creative garnishes or customized glassware tied with holiday ornaments, ribbons or other themed accents.

Fresh sprigs of rosemary look like Christmas tree branches. Holly berries should not be ingested—eating more than three holly berries can cause illness* in adults, and have a worse effect on children. Don’t use it as a drink garnish just in case happy guests decide to nibble away. Instead, look for red currants (they look like the epitome of Christmas), white currants, lingonberries, Champagne grapes (Zante grapes), sweet gooseberries (which are red, not orange) or dried red mulberries (the fresh ones are out in the summer).

*According to the Wisconsin Poison Control Center, holly berries are “seriously poisonous;” ingestion of 20 or more berries can be fatal to children. The berries, leaves and stem of mistletoe are all considered toxic.

–Berry Sparkle With Raspberry Vodka
–Merry Cherry With Cherry Vodka
–Holly Day Cocktail With Grape Vodka
–Midnight Kiss With Passion Fruit Vodka
–Winter Chill With Citrus Vodka

Read more about antioxidants in our Guide To High-Antioxidant Food.