Those who enjoy their spirits on the rocks—with style—should appreciate the new Whiskey Wedge. It keeps spirits chilled without watering them down.

Simply add water to the glass, insert the mold and freeze. The ice forms into a wedge which melts much more slowly than ice cubes due to the reduced amount of surface area.

It’s a clever way to chill any liquor, liqueur or cocktail: “on the rocks” without dilution.

Each unit comes with one double-old fashioned whiskey glass and a silicone mold. It’s $14.95 at Corkcicle.com.

While you’re there, also check out:

Chilled but not diluted with a Wine Wedge. Photo courtesy Hewy Wine Chillers.

Picked at the peak of ripeness and flash-frozen within hours of harvest, they are just as nutritious as fresh berries.

Keep bags of fresh frozen berries in the freezer and pour out the amount you need. If you’re using the berries in baking or in a smoothie, there’s no need to defrost them. That especially goes for turning them into soft serve*.

For other uses—garnishing, salads, sundaes, yogurt—you’ll want to defrost the berries first. You can make them taste the best with proper defrosting.

Note that the defrosted berries will be more delicate than fresh berries. Handle them gently to keep their shape. Use thawed berries within two days.

REFRIGERATOR DEFROSTING

If you’re not in a hurry, defrost the berries in the fridge. Slow defrosting generally maintains a better flavor and texture for any food item.

Place the berries in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. If you plan to eat them whole or use as a garnish, thaw them for four to six hours so they are still partially frozen and firm. Otherwise, you can let then thaw overnight.

 
COUNTERTOP DEFROSTING

Place the berries in a bowl and cover with cold water. Check in five minutes. If the berries are still frozen, drain and add fresh cold water.

Do not thaw berries in hot or warm water. The heat will cause the berries to release their juices and shrivel. It also provides an environment where harmful bacteria can grow.

The Oregon Raspberry & Blackberry Commission recommends microwave defrosting. Microwaves vary as to cooking times and berries differ in densities, so do a few small test batches to get the perfectly defrosted berry.

HOW TO FREEZE FRESH BERRIES

When berries are in season, look for the best prices and freeze your own to enjoy when the fruit is out of season.

 
*You can use a food processor, but we get far better results from the Yonanas machine. It’s a great way to turn fruit into frozen dessert as you control the amount and type of sweetener.
  

There’s a great new product for cola drinkers: Coca-Cola Life. Made without corn syrup*, it has half the calories of regular Cocoa-Cola: 60 calories per eight ounces.

The reduction in calories is done with all natural ingredients. The is half sugar, half stevia.

Stevia, which is 150 to 400 times sweeter than sugar, is derived from a South American herb called Stevia rebaudiana. It has been used for centuries in Paraguay and Brazil to sweeten yerba mate and medicinal teas.

Stevia is almost calorie-free, does not cause cavities, and does not trigger a rise in blood sugar. A small amount of it works in synergy with the sugar to create sweetness with no off taste. (Check out the different types of sweeteners.)

Why the new formulation?

It’s a bid to combat obesity globally (the product first debuted in Argentina!) and offer a healthier option to consumers.

How does it taste? It’s less sweet/sugary than the corn syrup version. There’s absolutely no aftertaste, as there is with the zero-calorie Coke variations. It tastes like regular Coke, just less sweet. Since we’ve always found the regular Coke too sweet, but find the zero-calorie versions too artificial, we’re the perfect market.

The new variety of Coke is also targeting the environmental crowd. Coca-Cola Life is packaged in a fully-recyclable plant-based bottle (although our guess is that if it’s a big hit, can and large plastic bottles will join the lineup). That’s why the label is green.

The plant-based bottle consists of 30% recycled natural materials, and is lighter in weight than regular PET plastic bottles. A lighter-weight shipment requires less fossil fuel.

Coca-Cola Life will roll out globally over the next several months, but get yours today. After all, it’s National Carbonated Beverage With Caffeine Day.

 
*In the U.S., Coca-Cola is sweetened with corn syrup. In other countries, regular sugar is used.
  

We love Burt’s Bees products. We’ve never found a better lip balm. The beeswax the brand is famous for is both soothing, packed with beneficial nutrients and stick-to-your-lips.

This holiday season, the company has created an exclusive with Target stores: Burt’s Bees Pumpkin Spice Lip Balm.

As a party favor or a stocking stuffer, everyone, young and old, can revitalize dry lips with a lip balm that has a gentle aroma of pumpkin and spice. There’s no flavor—just sprightly seasonal aroma (although, since it is said that 90% of taste is based on smell, it appears to have a bit of flavor that we like very much).

The balm is free of parabens, phthalates, petrolatum and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS). We’ve stashed a tube in the pocket of every coat and winter jacket. Now it’s your turn to spread holiday cheer as well as a little TLC.

The lip balm is $2.99 a tube at Target, and there’s free shipping on Target.com.

If you want a bigger gift, there’s a combo pack of Pumpkin Spice along with a tube of Vanilla Bean, $5.79.

Anyone who covets great cheese knows how pricey it is. That’s because there’s so much labor invested in creating artisanal cheese.

So what better gift for a cheese lover than a box of great cheese? This year, we’re recommending the gift box from one of America’s greatest cheese makers, Jasper Hill Farms.

The holiday gift box contains more than two pounds of award-winning cheese, plus artisanal pairings. The foods are packed in a reusable wooden cheese box, for a memorable gift.

Jasper Hill Farm’s 2014 Holiday Gift Box contains:

 
The gift box, $85, is in limited supply. Reserve yours now from The Cellars At Jasper Hill.

—Steven Gans

 
*The cambium of the pine (between the bark and the wood) is edible. It can be boiled or roasted as a famine food, and makes a reasonable flour. Fried in olive or coconut oil it’s actually tasty. On this cheese, it’s not meant to be eaten, but you could do it. Here’s more about pine cambium.

†Brassica, the cruciferous vegetable family, includes bok choy, broccoli, cauliflower, kale and mustard greens, among others.