I know it's juvenile. I know it's immature. But...

I was a little confused today, at Diageo's H1 results presentation, when CEO Paul Walsh began talking about "bi-lingual marketing".

What's "bi-lingual marketing", I pondered. Well, according to Walsh, it's one of the methods Diageo is using to appeal to female spirits consumers; by using language that resonates with both men and women in the company's marketing.

Bi-lingual? Appealng to both men and women?

That's a different kind of bi-, surely?

Bacardi celebrated the 150th anniversary of its founding last weekend, with a big old knees-up in Miami. As you can see below, lots of incredibly good-looking people were invited. But, don't bother looking for me: I couldn't make it (nor was I invited).

And, get this: Luis Fortuño, the governer of Puerto Rico - where Bacardi produces its namesake rum brand - has declared 4 February 'Bacardi Day', in acknowledgement of the role the company plays in the island’s economy.

You've got to admit, that's pretty cool.

Ahead of Super Bowl XLVI on Sunday (Go Giants!), brace yourself for the usual advertising hooplah between plays.

To whet your appetite, here are three teasers from Anheuser-Busch. Just, don't blink.

Dominating the soft drink headlines at the moment is the discovery of the Carbendazim fungicide in orange juice imports to the US.

Below, courtesy of consulting firm FDAImports.com, is an infographic detailing the situation.

Infographic created by FDAImports.com, an FDA consulting firm helping US and foreign companies navigate FDA regulations for marketing and importing foods, dietary supplements, drugs, cosmetics and medical devices.

How would you feel if someone described your portfolio as being 'quirky'?

William Grant & Sons has more than its fair share of quirky: Hendrick's, Monkey Shoulder, Sailor Jerry and The Balvenie could all be justifiably described as being quirky (but don't, whatever you do, call any of them 'niche'). And I mean that as a compliment.

CEDC's Zubrowka vodka is certainly quirky. With a blade of bison-grass from Bialowieza Forest - one of the last primeval forests in Europe - in each bottle, the product will sit comfortably alongside William Grant's portfolio when the company's UK distribution unit, First Drinks, goes to market.

Would William Grant like to take things further, and maybe take ownership of the brand? With CEDC currently looking at ways to deal with its debt, don't be surprised if Grant's CEO, Stella David, asks CEDC's Bill Carey if he fancies a drink some time soon.

As things stand, I've been led to believe that William Grant doesn't have such an option on Zubrowka. Nevertheless, with Russian Standard's owner, Roustam Tariko, looking to up his stake in CEDC to around 30%, could we have a bison race on our hands before 2012 is out?

We've all done it. The morning after, as the haze starts to slowly ascend, you check the pockets of last night's trousers to see if you've got any cash left. Among the coppers, you find a receipt from a fast-food joint, the time and date confirm that it wasn't that you slept with a cat in your mouth; that fur lining of your mouth comes from the dirty burger you wolfed down around midnight on the bus.

My sympathies go out to the residents of Vancouver, however, who have been given yet another late night food-related pitfall to navigate on the way home.

DougieDog Hot Dogs, a food outlet in the city, has added the Dragon Dog to its menu … with a price tag of CAD100 (US$98). Described as “12 inches of absolute culinary decadence”, the hot dog consists of a foot-long bratwurst infused with 100-year-old Louis XIII Cognac, which costs around CAD2,000 per bottle.

Don't drink and dog, Vancouverites.

To advise, we are closed from tomorrow (24 December) for the festive season. We shall return on Tuesday 3 January.

All of us here at just-drinks wish you a very peaceful break over Christmas and New Year, and we look forward to working with you in 2012.

Merry Christmas & a happy New Year!

Those of you who follow me on Twitter will have heard that I met someone off the telly last week.

As brand ambassador for Brand Phoenix's Cafe Collection low-alcohol wine portfolio, the one and only Alesha Dixon came along to the company's evening of tastings, presentations and dinner. Alesha couldn't stay long, as she was due to appear on a chatshow later that evening.

And, what an example she set!

As part of our monthly management briefing series next year, just-drinks will be publishing four reports in 2012 looking at the drive for greater environmental sustainability in the industry sectors we cover – beer, soft drinks & water, spirits and wine.

Each report will comprise four sections and will cover a range of key sustainability issues, such as greenhouse gas emissions, water efficiency, waste, recycling and packaging, and sustainability in raw material supply chains.

The first briefing in the series will look at the beer sector, and will be published in February 2012.  We will then look at soft drinks and water in June, the spirits sector in September and the wine industry in November.

Our features editor, Ben Cooper, who specialises in sustainability and corporate responsibility issues, will be writing the reports. Each one will examine efforts both on an industry-wide and company level to foster greater sustainability in each of the sectors.

Here's where you come in. We need as much information as possible from drinks companies about their activities in the environmental sustainability field. To contact Ben with such info, and to arrange interviews, please email ben.cooper@just-drinks.com.

For advertising enquiries relating to the briefings, please contact Ian Preece in our advertising department at ian.preece@aroq.com.

You may have noticed that we have a hot topic running on just-drinks at the moment, concerning my recent jaunt to New York. Travelling on Diageo's dollar, I crossed the Atlantic earlier this week, to spend two days in the company of the wine and spirits giant's executive team.

Whilst just-drinks may actually resemble just-Diageo today, bear in mind that, for 48 hours, I was granted access to the firm's CEO, CFO, and presidents for Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, North America and the US.

Such an opportunity does not arrive that often. Hence, our blanket coverage.

Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible.