I like my booze with a side of tradition, so you'd think I'd be hell-bent against all the new-fangled ideas for getting hooch from the winery/brewery/distillery to my cerebral cortex. But I'm actually all for them, because they're good for the environment, and, more importantly, they're better for the booze. I'm talking about screw-top wine bottles, plastic wine corks (plorks), plastic wine bottles, wine in Tetra Pak-style boxes, beer in bags (really), and reusable/refillable containers of all kinds. The latest idea sweeping the alcohol-verse is the wine keg, which failed to gain traction in the 1980s because they were always filled with plonk. For restaurants, bars, and people who drink insane amounts of wine at home, wine kegs seems like a brilliant idea, and I hope they catch on. But it might be best to start small, which is why I wholeheartedly endorse the growler.

First of all, what a wonderful name. Growler. As in, you'll growl with delight as you bring home almost a six-pack's worth of delicious draft beer in one, simple, reusable bottle that looks like something 'shine-runners down south would use to haul around their illicit firewater. It was a bit of a buzzkill to move from Williamsburg to Park Slope, Brooklyn this spring, party-wise, but the upside is that I'm now just steps away from Grab Specialty Foods, which sells pretty much everything I love: fine cheeses, charcuterie, olives, and draft beer by the growler. The moving van had barely trundled down Seventh Avenue before I was laying down a five-dollar deposit on my growler and getting the first stamp on my frequent-growler card.

For between $12 and $14, you get 64 ounces of fresh, wonderful draft beer from the likes of Sixpoint, Coney Island, and the Brooklyn Brewery, and boy can you taste the difference. It's fresh, it's alive, it's, well, very good tasting beer. And nothing to throw out or recycle. You rinse out your growler and go get it filled up again. The earth gives you a big wet kiss, because you're an environmental hero just by drinking beer out of the right container.

Show up at Grab, or your own local growler purveyor (I'm told Whole Foods does growlers too) on weekends and you might even have a rep from the featured brewery around to pour you a couple of samples. It's best to try them all so you make the right choice.

And as for the rest of the smart new vessels for booze, embrace them. Wine bottles and natural corks are iconic symbol of the good life, but you'll get used to boxes, screw caps, and plorks easily enough. Just pour it in a nice wine glass and gaze into your lover's eyes. The ecosystem will love you, and you'll never have to wonder if the wine is skunked or it's just supposed to taste like that.