There is a perfect drink for every situation. So what should you drink tonight? It depends . . .

Are you stalking your ex? Try a pisco sour.

Drowning out the ticking of your biological clock? A bee’s knees will do.

Spoiling for a vicious brawl with your dearest loved ones? A tipperary helps you get there.

Sinking into debauchery underneath the mistletoe at your boss’s holiday party? A presbyterian, what else?

How to Booze has all the answers on what to drink when. Armed with nearly one hundred iconic recipes, useful facts on technique and ingredients, and more than enough advice to get you into trouble, you will now know just the right drink for the occasion—and how to prepare it like a professional.

Product Description
Amazingly delicious guilt-free recipes for any fun-filled cocktail party!

Margaritas and cosmos and mudslides, oh my! Blended drinks, mixed drinks, fruity drinks . . . any and every cocktail you desire is here in Hungry Girl Happy Hour, and they’ve all got HG’s guilt-free guarantee! Also included are recipes for Hungry Girl’s delicious, decadent, party-pleasing finger foods and appetizers.

Indulge in:
• Cocoa-nut Banana Rum-ble Frenzy (188 calories)
• Hungry, Hungry Hurricane (132 calories)
• Blendy Bananas Foster (227 calories)
• Red Hot Cinnamon Shots (98 calories)
• Spiked Strawberry Shake (204 calories)
• Black Forest Jell-O Shot Desserts (49 calories)

Plus:
• Buff Chick Hot Wing Dip (68 calories)
• De-Pudged Pigs in a Blanket (134 calories)
• Bacon-Bundled BBQ Shrimp (116 calories)

. . . And much more!

Cocktails are bigger than ever, and this is the first real cookbook for them, covering the entire breadth of this rich subject. The Craft of the Cocktail provides much more than merely the same old recipes: it delves into history, personalities, and anecdotes; it shows you how to set up a bar, master important techniques, and use tools correctly; and it delivers unique concoctions, many featuring Dale DeGroff’s signature use of fresh juices, as well as all the classics.

Debonair, a great raconteur, and an unparalleled authority, Dale DeGroff is the epitome of Perfect Bartender, universally acknowledged as the world’s premier mixologist. From Entertainment Weekly and USA Today to the Culinary Institute of America and the nation’s best restaurants, whenever anybody wants information or training on the bar, they turn to Dale for recipes, for history, for anecdotes, for fun—for cocktail-party conversation as well as for cocktails.

That’s what The Craft of the Cocktail is—the full party, conversation and all. It begins with the history of spirits, how they’re made (but without too much boring science), the development of the mixed drink, and the culture it created, all drawn from Dale’s vast library of vintage cocktail books. Then on to stocking the essential bar, choosing the right tools and ingredients, mastering key techniques—hints worthy of a pro, the same information that Dale shares with the bartenders he trains in seminars and through his videos. And then the meat of the matter: 500 recipes, including everything from tried-and-true classics to of-the-moment originals. Throughout are rich stories, vintage recipes, fast facts, and other entertaining asides. Beautiful color photographs and a striking design round out the cookbook approach to this subject, highlighting the difference between an under-the-bar handbook and a stylish, full-blown treatment. The Craft of the Cocktail is that treatment, destined to become the bible of the bar.

The Margarita. It’s the drink that puts the “happy” in happy hour. A beguiling elixir of tequila, citrus, and sweetness that’s guaranteed to go down easy—and put a smile on your face.

The Classic Margarita—perhaps named after Margarita Sames, or maybe Margarete, a descendent of Ponce de Leon, but do we really care?—is a delectable blend of tequila, simple syrup, Cointreau, and lime and lemon juices. But as cocktail designer extraordinaire Kim Haasarud proves in this fantastic little guide, the Classic is just the starting point for margarita bliss. Open the book, and you’ll discover 101 heavenly margarita recipes—one for every season, every mood, and every occasion.

All your favorite margarita variations are here. You can chill out with a frozen Strawberry Margarita. Get romantic with an exotic Passionfruit Margarita. Or “berry” yourself in the fruity delights of a delicious Raspberry Margarita. But Haasarud also gives you lots of new and exciting margarita choices. You can take a cocktail party to new heights with the sophisticated Sake Margarita. Tame fiery foods with the refreshing Sweet Ginger Margarita. Or finish off a meal with a divine Hazelnut Margarita or an espresso-infused Margarita du Café.

So invite some friends, get out your shaker, and ready the glasses. With a little help from this book, you’ll be in Margaritaville in no time.

Kim Haasarud bartended her way through college and in 2002 founded Liquid Architecture, a firm that creates signature drinks and bar concepts. Her clients have included Fox Searchlight, Warner Brothers, HBO, Comedy Central, Maxim, the Tribeca Film Festival, Absolut Vodka, Jameson Irish Whiskey, and the Cheesecake Factory. She also writes the “West Coast Cocktails” column for Slammed magazine, a restaurant trade journal. Her Web site is liquid-architecture.com.

Alexandra Grablewski is a well-known food and beverage photographer whose work has appeared in Gourmet, Martha Stewart Living, Real Simple, Better Homes and Gardens, and Wine Spectator as well as in many books.