I’m planning a Ladies Christmas Luncheon this year and am currently in the process of planning the food so I’ve been going through a lot of recipes. As far as potables, I find that having a house cocktail makes serving drinks so much easier. When men are involved, I tend to set up a makeshift bar on my bamboo bar cart and let them deal with making their own. Ladies, I find, enjoy not having to make that decision, instead being served something tasty and festive.If you like the idea of having a house or signature cocktail in your home, I can recommend a book that will give you a plethora of ideas. Cure, New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix ‘Em is a recent release from Abrams Books, and it is a beauty! Whether you enjoy a good cocktail or not, let me tell you it is a ton of fun to page through. You know that you’re in for something special when you see the end pages are a map of New Orleans. How handy these would have been during my last visit, but I digress.In addition to giving you a fascinating history of New Orleans drink culture, it also familiarizes you with a lot of liqueurs with which you are doubtless unfamiliar. I found that information as interesting as the recipes for the cocktails themselves. You will find many familiar cocktails in this book, beautifully photographed, and also many new ones that you will certainly be eager to try. Frankly, this is the best book on cocktails that I have ever seen.If you’re unfamiliar with the fascinating names that some of the more obscure cocktails tend to have, you will enjoy discovering them here as well as learning their history. Think Berlin in the 70s, Gunshot Fizz, Dark Passenger, Two Way Mirror, you get the idea.As valuable as are the cocktail recipes, so are the those for syrups used in making the cocktails. The Two Way Mirror cocktail, for example, uses sage syrup. As someone who grows sage every year (this year I potted it up and brought it indoors to see how it would fare the conservatory) I am eager to give this a try. You will also find recipes to make your own black pepper syrup, cinnamon syrup, Orgeat (I have never been able to find that in my area so I’m excited about it), as well as grenadine.As if all of this isn’t enough, there is also a chapter on Bar Snacks. I will be diving right into this section, I can tell you. The Mussels in Absinthe sound intriguing as do the Blue Crab Beignets. There’s also a recipe for one of my favorite foods, pimiento cheese, paired with bread and butter pickles and pepper jelly.Anyone interested in the drink culture of New Orleans, in creating fabulous cocktails and bar snacks, or in increasing their knowledge about same should not be without this wonderful new book. It would make a fabulous Christmas present.Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Abrams Books as a member of Abrams Dinner Party.