A Cozy Book of Winter Drinks: Rich and Delicious Recipes to Keep You Warm

""The simple pleasures of life,"" Geiskopf-Hadler writes, ""are easily enhanced with a cozy beverage in hand."" Ignore the questionable grammar of that sentence and dive into the recipes: the author offers the secrets to year-round classics like the Martini and the Old-fashioned, as well as nouveau adventures like a gin, apricot brandy and juice mix called the Sunny Susann Cocktail and Creamy Ruby Port, a blended milk and port concoction. Most of the drinks, whether alcoholic or not, are warm; many, such as the bold Cafe Kahlua with a Tequila Back, feature coffee. Geiskopf-Hadler envisions snuggly beverages as the liquid centerpiece to an evening full of fun and camaraderie: it's not about the booze, it's about the fellowship. But is it wise to consume Schnapps Hot Chocolate with Mint before going skiing with the buddies? (She calls it a ""good drink to either begin or end a day on the slopes."") There are plenty of fine recipes contained within, but skip any accompanying commentary or history-while few buy cookbook because they'll be good reads, this one is especially weak: the prose is awkward and repetitive (never has the word ""unique"" been so overused) and the bits of history offer little that's new.