cover image Delish Ultimate Cocktails: Why Limit Happy to an Hour?

Delish Ultimate Cocktails: Why Limit Happy to an Hour?

Joanna Saltz and the editors of Delish. Hearst Home, $25 (240p) ISBN 978-1-95078-515-5

Delish (Delish: Eat Like Every Day’s the Weekend), Hearst Digital Media’s food and cocktail brand, delivers a splashy assemblage of clever, mostly sweet, and Instagram-ready quaffs. Pushing the boundaries of pastels, the magic margarita is chilled with violet ice cubes made by boiling purple cabbage then freezing the water in which it steeped. Lambrusco turns red wine milkshakes a curious pink, and a Christmastime grinchy punch is bright green thanks to a packet of lemon-lime Kool-Aid. The editors are especially inventive when it comes to Bloody Marys, which are accessorized with skewered mini tacos and sliders, or rimmed with crushed Cheetos, or served as shooters in hollowed-out pickle halves. Oreo shots, meanwhile, have their cream filling replaced by a mixture of vodka, gelatin, and sweetened condensed milk, while giant watermelon “shots,” molded from a halved melon, are served in the rind and are as big as a plate. There is no shortage of frozen drinks, as well as ice pops in flavors including gin and tonic, and Moscow mule. And for teetotalers, a chapter of mocktails replaces booze with puns in options like the blackberry “faux-jito” and a cranberry basil “sansgria.” A rainbow of creations for celebrating or entertaining at home pours forth in this fun collection. (Oct.)