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Peterson's Holiday Helper: Festive Pick-Me-Ups, Calm-Me-Downs, and Handy Hints to Keep You in Good Spirits
“How to recapture those blissful holidays of yore? What’s the secret? I searched and searched and –after a whole hour on the Internet– I found the liquor.”
Yes, says Valerie Peterson, the antidote to holiday stress is, quite simply, to keep good spirits in you. Whether you need to ease the friction at the Thanksgiving table, dull the guilt of smashing one of Great-Grandmama’s heirloom Christmas ornaments, or take the bite out of a New Year’s Day hangover, the collection of cocktails and tips in Peterson’s Holiday Helper will keep you afloat. With festive, original concoctions (such as Pilgrim Sangria and the Ginerous Regift) as well as time-honored classics (Mulled Wine and Eggnog), Peterson administers easy and delicious pick-me-ups for holiday humbugs and soothing calm-me-downs for the inevitable celebratory crises.
Whatever your seasonal malady, Peterson’s Holiday Helper has the
Heading home for the holidays stuffed into a coach-class center seat?
Fly the skies in a friendlier fashion with Whatever Gets You Through the Woods, prepared with $10 of onboard liquor and other ingredients handily available from your cooperative flight attendant.
Run out of transparent tape with twenty-seven more presents to wrap?
Hold yourself together with a Double-Stick Scotch Coffee, made with Drambuie, butterscotch schnapps, and piping-hot coffee.
Memories of Christmases Past have you wishing you could change a few things (your choice of an ex-husband or your high-school hairstyle, perhaps)?
Skip the ghastly recollections and go right for the spirits with a citrus-and-spice-infused Dickensian Smoking Bishop.
In addition to these tasty and therapeutic cocktails, Peterson’s Holiday Helper is filled with vintage photographs and holiday ephemera that capture the jolly old days, as well as helpful tips to further your merry frame of mind. With easy instructions for making basics such as simple syrup and infused vodka, along with more than fifty scrumptious recipes, Peterson’s Holiday Helper will help you maintain that old-fashioned feeling of peace and tranquilization–er, tranquillity–for the entire season.
Yes, says Valerie Peterson, the antidote to holiday stress is, quite simply, to keep good spirits in you. Whether you need to ease the friction at the Thanksgiving table, dull the guilt of smashing one of Great-Grandmama’s heirloom Christmas ornaments, or take the bite out of a New Year’s Day hangover, the collection of cocktails and tips in Peterson’s Holiday Helper will keep you afloat. With festive, original concoctions (such as Pilgrim Sangria and the Ginerous Regift) as well as time-honored classics (Mulled Wine and Eggnog), Peterson administers easy and delicious pick-me-ups for holiday humbugs and soothing calm-me-downs for the inevitable celebratory crises.
Whatever your seasonal malady, Peterson’s Holiday Helper has the
Heading home for the holidays stuffed into a coach-class center seat?
Fly the skies in a friendlier fashion with Whatever Gets You Through the Woods, prepared with $10 of onboard liquor and other ingredients handily available from your cooperative flight attendant.
Run out of transparent tape with twenty-seven more presents to wrap?
Hold yourself together with a Double-Stick Scotch Coffee, made with Drambuie, butterscotch schnapps, and piping-hot coffee.
Memories of Christmases Past have you wishing you could change a few things (your choice of an ex-husband or your high-school hairstyle, perhaps)?
Skip the ghastly recollections and go right for the spirits with a citrus-and-spice-infused Dickensian Smoking Bishop.
In addition to these tasty and therapeutic cocktails, Peterson’s Holiday Helper is filled with vintage photographs and holiday ephemera that capture the jolly old days, as well as helpful tips to further your merry frame of mind. With easy instructions for making basics such as simple syrup and infused vodka, along with more than fifty scrumptious recipes, Peterson’s Holiday Helper will help you maintain that old-fashioned feeling of peace and tranquilization–er, tranquillity–for the entire season.
128 pages, Hardcover
First published July 22, 2008
11 people want to read
About the author
Valerie Peterson
6 books7 followersI'm a writer and a fan of smart writing, clever plot twists and all things procedural — preferably with a bite of humor. Currently finishing my own first novel (which involves several intertwining mysteries and at least two dead bodies), I'm a member of both the Jane Austen Society of America and the Mystery Writers of America.
My TV writing and screenwriting has been honored by the WGAE Made in NY Writer's Room Fellowship, the CBS TV Writing Mentor program, Austin Film Festival, Cinequest, The Big Apple Film Festival, and More Magazine; my short film, The Maid of Honor, was an Official Selection at the Sedona International Film Festival.
A lifelong food lover and the daughter of a fantastic home cook, I'm the co-author of Cookie Craft and Cookie Craft Christmas cookie decorating books, and the author of Peterson’s Holiday Helper and Peterson’s Happy Hour cocktail humor books. My articles and essays have appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Bride’s Magazine, The Chicago Tribune, Pastry Art & Design and other publications.
I'm a proud native of Yonkers, NY and currently live in New York City.
My TV writing and screenwriting has been honored by the WGAE Made in NY Writer's Room Fellowship, the CBS TV Writing Mentor program, Austin Film Festival, Cinequest, The Big Apple Film Festival, and More Magazine; my short film, The Maid of Honor, was an Official Selection at the Sedona International Film Festival.
A lifelong food lover and the daughter of a fantastic home cook, I'm the co-author of Cookie Craft and Cookie Craft Christmas cookie decorating books, and the author of Peterson’s Holiday Helper and Peterson’s Happy Hour cocktail humor books. My articles and essays have appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Bride’s Magazine, The Chicago Tribune, Pastry Art & Design and other publications.
I'm a proud native of Yonkers, NY and currently live in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 31, 2022
I actually read this book cover to cover because it’s funny. It’s got many but not an overwhelming number of recipes. The cocktails don’t call for a ton of weird things. It’s a good entertaining at home cocktail cookbook. It goes with my new punch bowl too!
Want to read
November 2, 2008Valerie Peterson is all about maximizing joy during the holidays. The author of last year's fabulous Cookie Craft, this year she's turned her attention to one of my favorite holiday treats - holiday cocktails. And having had cocktails with Valerie, I know she knows what she's talking about.
For more info on this book, check out http://www.petersonsholidayhelper.com/
For more info on this book, check out http://www.petersonsholidayhelper.com/
December 26, 2008
Wondering how I'm going to get through the next week with my mom and her husband in town, I found myself reading this gem of a holiday drink recipe book. I found my answer- alcohol. I can't wait to try the Green Elf, Angel's Kick, Liquid Mistletoe and Merry Berry Mojito among others.
January 3, 2009
I picked up this little treasure in a sales bin. Full of handy, if caustic, tips for surviving the holidays, mostly with lashings of liquor - the "spirits" of the subtitle. (Hey, whatever works. :-) I especially enjoyed the vintage photos of the author as a child on Santa's knee.
February 10, 2009
The perfect holiday gift for any hostess!
December 25, 2016
I thought this would offer more general holiday help but it is focused on holiday cocktails. Pretty funny photos and memorabilia though, so definitely entertaining.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews