No place does celebrations better than New Orleans, and most celebrations call for a cocktail. Celebrations and cocktails naturally go together. New Orleans lays claim to many things-jazz, Mardi Gras, the best festivals, beignets, and the country's finest food-so we'll include the first cocktail. It's only fitting.More than sixty recipes from the city's legendary and quirky establishments are included, such as the Sazerac, Ramos Gin Fizz, Absinthe Suissesse, and dozens more. Each is stunningly photographed and accompanied by recipes, both traditional and unconventional. From highfalutin to down home, the Big Easy's mixologists and bartenders take great pride in well-crafted cocktails designed for lazy afternoons, early excursions, before or after meals, at cocktail parties, or to top off an evening. We know what a cocktail means; a proper one is an attitude. Swagger into a joint or sashay into a swanky establishment-at either end of the spectrum, cocktails are sipped and savored. Combine libation and service, ambiance, and spirited companions (preferably accompanied by music), and a drink becomes magical. A cocktail. An experience. Conviviality is a New Orleans custom. Let's discuss it over a cocktail.Kit Wohl is an award-winning author, photographer, and fine artist. New Orleans Classic Cocktails is her ninth book. Her other Pelican titles include Arnaud's Restaurant Cookbook: New Orleans Legendary Creole Cuisine and The P&J Oyster Cookbook. Wohl's acclaimed New Orleans Classic Series includes Desserts, Appetizers, Seafood, Gumbos and Soups, and Brunches and Celebrations.