In the Spirit: 'Gone With The Gin'

Are you looking to shake up your holiday cocktail offerings this season? Check out Tim Federle's "Gone With The Gin," the sequel to his equally entertaining "Tequila Mockingbird: Cocktails With a Literary Twist."

In this edition Federle offers 50 cocktail recipes, along with commentary, whimsical illustrations, drinking games, and movie-inspired munchies such as "The Silence of the Lamb" Burgers.

Here's a sneak peek at what the recipe collection has to offer:

Gone With The Gin

"Gone with the Wind" (1939) directed by Victor Fleming

In the days before televised talent contests, this film's forward-thinking producer launched a national search for his leading lady, landing on the very British Vivien Leigh to play the very Southern Scarlett O'Hara-bossy belle of the high-and-mightiest order. Leigh's feisty on-screen chemistry with Clark Gable remains both immortal and also a tad misleading. They famously challenged each other on-set, which may have helped shoot the Civil War-themed Wind into the history books as a top-earning, unrelenting, riches-to-rags melodrama. Our hot-as-a-burning-Atlanta hooch is sure to start a few of your own battles-at least over who gets the first pour.

2 whole jalape�os, halved and seeded
1/2 peach, pitted and sliced
2 rosemary sprigs, divided
3/4 ounce simple syrup (page 25)
1 1/2 ounces gin
1/2 ounce Campari
1/2 ounce lemon juice
Club soda, to fill

Muddle the jalape�os, peach, 1 rosemary sprig, and simple syrup in a shaker. Add the gin, Campari, lemon juice, and a handful of ice to the shaker and shake well. Double-strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass, fill with the club soda, and garnish with the remaining rosemary sprig. Sip slow-you've got three-plus hours to get through.

Star Wars: The Empire Likes Jack

"Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back" (1980) directed by Irvin Kershner

In the second installment of this touchstone series, "World's Worst Dad" Darth Vader chases unsuspecting son Luke Skywalker across an entire galaxy-and not to hug it out; their saber-swinging showdown is one of the fiercest fights ever filmed. Though now considered so culturally significant as to feel inevitable, Empire was initially struck by struggles: miserable weather on location in Norway (hello, Hoth!), challenges in designing the then-state-of-the-art extra-special effects, and a director who'd never before handled a big-time budget. (It all worked out though, to the tune of half a billion bucks.) Tip your helmet to a dark-versus-light libation that's hiding its own sweet secrets.

8 ounces root beer
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ounces Jack Daniel's
1 scoop vanilla ice cream

Combine the root beer and vanilla in a mug and stir. Add the Jack Daniels and ice cream. May the heavy pour be with you.

The Muppets Make Manhattans

"The Muppets Take Manhattan" (1984) directed by Frank Oz

Everyone's favorite marionettes-slash-puppets return for their take on the old Mickey-and-Judy "Let's put on a show!" trope. Here, Kermit & Co. celebrate graduating from college with a show-tune revue that gets such great buzz, they decide to take the show to Broadway-despite their fretful frog leader's misgivings. Shot on location in New York and with everyone from Liza Minnelli to Joan Rivers making cameos, this film also introduced the Muppet Babies in a dream sequence that proved such a hit, they got their own Saturday morning spin-off cartoon. Whether bound for the big time or not, you'll be sent off with a song once you get a taste of this Big Apple Manhattan.

2 ounces apple brandy
3/4 ounce sweet vermouth
1/2 ounce apple juice
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
3 dashes baked apple bitters
Green apple slice, for garnish

Combine all the ingredients (except for the green apple slice) with ice in a mixing glass and stir well. Strain into a cocktail glass, garnish with the apple-and serve with a side of bacon (with apologies to Miss Piggy).

Reprinted with permission from Gone with the Gin � 2015 by Time Federle, Running Press, a member of the Perseus Books Group.