"Food is often the centermost attraction when people gather for good cheer. Breathing life into a party can be effected simply by injecting vibrancy into the gathering's fare. On a day to day basis, mundane menus all too often creep into prevalence. An interminable cycle of meat loaf and canned peas can provoke one's palate to scream for the piquant. Witness how adding wine to a dish creates elegance in an instant. In a flash whiskey brings invigoration to any cuisine it encounters, and food suddenly becomes fun with the infusion of a brew. Teetotalers can take heart in the knowledge that in many recipes the alcohol dissipates in the cooking process, leaving only a richly enhanced flavor in your meticulously prepared creation. On the other hand, if a ringing timer interrupts you in the middle of a nip, pause and remember that the point is after all to savor the joys of indulgence. A happy cook is a good cook. Here's to good food."--Introduction