Cocktail-based cupcakes. Yum. ( )

Two friends (one a bartender, the other a classically trained chef) saw a niche for cocktail inspired cupcakes. What started as a fun distraction for themselves and their friends, soon blossomed into the 2011 opening of the Prohibition Bakery in NYC's lower East side. Instantly popular with in-the-know Manhattanite foodies, the bakery has been featured in magazines and on TV. Those unable to travel to New York can now recreate their lovely delicacies, using the newly published 'Prohibition Bakery Cookbook.'

After dispensing some basics, the fifty recipes are organized by alcohol type -- vodka, rum, whiskey, gin, tequila, wine, beer/cider and liqueur. Each mini-cupcake is a one or two bite morsel of boozy goodness, with a filling or frosting somehow infused with some type of alcohol. For instance, the Piña Colada has a pineapple flavored cake, with a dark rum flavored coconut filling, pineapple frosting and toasted coconut sprinkled on top. The Old Fashioned has an orangey cake, bourbon/cherry jelly filling, bourbon/bitters frosting, all garnished with a bourbon soaked cherry.

Our recent Super Bowl party featured my attempt at the Amaretto Sour: lemony cake, filled with amaretto jelly complete with a meringue frosting on top. The recipe allegedly made 60 mini-cupcakes, but the best we could squeeze out was 48 per batch, which we doubled. They were a HUGE hit with our guests. Just the perfect size to indulge with one or two cupcakes without feeling over-stuffed. One could definitely taste the alcohol, but it wasn't overpowering. Of 8 dozen cupcakes, we only had a dozen left by the end of the night.

For each recipe, there are multiple steps required, so a day or two might be in order. The amaretto jelly had to be made a day in advance. It is helpful (but not necessary) to have the proper tools, such as a stand mixer, a plastic squeeze bottle, piping bags and a kitchen blowtorch. However, none of the individual steps were particularly difficult. It was fun to be so creative, and the final product looked similar to the picture in the book. Each recipe comes with a picture as a guide. One complaint is that the cookbook is smallish: a mere 8 3/4" x 6 1/4". This means the recipes are spread over several pages, requiring a ton of flipping back and forth. I was unable to use my favorite cookbook stand.

Overall, this book is appropriate for all but the most novice of bakers. Adult bakers will have fun with the different cocktail ideas -- to the delight of their friends and neighbors. Please eat responsibly!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. ( )