Purim l’chaim! Celebrate the mitzvah of drinking with holiday cocktails

First of all, The Book of Esther involves parties. A lot of parties. When the king wants to celebrate and show off the solidifying of his reign, he has a party; a six-month long party. When Esther wants the king to save the Jews from Haman, she has a party. When Haman is defeated, another party. These are not Animal House-style fiestas, but do involve lots of vino. The king served his royal wine (not the California variety) in gold vessels, and it flowed abundantly. So if you want to follow “The Book” by the book, you can start off with a nice selection from Feldstein wineries (no relationship, but the name is cool), or any other favorite wine of yours.

• Not part of the mitzvah but nevertheless part of the festivity, if you want to try some other mixtures you can serve up a Party Animal. Mix equal parts Parfait d’Amour, orange juice and coconut liqueur. Serve over ice.

• Since Esther was known for being an especially strong and beautiful Jewish woman, one can also try the Beautiful. Pour one part Grand Marnier carefully over an equal part Courvoisier in a shot glass. Handle carefully, and be sure to drink layered.

• The king was very particular about who he’d let into his harem, much less become queen. She had to be comely and a virtuous, so try the Crystal Virgin. Mix equal parts Yukon Jack, Amaretto and cranberry juice. Serve over ice.

• Once she became queen, her status changed and the story got going. So try a Queen: a strong blend of equal parts mango-flavored rum, pineapple-flavored rum, pineapple juice, cranberry juice and orange juice, then a half-part grenadine. (If you don’t have flavored rum, flavored vodka will do.) Serve frozen or on the rocks.

• Royalty is a theme throughout, so try these. The Crown Bomb is equal parts Crown Royal (flavored if you prefer), Amaretto, and coffee liqueur. Add a splash of cranberry juice and pineapple juice. Serve over ice. There’s also the Royal Flush: equal parts Amaretto, peach schnapps, Crown Royal and orange vodka. Top off with cranberry juice over ice.

• The theme nahafochu, that everything was turned upside down, is cause for lots of the expressions of our celebration. And it’s good cause to try an Upside-Down Cake. Pour equal parts vanilla vodka and pineapple juice over ice (best in shaker) and shake till frothy. Strain into shot glasses and add a few drops of grenadine, which sinks to the bottom.

• If you want to keep it simple, and because Purim took place in the 12th month, pour yourself a large serving of your favorite 12-year-old scotch. The larger the serving, the more you can contemplate why Adar is such a happy month, or at least become a little happier in the process.

• We all know that Haman had 10 sons who met their demise, like their daddy, at the end of a rope, so try the 10-lb. Sledgehammer. It’s one part whiskey, one part tequila served straight, as a shot. Even if it doesn’t taste super, it’s sufficiently numbing in case you’re about to be hung on the gallows.

• If that’s not enough, you can get a taste of royalty by looking at the colors and sipping a Hamantini. You’ll appreciate the golden and purple colors by carefully layering white creme de cacao, Parfait d’Amour and scotch or bourbon. This can be served in a chilled shot glass, or sipped in a martini glass.

Purim sameach!