Hello again, dear readers! I am back from California with a treat for anyone who enjoys a tasty libation—whether alcoholic or otherwise—while paying homage to the Queen of Crime herself. This charming collection of 50 cocktails was inspired not only by Agatha Christie but by her characters and novels as well. Each drink comes with a non-alcoholic mocktail version too, honoring the fact that Dame Christie was a well-known teetotaler in her private life.

The entire volume is gorgeously photographed by Jack Deutsch—so gorgeously that my lovely assistant Karin despaired of ever matching his prowess. I reminded her that he is likely far more skilled at his trade, though we are more than capable of matching any mixologist when it comes to putting together a few good drinks.

If you, however, are a novice when it comes to mixing up a beverage or two, author Colleen Mullaney has your back. Once past Kemper Donovan’s entertaining foreword, Agatha Whiskey begins with a very helpful section on bar basics, describing glassware, techniques, and common bartending terms. Ms. Mullaney also provides 10 recipes for making the various syrups used to build the book’s drinks, from the most common simple to a festive winter spice.

Part II of the book lists the cocktail recipes themselves. These are grouped loosely by their particular inspirations—from drinks meant to evoke Dame Christie and her detectives to the locations—exotic or pastoral—where her novels are set. There are drinks to travel or to stay home with and even homages to The Mousetrap, her long-running blockbuster stage play.

Each recipe comes with a short description of what inspired it. These descriptions are so tantalizingly written that mystery aficionados will not only nod their heads in recognition but also strongly consider a reread of old favorites. Even luckier are those who have yet to enjoy the entirety of Dame Christie’s terrific oeuvre. Fans old and new can readily browse which of her works to read next via the cocktails created on them here.

Karin and I decided to try out these two drinks, with each recipe making two servings. Both cocktails are relatively straightforward twists on the classics, with the former drink paying homage to The A.B.C. Murders and the latter to The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side.

C Is for Caipirinhas

Ingredients

1 lime, quartered

2 teaspoons white sugar or ¾ ounce Mint Simple Syrup

5 ounces Cachaça (Brazilian rum)

Instructions

Add half the limes and sugar or Mint Simple Syrup to each glass and muddle. Add in 2 ½ ounces Cachaça and ice to each glass and stir. Garnish each glass with another lime wedge and serve.

Mocktail

Replace the Cachaça with Ritual Rum Alternative Zero Proof or another nonalcoholic spirit. Prepare as above.

Mirror Crack’d from Side to Sidecar

Ingredients

4 ounces VSOP cognac, Armagnac, or good California brandy

2 ounces grand marnier

1 ½ ounces lemon juice

Orange twists for garnish

Instructions

In a shaker, combine the cognac, Armagnac, or good California brandy, Grand Marnier, and lemon juice. Add ice and shake well. Strain over large ice cubes into rocks glasses. Garnish with orange twists and serve.

Mocktail

Replace the cognac, Armagnac or good California brandy with ArKay Non-Alcoholic Brandy or another nonalcoholic spirit and the grand marnier with Lyre’s Italian Orange or another nonalcoholic aperitif.

As a former bartender, I couldn’t resist adding my own little touches to each drink. Probably the least intrusive touch was my choice to add a sugar rim to the “Mirror Crack’d from Side to Sidecar.” This is a fairly simple addition: just take a cut orange slice, slit it crosswise in the pulp, perch it on the rim, and run the wedge firmly around the glass mouth. Then, upend the glass in a saucer of sugar, moving it in circles until a nice sugary crust forms. I find that sugar enhances the taste of this cocktail, cutting through any possible puckering from the lemon juice.

I did make a more significant flavor alteration when adding mint to my caipirinha. I probably would have still added some fresh leaves had I chosen to use the “Mint Simple Syrup,” but I felt this addition was absolutely necessary when using just sugar. I muddled the mint with the limes and sweetener, then rolled the final beverage into a rocks glass instead of leaving it in something taller, as tradition would dictate. Karin and I weren’t totally satisfied with the appearance of the taller glasses that we had, preferring how the drinks looked in the shorter rocks glasses. While presentation often enhances the enjoyment of a good cocktail, the caipirinhas were just as tasty (and potent!) both ways.

Our changes notwithstanding, these are inspired recipes that do a wonderful job of merging classic mysteries with classy libations. Ms. Mullaney includes several drinking games as well as a trivia section in the back of the volume to round out the experience of drinking to Dame Christie. This is the perfect book for enhancing your next murder mystery party but can also be enjoyed on its own as a beautiful homage to the bestselling novelist of all time.

See also: Cooking the Books: Pink Lemonade Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke