Great Bar Food at Home

Heyhoe is the founder and executive editor of GlobalGourmet.com, so it's no surprise that her latest creation has the look and feel of a Web site. As small and square as a Mac Mini, with brief text and large photos, the book offers knowledgeable tidbits on how to make 50 or so small bites, the kind that go down nicely with, say, a double martini or a Singapore Sling. Despite its contemporary design, the mood is often retro, in celebration of cocktail party cuisine. Upscale and old school, Heyhoe leads off with Personal Caviar Tortes with Toast Points and follows with Gougere, French cheese puffs made with Gruyère. From there, like any good global gourmet, she jet-sets across many an international boundary, visiting such diverse cuisines as Japanese (Rumaki with Soba Noodles) and North African (Spicy Tunisian Sunset Dip). For partygoers who prefer a cold Brooklyn lager over a Long Island iced tea, a chapter entitled “Brewpub Nibbles and Noshes” suggests such spice-fueled beer snacks as Cumin-Cheddar Coins and Smoky Chipotle Chili. Along the way, Heyhoe includes historical tidbits, such as the free-for-all that was Studio 54 and Austria's importance to Mexican beer. Dorothy Parker's cultural importance is crammed onto a single page, but plenty of her bon mots are quoted for anyone in need of breaking the ice. (Oct.)