“A cocktail goddess, first and foremost, is a moodmaker and spell-caster.” So say Karen Brooks, Gideon Bosker and Reed Darmon in “Highballs High Heels” (Chronicle, $14.95). If that’s a career path you care to explore, the book offers “A Girl’s Guide to the Art of Cocktails.” The playful drink titles of the 50-plus recipes will provide many sources of amusement: Girls Just Wanna Have Rum, Bikinitini and Shirley Temple’s Evil Twin. The drink we made, the venerable Gin and Sin (accompanied by a photo of Kim Novak), will certainly cast a spell, especially after the third one: Fill a cocktail shaker with 6 ice cubes, 4 ounces gin, 2 teaspoons each fresh lemon juice and fresh orange juice, and 2 to 4 dashes grenadine. Stir and strain into 2 rocks glasses.
