By Rebecca Goodman
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Somehow, I made it through my formative drinking years without The Cocktail Jungle: A Girl's Field Guide to Shaking and Stirring (Running Press; $14.95).

The subtitle of Nicole Beland's book should be read as a double-entendre - it offers more than advice on drinking.

It contains instruction on everything from what to wear to a karaoke bar to how to do a tequila body shot - on somebody else. But it's really a thinly disguised manual on how to find a guy.

It suggests a variety of pickup lines to try on practically every man you might encounter at a bar - from a stockbroker to the parking valet. But most are lame, such as: "Why don't you pretend I'm a pinata and hit on me?"

On the positive side, the thin book is practical in that it would fit into most purses on girls' night out - and the plastic cover is designed to resist bar spills.

And it includes more than 50 drink recipes - some classic, some trendy, as well as information on the history of spirits. But if you're not interested in the intellectual side of cocktails, I advise you to spend the money on a drink for yourself at the Havana Martini Club, downtown - and have the bartender make another one for that cute guy you spy across the room. Trust me: He'll be able to read between the lines.

Freak My Tiki

3 ounces melon-flavored vodka

1 ounce peach schnapps

1 ounce cranberry juice

Splash of fresh lime juice

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into martini glass. Makes 1 drink.

The Cocktail Jungle

E-mail sips@enquirer.com