Free Book Friday!: The Happy Table of Eugene Walter

Update! (4:10 p.m.): Comments are now closed and we have drawn a winner from the pot of saucy commenters. This month’s winner is Jill Warren Lucas! Congrats, Jill! We’ll be in touch. By the way, Jill is a food blogger herself and was one of the participants in The New Southern-Latino Table Dinner Party blog series in September (she made Sandra’s Chicken Enchiladas). Check out her blog, Eating My Words. Thanks to all for playing. I’m thinking there may be some beans and amaretto in my future. (Thanks for the tip, Candice!) Have a great weekend, and tune in next first Friday of the month (Dec. 2) for the next round.—ellen

Happy Friday, everyone! And even happier because you have a chance to win a free book. It’s our monthly Free Book Friday giveaway, and today’s book is The Happy Table of Eugene Walter: Southern Spirits in Food and Drink, edited by Donald Goodman and Thomas Head. If you followed along with last month’s Happy Table Happy Hour series, you already know Eugene Walter was one saucy gentleman on a mission: to help everyone have a deliciously good time. Editors Goodman and Head have had a wonderful time on their book tour this fall, sharing laughs and toasts with fans across the South. Check out their photos at the book’s Facebook page.

If you have an appreciation for the sauce and the saucy, you’ll find this book un-put-downable. Zagat.com named it one of its 10 Must-Read Fall Books for Food Lovers. In addition to recipes and commentary about southern cooking and drinking habits, the book also features some charming sketches by Eugene Walter. For instance:

So yes: for a good time, read this book. To get a free copy? Before 4 p.m. EST today, tell us your favorite spirit–for drinking or for cooking. And if you’re really serious, tell us your favorite way to employ that spirit–your favorite cocktail or dish to prepare. At 4:00 this afternoon, we’ll select one commenter at random to receive a free copy of The Happy Table!

The fine print: when you comment, we’ll add your email address to our eNews list for cookbooks so you can be notified (and get a discount!) when we publish new cookbooks or when we have them on sale. Employees of UNC Press or Longleaf Services are not eligible. U.S. residents only, please.

Check back in at 4 p.m. and we’ll publish an update to announce the winner. Aaaaaaand go!