The Eat Happy Kitchen brand is extending its gluten-free, low-carb positioning into the cocktail occasion category with the October 13 release of Eat Happy Cocktail Hour: Deliciously Gluten Free and Low Carb Sips, Dips, and Bites, the fourth cookbook from founder Anna Vocino. Published by BenBella Books and distributed through Simon & Schuster, the title arrives as better-for-you beverage positioning accelerates across both on-premise and off-premise channels — and as non-alc and low-ABV SKUs continue to claim more planogram real estate from traditional full-sugar mixers and RTD cocktails.

The Recipe Mix

The 72 recipes span alcoholic cocktails, mocktails, appetizers, and dips — a format that mirrors the bundled entertaining strategy increasingly common among lifestyle beverage brands looking to own a consumption occasion rather than a single SKU. Cocktail recipes include the Meaty Mary, Watermelon Mint Martini, and Chai Spiced Whiskey. The mocktail section covers Mojitos and Strawberry Hibiscus Frozés, a nod to the non-alc occasion that has become one of the fastest-growing segments in the beverage trade. Party food pairings like Sesame Deviled Eggs and Bacon Beef Mini Smash Sliders reinforce the full-occasion pitch to both consumers and potential foodservice or specialty retail partners.

"The food and drinks are obviously part of what makes a great gathering, but what really matters is getting people together and having a good time," said Vocino. "I wanted to create recipes that let people enjoy all of that without feeling like they have to abandon the way they want to eat."

Brand and Retail Reach

Vocino's first three Eat Happy titles became bestsellers, and the cookbook platform has run parallel to her consumer packaged goods operation — Eat Happy Kitchen sells sauces, seasonings, and snacks positioned around the same gluten-free, no-added-sugar attributes. That dual-channel presence gives the new title cross-merchandising potential: specialty grocers and natural food retailers already stocking Eat Happy Kitchen products could position the cookbook as an end-cap companion, a tactic that has gained traction among lifestyle food-and-beverage brands seeking to deepen basket size without adding new SKUs to the supply chain.

At a hardcover list price of $24.95, Eat Happy Cocktail Hour sits comfortably in the impulse gift tier for specialty and natural food retailers. Distribution through Simon & Schuster's trade network means the title will have broad off-premise reach across mass, specialty, and independent booksellers from day one. For beverage operators and foodservice buyers, the low-carb cocktail framing also carries menu development utility — particularly as on-premise accounts expand their better-for-you cocktail lists to match the dietary preferences now reshaping ordering patterns.

Vocino, who was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2002, built the Eat Happy brand over more than a decade by reformulating familiar foods around gluten-free and grain-free constraints. That origin story gives the cocktail title a credibility anchor that differentiates it from generic entertaining cookbooks, and it positions the Eat Happy Kitchen brand squarely inside the non-alc and better-for-you beverage conversation that distributors and suppliers are tracking closely heading into 2027. Brands and wholesalers watching the RTD and cocktail mixer space for white space in the low-sugar segment will find the occasion framing here worth noting.

Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.