Bestselling Cookbook Author Anna Vocino Serves Up a Better Way to do Happy Hour in New Cookbook

"Eat Happy Cocktail Hour" features 72 gluten-free, grain-free and low-carb cocktails, mocktails, bites and dips for entertaining without sacrificing flavor or fun

SANTA YNEZ, Calif., Oct. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Comedian, voice actor, bestselling cookbook author, culinary personality, and Eat Happy Kitchen founder Anna Vocino today announced the release of Eat Happy Cocktail Hour: Deliciously Gluten Free and Low Carb Sips, Dips, and Bites, a new collection of 72 cocktails, mocktails, appetizers, dips, and shareable dishes created for entertaining without giving up the way you want to eat. The cookbook brings Vocino's signature approach to occasions where eating well can be especially challenging.

Cocktail hour and celebratory gatherings are often the moments when even the best intentions about eating well go out the window. The drinks are sugary, the appetizers are loaded with carbs, and suddenly "just one bite" turns into an evening of eating everything you were trying to avoid. Vocino's new book is bursting with recipes designed to make entertaining feel indulgent, social, and fun while emphasizing gluten-free, grain-free, low-carb, and lower-sugar ingredients. Rather than simply offering "healthy" versions of familiar party foods, Vocino focuses on the kinds of drinks and dishes people actually want to serve when friends come over.

"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. Healthy food should still feel like a celebration."

Recipes include the Meaty Mary, Watermelon Mint Martini and Chai Spiced Whiskey; mocktails including Mojitos and Strawberry Hibiscus Frozés; party foods such as Sesame Deviled Eggs, Spicy Pizza Bites and Bacon Beef Mini Smash Sliders; and dips and sauces including Hot Spinach Dip, Chicken Satays with Thai Peanut Dipping Sauce, and Creamy Beet Hummus.

Published by BenBella Books and distributed by Simon & Schuster, Eat Happy Cocktail Hour is Vocino's fourth cookbook, following the bestselling Eat Happy, Eat Happy Too and Eat Happy Italian.

Featuring full-color photography and practical mixology tips, Eat Happy Cocktail Hour builds on a lifestyle and food philosophy Vocino has developed over more than a decade as a cookbook author, recipe creator, entrepreneur, and food founder. With an approach that follows the tradition of lifestyle cookbook authors such as Ina Garten, Vocino has built a brand around the idea that eating well should still be joyful, approachable, and deeply satisfying. After being diagnosed with celiac disease in 2002, she began adapting the foods she loved into gluten-free alternatives and eventually expanded that approach to grain-free and low-carb cooking.

Her first three Eat Happy cookbooks became bestsellers, and Vocino simultaneously brought the same philosophy to the grocery aisle as founder of Eat Happy Kitchen, a premium natural food company offering sauces, seasonings, and snacks made without gluten, fillers or added sugar.

Eat Happy Cocktail Hour is available beginning October 13, 2026, wherever books are sold, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, and independent booksellers.

Book Details

Eat Happy Cocktail Hour: Deliciously Gluten Free and Low Carb Sips, Dips, and Bites

Author: Anna Vocino
Publisher: BenBella Books
Distributor: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: October 13, 2026
Hardcover List Price: $24.95
Hardcover ISBN: 9781637749562
E-book ISBN: 9781637749579
Website: EatHappyCocktailHour.com

About Anna Vocino
Anna Vocino is a bestselling cookbook author; culinary personality; recipe creator; voice actor, whose credits include a starring role in Disney/Pixar's Toy Story 5; stand-up comedian; podcast co-host; and founder of premium natural food company Eat Happy Kitchen. She is the author of Eat Happy, Eat Happy Too, Eat Happy Italian and Eat Happy Cocktail Hour and has created hundreds of gluten-free, grain-free and low-carb recipes across her cookbooks and digital platforms. Her recipes and culinary expertise have been featured in Women's Health, Parade, Consumer Reports, AllRecipes, SELF, Real Simple, The Huffington Post and other media outlets. Learn more at AnnaVocino.com.

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SOURCE Eat Happy Kitchen