Want to up the congeniality level at your next staff meeting? Bring a cheesecake. Want to stimulate discussion? Spike the cheesecake with booze.

Worked at our meeting last week. And the point was legitimate - to try out a recipe requested by Debbie Long: “;I'm looking for a B-52 Cheesecake recipe. I had one several years ago - it was such a hit.”;

Understandable, as we discovered.

The B-52 cocktail, root of this particular evil, is made by layering three liqueurs in a shot glass: at the bottom, a dark and syrupy coffee liqueur such as Kahlua; in the center, Bailey's Irish Cream; on top, a clear orange-flavored liqueur such as Grand Marnier or Cointreau. To keep the layers neat, pour the second and third liqueurs into the glass over the back of a teaspoon.

Converting this essence into a cheesecake simply involves mixing a bit of each liqueur into a part of the batter. You don't end up with clear layers, but you do get some nice flavor.

This recipe is based on a simple cheesecake - I started with one Kraft Foods developed to better sell cream cheese. No point in getting complicated when the liquor's really the point.

A couple of ingredient notes: The chocolate wafers used in the crust can be hard to find. The easiest solution is a pre-made Oreo pie crust, sold in most grocery stores near the baking goods. Simply remove the crust from the foil pie pan and break it up.

As for the liqueurs, unless you plan to make a lot of cocktails, buy the little airline-size bottles. The three will make one cheesecake and one cocktail.

B-52 Cheesecake

1 cup sugar
3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 eggs
2 tablespoons orange-flavored liqueur (such as Grand Marnier)
2 tablespoons coffee-flavored liqueur (such as Kahlua)
2 tablespoons Bailey's Irish Cream
» Crust:
1-1/2 cups crushed chocolate wafers or graham crackers
2 tablespoons margarine or butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees if using a silver 8- or 9-inch springform pan; 325 degrees if using a dark springform pan. Line pan bottom with parchment or waxed paper.

To make crust: Combine chocolate wafer crumbs with margarine. Press firmly onto bottom of pan; set aside. Bake

5 minutes to set crust.

Beat cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until well-blended.

Add sour cream and vanilla; mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating on low speed until blended. Divide batter into

3 parts. Add 1 liqueur to each part. Spread each part over crust, in layers.

Bake 60 to 70 minutes, until center is almost set.

Turn oven off and open oven door slightly. Leave cheesecake in oven 1 hour.

Remove; cool completely. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

Loosen cheesecake from rim of pan; remove rim.