This book was a fun one. Yes it's another cocktail recipe book, but the snippets giving a background story for each recipe was the real treat.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

This book offers a wide variety of cocktails with stories about each one. Like many cocktail guides, the author provides background on glassware and techniques. Unlike most guides, the author provides Mocksville versions. My favorites are The White Toad and The Conversationalist, and I look forward to trying more of them.

OK this one's amazing from the cover to the wild cocktail recipes. I liked that it comes with a mocktail version and the stories accompanying it were fairly short, to the point, and just as fascinating. I liked the beets in the "Unready Apparel." Who would have thought to add that? Equally delish. And the names for these drinks are to die for. A couple of my favorites are: The Spicy Holiday, Hopeless Romantic, and Corpse Juice. I was well hydrated and entertained by the crime stories that inspired these drinks. It's a great addition for any home bar and I am strongly considering getting a hard copy for my collection as I already have the audio!

This book, from the creators of the Criminalia podcast, blends crime history with creative cocktail and mocktail recipes inspired by fascinating and unusual crimes. With drinks like "The Hanged Woman," it’s perfect for crime and history enthusiasts, especially during spooky seasons or themed gatherings.

Killer Cocktails is a fun mix of creativity and storytelling that takes readers on a journey through the art of cocktail-making with a twist of true crime. The book is beautifully illustrated, with photos that make you want to try every drink. The writing style and unique approach make this a must-read for both cocktail enthusiasts and true crime fans alike. It was perfect to help keep busy while hunkering down for hurricanes. I also think this would be a great book to use when hosting a murder mystery night or something similar. I can’t wait to try more of the cocktail recipes in the book. Highly recommend!

Admittedly, this title combines two of my favorite niches: cook/recipebooks and true crime, but it is a FUN one. Cases I've heard of, cases I hadn't + a wide variety of tastes--cocktail and mocktail versions included--for the drink recipes.

Part history, part party, all tasty? What more could I possibly want??

[Non-comprehensive list of] Recipes I want to try:

*Esther Carlson
*The Botanist's Latte
*Can We Just Forget This?
*Sloppy Bishop
*Crystal Clear (maybe this will replace memories of Everclear's taste in the 90's??)
*Ticklish Assistant
*Corpse Juice
*Roman Strength (tbh, this one sounds gross but I'm curious!)
*Skylight

My thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Books for the opportunity to preview this title in exchange for my honest opinion!

I loved the premise of this book! True Crime stories and a cocktail to go with it. It was fun to read, and I have added purchasing the physical book to my list so that I can have it to peruse the different cocktail recipes.
Thank you Hachette Books and NetGalley for the Advanced reader copy!

Fun book. I love a good themed cocktail, so these were not a disappointment. I likely won't buy a physical copy, just because it feels too familiar to some others I already have on the shelf but the ARC was a fun one to peruse.

This was so fun! Like a podcast you can just sit and read. As a lover of true crime, this was excellent! Thank you netGalley!

Combining cocktails and true crime? What's not to love!!

Here you'll find cocktails and mocktails of famous criminals throughout history, from serial killers, witch trials, and the Mayo clinic they have it all!

So blorp out some marshmallow fluff, grab your shakers, and figure out where to get Tiki Bitters!

Rating it a four because it does have some formatting on phone/tablet.

From the hosts of the criminally popular podcast Criminalia, Holly Frey and Maria Trimarchi, a dangerously delicious cocktail and mocktail book inspired by history's most notorious (and notoriously overlooked) criminals.

Thank you Hachette Books for sending me a digital ARC of this book! I enjoyed reading this book. Will I make the cocktails or mocktails? No but this was such a fun read and a unique concept for a book. This was so different from anything I’ve ever read. I’ve never read a book with cocktail and mocktail recipes in it. If you like true crime and cocktails or mocktails then I would recommend reading this book.

My first Net galley read! Thank you sooo much! 😁First off I kind of did a compare and contrast with this book and the book The League of Lady Poisoners since they deal in similar topics and Holly even contributed to the intro of LLP(league of lady poisoners). You probably know this but, that book actually predates this one. Both are wonderful romps through some lurid parts of history that take breezy lighthearted tones. Killer Cocktails was delightful and what really sets it apart was the inclusion of the cocktail recipes. I greatly appreciated that they included dry versions as well. Content wise I think that LLP was denser and a more taxing read but, it kept its focus more than killer cocktails which may have spread too wide a net with its view. Killer cocktails though longer isn’t as dense and I didn’t feel as tired after reading it as I did with LLP. Interesting to note is the use of color that both books employ. LLP pretty early on in the book talks about Scheele green (which may be my new favorite color?) which was an incredibly popular shade during the Victorian era that was found to contain high levels of arsenic forever connection the color to poison and Disney villains. Throughout that book the illustrations are punctuated with shots of a similar color green. By contrast Killer cocktails uses a mostly purple scheme. The plums are sumptuous and while Cocktails does include illustrations the digital copy had them only in black and white. It could have really benefited from some color. Honestly, I liked both. There is more than enough room in the world for two fun books on murderous historical ladies and the poisons they used. Mwuhahahah!

Killer Cocktail is a fun and educational book perfect for True Crime fans. I was really impressed because each recipe came with a way to make the drinks mocktails so anyone can enjoy.
The book is set up in sections by crime. The first is poisoners and then it rotates to other kinds of crime. Each section tells you about the time in question so if you don't know the then you will be able to understand the featured drink. Cute drawings accompany the drink recipe.

For the crime enthusiast as well as cocktail enthusiast is a perfect book combining both. From the creators of the popular podcast Criminalia comes the perfect book with cocktail, and Mocktails, to go along with some of the most fascinating crimes in history. Most of these we never knew existed. Each drink is inspired by some of the strangest and wildest crime stories. Every type you can imagine, and some you never knew existed in the world of crime. Recipes like The Botanist's Latte and the Hanged Woman are sure to spark your interest.
This book is perfect for the history and crime lover in your world. It’s a perfect way to get excited in the Halloween season. Plan a great party night of cocktails and crime history. Enjoy this fun book with friends.

This cookbook is a unique take on cocktails. Written by podcast Criminalia's cohosts, it is a spooky twist on a traditional cocktail recipe book.

What I love:
- The 1-2 page little history lessons that they designed each drink around. Such a cute idea! The stories are short enough that you don't feel like it is more history book than cookbook, but instead they add an exciting element to what would otherwise be just a collection of cocktail recipes.
- They include a mocktail version for each drink for those that choose not to drink alcohol, but still want a fancy beverage!

What I didn't love:
- Most recipes included obscure/specialty ingredients that are hard to find. You would likely have to make them yourself in advance. Examples: jalapeno jam, flavored syrups(pumpkin, anise, rose, etc), tart cherry concentrate, culinary rose buds, etc.
- Most recipes didn't actually sound like they would taste good. Often it's just too many conflicting flavors. Example: The Italian Storm consists of espresso vodka(coffee), ginger beer, lemon, simple syrup, and bitters. As an Italian, we like these flavors individually, but mixed is bizarre!

So I really wanted to love this book. True crime? YES! Cocktails? Yes, please! I loved the story to go along with each recipe. I can see having family/friends over, making the cocktail and reading the story to go along with it to make the drink that much more enjoyable.
However, I felt like this really could have used some good color photos. What makes you want to try a recipe more than an enticing photo to show you how amazing it would be to make? There are little drawings to go along with the recipes...but they're pretty dull.
Also, some of the ingredients are outlandish. I have a pretty good stocked bar and have never heard of some of these items: demerara syrup? chile liqueur? aloe juice? Who has all of this stuff?
Overall....great idea! But it fell a little flat for me.
Thank you to Hachette Books and NetGalley.

Breezy cocktail book with tales of a variety of crimes and criminals. Recipes appear to be achievable by most readers with ingredients which are easily obtained. Recommended for fans of true crime podcasts as well as those looking for inspiration for new cocktails.

Fun for everyone! Especially those that like a good cocktail while getting into a murder book or podcast. I loved the recipes and the fun facts scattered throughout the book and will definitely buy myself a copy for my wet bar!

I love a good cookbook, but I’ve never read a cocktail book before this one. It was interesting and I loved the facts scattered through. I’m definitely making some of these recipes when I get a shot!

I found Killer Cocktails to be an engaging and visually stunning cocktail guide that makes it a fun experience even for those who don't drink often. The vibrant, detailed photos throughout the book really bring each recipe to life, offering a visual cue for what to expect and how to present the drinks. Even if you're just experimenting for fun like me, the pictures inspire creativity and encourage you to try new combinations of ingredients. The artistic flair of each image adds to the excitement of crafting cocktails, making the process feel more like an enjoyable, hands-on adventure rather than just mixing drinks. It's a great choice for anyone who enjoys experimenting in the kitchen or bar, regardless of their drinking habits.