Kierra Sondereker - Mixology and Murder: Cocktails Inspired by Infamous Serial Killers, Cold Cases, Cults, and Other Disturbing True Crime Stories

Mixology and Murder

Cocktails Inspired by Infamous Serial Killers, Cold Cases, Cults, and Other Disturbing True Crime Stories

Kierra Sondereker

For my sister Katelyn. Cheers!

What could possibly make a classic cocktailthe smooth liquor, the sweet splash of vermouth, and the silky finish of a frothy egg whiteeven more enticing? Only one thing: a twist of true crime.

Welcome to the cocktail book that takes your favorite alcoholic beverages and serves them up with fascinatingly morbid stories. Accompanied by tales of serial killers, cold cases, cults, and more, youll find alarmingly appealing drink recipes from here on out. Read all about Jeffrey Dahmers harrowing deeds as you sip on a .

Whether youre here to relax and forget about a stressful day at work or you want to plan a hella fun true crime theme party, prepare to get your wine and true crime on. So before clicking into your next podcast episode or turning on the latest true crime documentary, crack open this book, find the perfect cocktail, and get a refresher on some of the most messed-up and mysterious crimes the world has ever seen.

Lets be honest, you picked up this book because you love true crime and boozy beverages, not because you want to become a bartender. Not all of us own, or even want to own, a cocktail shaker, mixing glass, or muddler. Bartending also tends to place a heavy emphasis on which cocktail should be served in which glass, but sometimes you just want to pour whatever alcoholic mixture is at your disposal into the nearest glass, tradition be damned.

If you do have a fully stocked bar with all the trappings, awesome! Youre all set. But for those just looking for the easiest way to make a delicious cocktail, heres a breakdown of the bartending lingo youll find in this book, a few shortcuts to mixology equipment, and the rundown on glassware.

Bitters: A concentrated blend of herbs and alcohol, commonly used to add flavor to cocktails. The most popular is Angostura bitters, and quite a few cocktails use it. So you might want to pick up a bottle.

Dash: When a recipe calls for a dash of something, it means adding in a few drops of the ingredient. You dont have to be too precise.

Dry shake: Shaking cocktail ingredients in a cocktail shaker without any ice.

Garnish: Something you add to a drink after its already made to enhance its flavor or improve its appearance. In this book youll find lots of garnishes, and these might need explaining:

• Lemon peel (or other citrus fruit): A strip of lemon peel, usually anywhere from 1 to 2 inches long.
• Lemon twist (or other citrus fruit): The same as a lemon peel but twisted, either by hand or by wrapping it around a thin, cylindrical object to give it a corkscrew shape.
• Lemon wedge (or other citrus fruit): A lemon sliced in half lengthwise and then each half sliced widthwise, to get sections that look like a wedge.
• Lemon wheel (or other citrus fruit): A thin, round slice of lemon sliced the way you would cut a tomato for a sandwich.

Muddle: Mashing up ingredients, typically with a tool called a muddler. Think of a mortar and pestle kind of situation.

Rim a glass: Taking a wedge of lemon (or other citrus fruit) and running it along the rim of your glass before dipping the rim into sugar or salt.

Simple syrup/Flavored syrup: Used to add a little sweetness and sometimes flavor to cocktails. You can buy it, but its so easy to make that you really shouldnt waste your money. Just add equal parts granulated sugar and water to a saucepan, and heat over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Then let the mixture cool, and store it in whatever jar or container you want, as long as it has an airtight lid. If youre reusing an old jar, make sure to thoroughly clean it first by filling the jar with boiling water, then discarding the water right before pouring in your hot simple syrup. You can store this simple syrup in the fridge for as long as a month. If you want to make a flavored syrup (for example, strawberry, ginger, or blackberry), just add a flavoring item to your equal parts water and sugar. However, flavored simple syrup will only stay good for a week or two in the fridge, so make sure you dont make more than you can use in that time. Heres a flavored simple syrup recipe if youre still unsure about making your own simple syrup.

Makes 1 cup

• 2 cinnamon sticks
• cup sugar
• cup water

1. Add all the ingredients to a saucepan and stir together.
2. Simmer over medium heat until the sugar dissolves.
3. Pour into a jar to store for later. Either remove the cinnamon sticks or keep them in to allow the cinnamon flavor to build over time.

Cocktail shaker: A clean, empty glass jar with a lid (such as an old jelly jar) or a to-go coffee cup with a spill-proof lid works just as well as a cocktail shaker. If you use the to-go cup, just make sure the lid really is spill-proof because some of these cocktails require a thorough shaking.

Jigger: Instead of that little metal hourglass-looking cup you see bartenders use to get the perfect 1-ounce measurement, you can use a normal shot glass. Technically, most shot glasses hold a little more than 1 ounce, but whos going to complain about a little extra alcohol?

Mixing glass: You can substitute literally anything that can hold liquid for a mixing glass. A mason jar works well.

Muddler: If you have a mortar and pestle, the pestle is a great substitute for a muddler. If not, anything that can be used to slightly crush ingredients, such as a wide metal serving spoon or the bottom of a heavy cup, will work.

Stirrer: Bartenders like to use long metal stirrers that have a shallow spoon on one end and basically a fork on the other end to mix cocktails that are stirred, not shaken. More practical people, including myself, like to use your average spoon.

Heres a quick visual guide to the glassware youll encounter in this book. Bartenders hold correct glassware in high esteem. Theres a whole science behind which drink should be served in which glass for optimal cocktail enjoyment. But dont worry too much if you dont have a Hurricane or Collins glass lying around. Just find whatever glass works and get to the good part: the alcohol and true crime.

If youve been wandering around the space of true crime for a while, youll probably know most of the serial killers featured in this chapter. Their horrible crimes have left a mark on the world, and we, as murderinos, just cant accept that without trying to understand the who, what, when, where, and especially the why behind what drives a person to do such harrowing things.

Enjoy yourself as you mix and shake up these delicious cocktails, so youll be fully armed with good feelings and luscious liquor when you dive into stories of some of the most infamous serial killers from around the world.