Beautiful drinks, cute spooky vibe was well executed.

I loved that there’s bits of history and info about NoLa in this book, was a lovely touch.

Definitely a book I would recommend if you’re a cocktail enthusiast 💖

Thanks NetGalley, Quarto Publishing Group – Wellfleet Press, Wellfleet Press, Sharon Keating and Christi Keating Sumich for giving me an ARC of this cool book ✨

Considering how anxious I was as a child every year Halloween rolled around, it’s surprising that I now celebrate it with such unbridled gusto. Perhaps that’s because I don’t have to worry about going from house to house, and be pressured to entertain in exchange for a morsel of food, no matter how sweet and delicious that morsel be.

Because I now enjoy celebrating Halloween so much (and the spooky season, in general) I get great pleasure in reading books that help me do that. This recently released volume, Hauntingly Good Spirits: New Orleans Cocktails to Die For by Sharon Keating and Christi Keating is a wonderfully macabre tribute to the drinks culture of New Orleans, and those who make it happen. Here you will find beautifully photographed, unique cocktail recipes, all of which are Gothic, spooky, and hauntingly delicious.

The book is divided into five sections:
Reverence and Revelry
Tomb Time
Ghosts & Haunted Libations
Vampire Bars with Killer Cocktails
Voodoo & Witchcraft

Each is fascinating in its own right, and where you will find cocktails like Axeman’s Ball, Ghostly Embrace, Corpse Reviver, and many more. This book has struck me as being as much about exploring New Orleans, as it was about making the cocktails. It did get me quite eager to experiment before the spooky month of October arrives, not to mention lay in a good supply of ingredients. I’d be lying if I said, I haven’t tried a good number of these cocktails already. I’d also be lying if I said, I didn’t have a good time doing it.

Anyone interested in libations, the macabre, New Orleans, or serving something special on a dark and stormy night needs this cookbook. I highly recommend!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the authors, and Wellfleet Press for providing me with a digital advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A brilliant book that I will deffo be buying for my own kitchen so I can knock up these delicious looking cocktails

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an early copy of this book.

The book is broken into 5 sections ending in Haunted History segments:
1. Absinthe cocktails
2. New Orleans cemeteries
3. Ghost stories
4. Vampires
5. Voodoo and witchcraft

At the back, there are several fun reference lists. There is a "haunted New Orleans map" that doubles as a travel guide which I enjoyed. Also, there's a "cocktail index by main spirit" which is super helpful.

I'm not much of a drinker but I am tempted to try a bunch of these.

This book gets me excited for Halloween! Death in the Afternoon, Louisiana Swamp Thing, and Deadly Vipers?! These cocktail names are amazing! I can't wait to try one or five!

I appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I picked this book up in hopes of finding some cocktail ideas for the spooky season that is fast upon us, but I was pleasantly surprised to find this isn't just a book centered on "theme" but truly teaching you how to entertain with drinks throughout the year. It weaves an informative history of the city, the booze, and the drinks themselves. It's a reference and a resource, including maps at the end for all the haunted places.

From a glassware breakdown to what specific spirits are local to New Orleans, the spot being paid homage to with this book, it gives you a thorough but easy to read guide for all things spooky and spirits. While there is priority in recipes to local liquors, they make a point to note any substitutions for those that may be harder to get depending where you live. I adore the fact that vampires got their own special nod with a section of related drinks. The blood orange margarita is top of my list, and I'm totally making the Fang-ria for Halloween.

I also appreciate the simple syrup recipes and measurement conversions are at the front of the book, right after the introduction. So often in cookbooks, things like this where you constantly have to reference them are scattered throughout the book and in unrelated areas. The ease of being able to refer to the front is nice.

This duo knows the pulse of New Orleans!

First: The cover says it all! The cocktails. Awesome photos, drinks cleverly named and recipes that are organized by liquor. I'm especially looking forward to Absinthe. Some of the liquors are specific to the region, but never fear, that is addressed and alternatives suggested.

Second: The Haunted History section with historical photos and a map! This section adds to the gothic feeling that is New Orleans. Inspiring to shake or stir a new libation.

Final thoughts: Hauntingly Good Spirits is a great addition to any collection that will be referred to often any time of the year. A pleasure to read and easy to follow recipes with a guide to everything you need to make the perfect spooky cocktail.

Thanks to NetGalley and Wellfleet Press for an advance copy.

This is a beautiful book with a stunning sytle and gorgeous photography. It's not just a book of cocktail recipes, as I realised from the introduction, which gives a taste of the ambience of New Orleans and the importance of cocktails to the city's culture.

There are interesting facts peppered throughout the book, from learning about the cocktails, to the history of New Orleans, and recommendations on places to visit.

There's a section at the front with recommendations for cocktail-making ingredients and equipment to keep on hand, although images of the glassware would have been nice for some context. The metric conversions were very much appreciated by this Brit!

The first section focuses on absinthe cocktails, which all look delicious. The styling of each cocktail in the book is immaculate.

The book features classic cocktails like the Sazerac and a Cajun Bloody Mary, and some that I've never heard of but am very interested in trying, like the Soggy Grave, Cemetary Angel, and the Drunk Ghost.

A fabulous nod to the wonderful city of New Orleans. A nice twist of all things spirit related. The recipes are fun and varied, and the extra facts and information about New Orleans make a nice edition. With this in mind it differs from a lot of cocktail recipe books about today. I would say this would be a great gift for anyone in to the macabre, history and cocktails. It will appeal to a wide range of people

Fun book to read with a lit of interesting beverages. I dud try yo make a few and enjoyed them. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Hauntingly Good Spirits
Author: Sharon Keating + Christi Keating Sumich
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A fun cocktail book perfect for Halloween! As someone who loves Absinthe this book having a whole section on it is a huge selling point. The recipes are really fun but it does feature a lot of classic drinks so if you are really into craft cocktails some will be familiar to you. I did enjoy how there was lots of New Orleans haunted history throughout the book and that the authors featured distillers from New Orleans in the recipes.

Thanks to NetGalley, Quarto Publishing Group, and Sharon Keating + Christi Keating Sumich for an advanced copy of the book. All thoughts in this review are my own.

Absolutely loved the photographs and the cocktails. I can't wait for publication! Clever cocktails name ideas!

There are a lot of cities in the country that pretty much look and function a lot alike. New Orleans is not one of them...it is uniquely interesting in just about every way. For example, here is a cocktail recipe book, featuring drink names distinguished by "light hearted eeriness." (New Orleans is sometimes called the City of the Dead because they are frequently flooded and consequently bury their dead above ground.) If only they didn't require so much sugar, I might try some of these, but I digress. There is "Death in the Afternoon" (created by Ernest Hemingway), "Louisiana Swamp Thing," and "Suffering Bastard" among many more. Highly recommended

I love New Orleans, and I love paranormal everything, so this appealed to me immediately. If you are looking for a recipe book that has very different, but beautiful and delicious cocktails, this is the one for you! I've tried a handful, but I cannot wait to try more of them! There is a whole section that features absinthe as an ingredient, which I have never tried, so that is next on my list. These cocktails are sure to be a hit at any gathering, and not just during the spooky season!

I love it! It's a bit creepy, a bit spooky, and a whole lot yummy. It made me want to don my black lace gloves, Goth boots and black trench coat and go in search of Absinthe.

My favourite quote of the moment comes from this deliciously dark little book: “Here in the South, we don’t hide crazy. We parade it on the front porch and give it a cocktail.” I think that about sums up Hauntingly Good Spirits. The writing is lovely, it made me feel as if I were in New Orleans during the Festival of the Dead.

It's just how I imagine New Orleans, and I do believe I will enjoy every one of those cocktails all the more for it.

This was a good Halloween drink cookbook. I will definitely be making some of these, but every single one includes absinthe.

A really interesting cocktail book, with a plentiful array of cocktails to enjoy making! I love how these are tied to the history of New Orleans and the voodoo/past of the areas that will make some hauntingly good drinks and stories!

Spookingly delightful book that not only provides botaciously devilious cocktails the twist is it provides a trail to follow while in NOLA to check out Haunted areas and cemetaries. The cocktails are boolicious and photos provided give great ways to present them. The background, map of haunts and description of haunted areas just pulls this book into a must have book to enjoy and give to your devliious friends. Highly recommend and now off to mix up a cocktail!
Thanks Netgalley, the author and publisher for this Bootific book.

First off, the cover doesn’t do this mixology book justice. I completely expected a cute and slightly quirky cocktail book for plain Jane spooky, suburban Halloween parties. What’s inside is so much better. A relatively deep dive into the rich, macabre side of New Orleans and some truly artisanal cocktail recipes that go hand in hand. These are stunning and I am beyond thrilled that each cocktail recipe has a photo of said drink so there’s no guessing what it should look like. This is a beautiful book, that can and should be left out year round. I would recommend it to anyone looking to start getting into more refined mixology, someone with a love for New Orleans, or the slightly gothic macabre loving foodie.

A brilliant history/cocktail book, combining fact with flavour I cannot wait to try some of these recipes. In particular, Lulu White’s Bloody Knife and the Blood Orange Marg, both sound delicious! Alongside the cocktails are a whole host of interesting facts about places and people around New Orleans. I learnt some really interesting little tidbits and the biggest takeaway was a cocktail should always be a celebration, filled to the top with garnish’s galore and more often than not with a bit of blood orange.