Let's get monster smashed by Jon Chaiet.
A horror movie inspired cocktail book with gross-looking but delicious party drinks, all wrapped up in an awesome '80s VHS package. There are 55 recipes spread across 5 chapters (shots, gelatin, punches, special fx, and non-alcoholic) inspired by classic pulp horror movies of the '80s and '90s, complete with viewing recommendations. The movies may be weird, the drinks may look gross, but the elevated drink making techniques and unusually tasty recipes keep readers and their guests interested and coming back for more. Great for theme parties, Halloween festivals, movie fans, and retro enthusiasts.
There are some good drinks recipes in here. Great. 4*.

I loved these drinks! I didn't get to try them all out, but those that I did try were tasty and easy to make.

Highly recommend it for any movie fan, this is a great addition to any cocktail recipe collection. I will be looking to find a physical copy for myself for when Halloween rolls around.

Highly recommend.

Monster movie buffs who enjoy a fun cocktail should get his book! There are 55 interesting drinks in this collection, so I am sure there are bound to be some to please every palate. Photos of the concoctions make them look amazing (even as a non-drinker these look appealing!) Love the graphics used in the book; very eye catching.

This is a fun drink cookbook. The drinks are paired with Horror Movies for your viewing pleasure. There are clear instructions and wonderful photographs. The drinks are perfectly gross and tasty. The authors are include non alcoholic drinks. Have fun with these recipes and the movies.

As someone who loves cocktails and horror movies, this book is a blast! There is a nice intro with basics and some delicious looking syrup recipes. The drinks are all paired with "recommended viewing" which is the movie the drink drew inspiration from. There's everything from jello shots to party punches and even themed non-alcoholic beverages. I whole-heartedly plan on picking up a copy for my bar cart!

A fun, tongue-in-cheek collection of drink recipes for those who enjoy both drinking and monster movies.

I LOVED this cocktail book. It was super fun and had a lot of really delicious sounding drink options. I also loved the style and colors inside as well. I'm a huge fan of Halloween and I'm definitely going to be using this book to celebrate.

a great compilation of fun drinks to try for the halloween season. Lots to choose from means something for everyone.

I found this cocktail recipe book to be scary…lol-I mean, funny-scary…and sometimes a tad disturbing. Seriously, ready to be deliciously haunted by killer cocktails? This book offers a nice punch of everything entertaining so, of course, I had to try at least one out…just to make sure these authors were actually serious!

I chose THE SKIN SUIT from the Shots section of the book. (You’ll have to guess what movie THAT came from!)

This drink was SO EASY to make (hint-homemade Jalapeno Simple Syrup), yet so elegant at the same time! I chose to NOT put the pork rind garnish in…yea, I just couldn’t go there-but imagine how impressed your guests would be if you DID serve THAT at your next scary cocktail party!

I can’t say enough about this book except, “CHEERS…Bwahahahaha!!!”

I was looking for a new cookbook and stumbled across this one instead. Let's Get Monster Smashed: Horror Movie Drinks for a Killer Time has some really interesting recipes. This book teams up horror movies with drink recipes. I sat down and read all the recipes and then went back and picked a few to try. We did team up one drink with it's movie. The recipes are easy to read and follow. I loved the pictures that were included of the drinks, mine didn't quite come out as pretty though. It was a fun way to switch up game night and make it movie night instead.

Drinks to enjoy during horror movie nights....... The drinks name itself seems horror.....

A fun collection of cocktails that would be perfect for a Halloween party. The drinks even have classic horror movies paired with them (for example, you'll want to drink The Silver Bullet while watching An American Warewolf in London, and the Ectoplasm while watching Ghostbusters, naturally). Most of the drinks sound a little over-the-top sugary, but I definitely want to try some on Halloween.

New and creative drinks that could compliment any monster, horror or Halloween party.

This book is a wild ride, from first page to last. The only thing about this book with which I'm familiar is drinking. Everything else is really out of my league, so this review is coming from someone who probably doesn't fit the particular targeted demographic.

But whatever. Drinking. I can get with that.

Soooo basically: 80s horror flick-themed book of original drinks, complete with film/drink pairings and a simple how-to instruction guide & liquor descriptions in the front. Very, very cool formatting and design; every aspect of this book is dedicated to that grungy, late 20th century horror aesthetic. I even learned about liquors (who knew black vodka exists? Why have I not known about this until now?) and drink-making techniques (there's a lot of gelatin in these drinks which I totally didn't know exists in the world of cocktails until now. Side note, not all of these recipes are vegetarian-friendly). It's safe to say that I learned an awful lot from this darling little book of spooky kooky horror drinks.

Comes out August 28th!

If you are a horror movie aficionado of the classics from the ’80s and ’90s with a “deep love of booze” then “Let’s Get Monster Smashed – Horror Movie Drinks For A Killer Time” by Jon Chaiet and Marc Chaiet is the book for you. The authors describe the recipes as a mix of vintage favorites and new classics.

While reading the book I was enjoying the visual appeal. The photos, graphics, and fonts used work very well with the theme of monster movies. It was surprising that the drink recipes themselves aren’t brand specific though. Most drink connoisseurs do like their particular brands and can tell apart in a blind taste test.

After a short but sweet greeting from the author, you are presented with a list of “Spirits & Ingredients”. Each comes with a rather interesting description. For instance, Whiskey is apparently “The Dark King” and Mezcal “Tequila’s Smoky Specter”. The descriptions while a little florid are nonetheless excellent information if you aren’t really familiar with a particular type of booze. Plus the descriptions help set the mood.

Next, comes “Tools Of The Trade” which is essential for setting up a good bar. They mention everything, right down to the cookie sheet needed to transfer gelatin shots to the fridge. They even provide a graphic of each type of glassware used in the recipes to come.

If you are not yet a “Master” of the “Dark Arts Of Drink Making” you could become one after reading the “Techniques & Tactics” section. I have never created a mixed beverage that didn’t require just pouring several different ingredients together and mixing. This section is invaluable to those like me.

Throughout the book, there will be recipes requiring various syrups. The recipes for each syrup are provided under the category of “Satanic Syrups”. These are used to sharpen and sweeten the alcohol recipes to follow.

Get In The Game

If providing the perfect beverage accompaniment for your favorite ’80s and ’90s horror movies isn’t enough, the authors even include a game called “Puppet Master Pick”. Playing this game is pretty much guaranteed to make sure that at least half of your guests are going to be passed out on the floor by the end of the movie. Make sure you take everybody’s keys if they drove.

The recipes for the drinks themselves are broken up into several categories. Categories include:

Monster Shots
Gelatinous Gulps
Potions & Grog
Smoking & Mirrors
Virgin Sacrifices
Each of the recipes includes a reference to the movie which they recommend you watch while drinking. “You’re Ice Cream!” is the chosen accompaniment to “Ice Cream Man” the 1995 horror. With Chocolate and Walnut Liqueurs, Whipped Cream, Maraschino Cherry, and Rainbow Sprinkles, it is a luscious dessert-like beverage.

The overall impression of the book is definitely ’80s and ’90s horror. The graphics are spot on and there are great photographs throughout the book to show you what your drink may look like. If like me, you have seen only some of these movies, it’s also a great reference for excellent viewing.

This is a must-have for somebody who likes to have themed parties or anyone who loves horror flicks.

This book is full ideas. If you like horror movies, it fits the theme perfectly. I liked how the author included which movie you should watch while drinking each of the themed drinks. My only negative was that some of them are highly complicated and involve stuff like dry ice. I prefer easy to make drinks that have a few ingredients that I can buy without any additional prepping. But overall, this was a great book with lots of inventive monster movie themed drinks to try out

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

I just couldn't resist this book when I spotted it on Netgalley. It looked like an absolute delight (that cover! <3).

And it was! I loved how creative the author was with the descriptions (making them rhyme, or making a story out of it with gruesome details. An example would be this one: "This little lethal lake runs red with camp counselor blood, but after a sip you may find yourself nibbling on more than just the fruit."), the recipes were easy and fun (anyone can make them in a flash).

We begin with shots, then go to greater drinks, grogs and potions,

Each recipe is based on a movie (from Ghost Busters to Night of the Living Dead). With of course the recommendation to also drink this drink while watching said movie. I really liked that they went to such great lengths to make a recipe that fits a movie perfectly (I often recognised the drinks before I spotted the movies :P).

And the drinks have all sorts of fun ingredients, from candy (like sourpatch kids) to popcorn and rice krispies.

The book is also delightfully designed with fun colours, great fonts, illustrations, and other fun things. It is a feast for the eyes.

I would highly recommend this book to everyone!

This book is full of amazing recipes, all themed with horror movies! A bonus is the Puppet Master series drinking game sprinkled throughout. Accompanying the recipes are full-colour, vivid photographs of the beverages. I'll definitely be picking this up upon its release.

This book is hilarious and awesome. First off, let me just say that I use to scare easily and stay away from horror films (for the most part), but my husband is a horror movie addict and as a result I am a bit of a convert. I requested this ARC on netgalley and am so glad that I did. While I went through reading it today, I played a game where I named the drink to see if my husband could guess which movie it was from (he always could).

The cookbook starts out reiterating the basics in case you are new to making cocktails as well as what tools you will need for your bar. From there, the recipes are broken into chapters and it tells you to drink this while watching the corresponding movie. There are some drinking games put in as well as funny descriptions for each drink. This is the perfect cookbook for any horror movie lover in your life, especially if they also enjoy cocktails (although there is a whole "virgin sacrifice" chapter if not!). I have already ordered this for friends.

Note: I will add in my instagram link on the publication date.

As someone who loves the interesting - and, many times, downright weird - cocktail, this book is a delight. Chock-full of bright pictures, almost painfully bright text and a sense of humor, Let's Get Monster Smashed would be a delight for any collection - but probably most appreciated by college age party folks who haven't yet suffered too much pain from the aftereffects of such drinks..