Capers and Cocktails

On an unseasonably warm October day, a well-known national journalist was walking on Park Avenue, in New York City. Without warning, this person was attacked by a stranger, shouting a rather strange phrase. The attacker disappeared as quickly as he appeared. In a case that was solved a decade later (probably), today we’ll explore the motives, unravel the secrets, and shed light on the mysterious c...

Today, we look into the strange story of how John Grundhofer, a well-known and successful businessman, was kidnapped. Join us as we figure out what happened in this intriguing case and look into the strange circumstances, possible reasons, and the enigmatic figure at the heart of it all. Get ready to go on a trip into a world where truth and lies are hard to tell apart, leaving us to wonder what h...

In February of 2014, two men had quite a brazen scheme. You see, they were really into art by a certain artist. A certain street artist. And so they made a plan. An art heist. But not your average art heist. It was street art, after all… ----- Brandy Milk Punch (Cocktail) 2 parts brandy 1.5 parts heavy cream 1 part simple syrup 1 teaspoon vanilla nutmeg Put brandy, cream, simple syrup and vanilla...

Maybe I can’t totally relate to our main character for today’s episode of Capers & Cocktails because I have no desire to have a child, and I certainly would prefer to have half a million dollars over having a child, but I guess to each his own. In one of the stranger tales of this season, a woman, in a Wal-Mart, offers a boat load of money to buy a baby. ----- Paloma (Cocktail) 2 parts tequila...

When the alarm sounded at the First Interstate Bank in Hollywood, California after hours on June 6, 1986, one lone security officer was dispatched to investigate. Upon arrival, he found no evidence of a break-in, and assuming it was a false alarm, he left. When bank employees arrived on Monday morning, they would be in for the surprise of their lives. ----- Tequila Sunrise (Cocktail) 2 parts tequi...

In a tale made of nightmare fuel, a few very unlucky Cape Elizabeth, Maine residents experienced a horrific night. After a lovely evening at home, or maybe just a regular evening at home, I actually have no idea, these unsuspecting folks went to bed. Then, at some point in the middle of the night, their spidey senses began to tingle. Has this ever happened to you? Where you’re in a dead sleep and...

Today we have another episode where I fear I’m going to give away the entire story in the intro, but again, there’s just a headline that is hard to believe is an actual headline. And it’s just too good. So that's all you're gonna get. Sorry. Not sorry. From that bastion of journalistic integrity, the New York Post: “Drug dealer’s hidden cash falls out of rectum in police station.” ----- Ru...

Paris is the city of love, with its enchanting streets, breathtaking architecture, and romantic ambiance that never fails to captivate the hearts of lovers. Standing tall and majestic, the Eiffel Tower is not just a symbol of Paris, but also a symbol of love, as it embodies the beauty, strength, and enduring nature of true love. Oh hey. Would you like to buy it? Yeah. The Eiffel Tower. 6 million d...

Did you ever get in a fight with your parents when you were a teenager and then, like, swear to yourself, that you must have been abducted at birth? That the family you’re with just feels so foreign, so alien to you, that you must belong somewhere else? Just me? Well, Carlina White, or as she grew up, Netty Nance, had those feelings growing up. Except, they turned out to be true. ----- The Harlem...

Today, we dive into the world of Adam Worth, the infamous criminal mastermind known as the Napoleon of Crime. From his early years as a small-time thief to his exploits as a master con artist and thief, we'll explore the life and legend of one of the most intriguing figures in criminal history. Today, the story of a man who stole millions and eluded capture for decades. ----- The Napoleon (Coc...

In the LATE (whoops sorry) hours of November 22, 1987, viewers in the Chicago area were in for a surprise. Combine regular folks watching the news, a signal hijacking, a creepy-ass rubber mask, a bizarre and confusing monologue, and an unsolved mystery, and you have the ingredients for today’s episode of Capers and Cocktails!  ----- The Chicago (Cocktail) 1 part brandy ½ part lemon juice ¼ part tr...

The year was 2003. No Doubt, Sting, and Shania Twain had recently headlined the Super Bowl halftime show. Chicago had just won the Oscar for Best Picture. “Friends” was still king of the cable-waves. Wicked debuted on Broadway, and low-rise jeans were all the rage. Twenty whole years ago. Sorry to make you feel old. And in March of 2003, in a highly controversial political move, the United States...

2021 was not the best year for Blair Whitten. The crimes that I could find she was arrested for in that year alone included: criminal mischief, felony terrorizing, marijuana possession, and reckless endangerment. And those were for three different incidents. But maybe the most, well, noteworthy of all of them, involved a cemetery, a recently passed ex-boyfriend, and SUV. Another short one today, a...

Picture it: there was one minute left in Super Bowl forty-two. Tom Brady’s undefeated New England Patriots needed only one play to beat the New York Giants. On the third down, Giants quarterback Eli Manning was being yanked on by several Patriot defenders when he lobbed a pass to receiver David Tyree who grabbed the ball and pinned it to his helmet as he crashed to the ground. Meanwhile, an irate...

Widely regarded as one of the greatest comedic artists of the screen, and indeed, one of the most important people in motion-picture history, Charlie Chaplin is a legend. Rising to fame in the era of silent film, the actor, filmmaker and composer, would die a multi-millionaire in the 1970s. When the priest, who was attending Charlie on his deathbed, said: “May the Lord have mercy on your soul”, Ch...

I’m sorry, but when I read this title, I knew, just knew, that this was a case for Capers & Cocktails. And, well, I’m just going to read it. That’s all you’re going to get before the intro. Sorry. Not sorry. From July 7, 2017: “The Vatican’s Swiss Guards Break Up a Drug-Fueled Gay Orgy in Pope Francis’ Backyard.” ----- Vatican (Cocktail) 2 parts white wine ½ part lime juice 1 part simple syrup 2-3...

What happens when you mix a criminal, a bay window, and some unfortunately long shoe laces? Well, instead of a criminal who turns a house upside down, you will get, to our excitement and capers (& cocktails) delight, a house that turns a criminal upside down. A short, but sweet episode today, of how one house got its revenge. ----- Upside Down (Cocktail) 2 parts tequila 1 part simple syrup 1 part...

The Great Train Robbery of 1855 shocked Victorian England to the very core. Despite the fact that over the same time period, at least a dozen other robberies took place, many of which had gotten the criminals much more money. These crimes also had a similar high level of coordination preparation. But this crime got capital letter status, including the “the” in “The Great Train Robbery.” This “unsp...

Today’s story has everything: speakeasies, rat poison, insurance schemes, a ‘Murder Trust,’ spoiled sardines, free drinks (naturally), taxi cabs, fruit vendors, freezing cold NYC temperatures, tainted oysters, thinking you’ve won, and then really, really losing. And at the center of it all? Poor Michael Malloy, who just simply wouldn’t die. On today’s episode, we have many, many ways to die, but w...

Today we hop back in history to 1998, and a crime that is massively overshadowed by another date in history, just three years later, at the same location. On January 14, 1998, thanks to some insider help, a massive amount of money was heisted from the Bank of America, located in the North Tower of the World Trade Center. This massive heist has mafia ties, armored trucks, subduing employees and eve...

Today’s case is another story of a 'Leonardo da Vinci of mental manipulation.’ An American Thierry Tilly, my friends. Only this time, our villain was a person who was supposed to be there to help, a person who should’ve been there to listen, to give advice, and to make life better for people who were suffering. Today, I tell the story of how a regular-old psychiatrist convinced a millionaire to ha...

By all accounts, the Tromp family was just as ordinary as you can imagine. Marc and Jacoba were in their early fifties, and their three adult children were in their twenties. Farmers by trade, Marc and Jacoba were hard-working Australians, with no known outwardly visible mental health issues, at least known to those outside the family. All five worked the farm and their earth-moving business in Si...

Some people just really, really don’t like their jobs. They might do the bare minimum, or break a few, harmless rules on the side. Steal some office supplies, make some personal copies? That is stealing, if you were wondering. I’m sure none of you have ever done that. And when you left a job? Did you do anything not-so-nice to your former employer? Well, in the case of, I’m just going to say, wild...

Starting his life of wild capers and thievery at the age of 7, Colton Harris Moore was a child, then pre-teen, then teenage bandit. He is allegedly responsible for about 100 thefts through his teenage years, in a story that involves hiding in the forest, committing crimes without shoes on, teaching oneself to fly airplanes, and stealing a couple of planes. An extradition, the FBI, and quite the wi...

From 2009 to 2011, a bandit struck sixteen banks all over Southern California. He would walk into each bank lobby, having all the appearances of being a regular customer. Holding a leather case, he would approach the teller, and before the teller could react, he would pull a revolver from the case and silently hand the teller a note. The note would read something like "Give me $50,000 or I will mu...