The Poisoners' Cabinet

It's a juicy tale this week as we cover the case of Mary Pearcy, a murderer who may have hidden some pretty huge secrets... What happened when her love rival came to tea? Did she ever go to Whitechapel? And - the question that will haunt Nick forever - who is MECP? The secret ingredient is...mice! Get cocktails and historic true crime tales every week with The Poisoners' Cabinet. Listen to the Pod...

Steady your nerves for this week's truly chilling tale of unsolved murder and strange goings on at a small farmstead in Germany. What happened at Hinterkaifeck? What secrets did the Gruber family hold? And who kept the home fires burning after murder was committed? The secret ingredient is...eggs! Get cocktails and historic true crime tales every week with The Poisoners' Cabinet. Listen to the Pod...

Having a dead body on your hands could prove lucrative in 19th century Edinburgh, if you knew the right people...and infamous duo Burke and Hare certainly did. Why were people paying so much for corpses back in the day? Do the ends ever justify the means in murder? And what method would YOU use to protect a grave if you had to?  The secret ingredient is...bark! Get cocktails and historic...

We're headed down under this week, back to beautiful Australia to tell the tale of Frederick Deeming, aka Albert Williams, aka Baron Swanston. Why did the women close to Deeming die so suddenly? What made him so arrogant in his appearance and actions? And where do you get your gas? The secret ingredient is...a moustache! Get cocktails and historic true crime tales every week with The Poisoners' Ca...

It's a biggee this week as we tackle the tale of Lizzie Borden - one of the most famous women who may have gotten away with murder. We cover the crime, her trial and then discuss the various theories about who could have killed Andrew and Abby Borden in Fall River. Was it Lizzie? Who had an axe to grind? And where do you eat your pears? The secret ingredient is...an axe! Get cocktails and historic...

We're off to France for not one but TWO tales of murder, each involving an early hero of forensic science, Auguste Ambroise Tardieu. And we try a cocktail that left us both extremely shaken. Is there a worse liar than the Duc de Choiseul-Praslin? Are all homeopathists evil? And why god why did someone invent this drink? The secret ingredient is...a frog! Get cocktails and historic true crime tales...

It's time for a tale of murder on the high-ish seas with the story of Albert Hicks, who loved a good mutiny when money was on his mind. What happened aboard the E A  Johnson sloop? What is a sea axe? And what's the best way to catch shellfish? The secret ingredient is...oysters! Check out Rich Cohen's excellent writings about Hicks, and come and find us on social media for a chat! H...

Ep 67 is loose! And we have the tale of The Harpe Brothers who delighted in killing their way across the USA - for whatever reason they could come up with. Do they deserve the title of America's first serial killers? What was their problem with breakfast? And was Major Love REALLY just passing through? This week's secret ingredient is...stones! This episode was originally recorded 9th June 2021, a...

How clever do you have to be to escape the hangman's noose? That's the debate this week as we cover the intriguing case of Edward Rulloff, multiple murderer whose big juicy brain cause quite a stir in New York. Did Edward really his wife, child and some of his in-laws? Is a brilliant mind really worth saving? And have you ever eaten brains?  This week's secret ingredient is...walnuts. Get coc...

We're off to the USA for a good old fashioned poisoning tale with the story of Anna Marie Hahn - who killed at least four men for profit. What drove Anna to kill so many elderly chaps? Was her death row confession as genuine as it appeared? And why was everyone able to become a nurse way back when? The secret ingredient is...diamonds! Get cocktails and historic true crime tales every week with The...

Witches and heresy and devils, oh my! We are heading right back to the 1300s to tell the tale of alleged murderer Alice Kyteler who was accused of being a witch - and sparked quite the row across Ireland. Was Alice really murdering her husbands? Was Bishop Ledrede blinded by duty? And is the ass hair the tastiest of all condiments? The secret ingredient is....worms! Get cocktails and historic true...

It's the queen of serial killers, the Bloody Countess, the Tiger of Csejthe - it's Elizabeth Bathory herself! Nick tells the tale of this infamous murderer whose crimes have become legend. Be warned - this one is not for the faint hearted... What inspired Elizabeth's blood lust? Are the tales about her true? And how big were her cleaning bills? This week's secret ingredient is...a star. Get cockta...

We're going all out this week with the tale of the infamous Bloody Benders, who proved that the family that slays together stays together... What fate befell those who dared to venture into the Bender's general store? What was in the cellar? And should canvas curtains be a new interior design fad? This week's secret ingredient is...a hammer! Get cocktails and historic true crime tales every week w...

Ep 61 is loose and we're taking our first trip to Jamaica to tell the tale of Lewis Hutchinson, a Scottish landowner who was quite, quite mad. What drove Lewis to these tropical shores, what drove him to the top of his tower with a rifle, and had the person who designed his house ever actually seen a castle? This week's secret ingredient is...dark rum! Get cocktails and historic true crime tales e...

We're back in the 1800s to tell the tale of James Belaney - a man who seemingly got away with murder. Was this man really responsible for the death of his wife? Was it all an accident? And will we ever get over this week's cocktail? The secret ingredient is...mustard Get cocktails and historic true crime tales every week with The Poisoners' Cabinet. Listen to the Podcast on iTunes, Spotify and fin...

We're heading to 17th century Germany this week for the tale of serial killer and possible black magician Peter Niers, said to have slaughtered more than 500 people. Was he really in league with the devil? What would you confess to under torture? And would you ever forget seeing the gun-toting, broadsword-wielding goat?  This week's secret ingredient is...bathtub gin! Get cocktails and histor...

We're finally off to Australia for the chilling tale of Alexander Pearce, a petty thief transported to Tasmania whose escape through the wilderness became the stuff of legend. What really happened to the seven men who went into the wilds? How long would you last in the outback? And cocktail would you serve with a desperate meal? The secret ingredient is...duck! Get cocktails and historic true crim...

It's time for some good old fashioned Victorian mayhem, as we tell the tale of the brutal and baffling Ratcliff Highway murders. What was the motive for killing seven innocent people? Did the authorities blame the wrong man? And should you use nudity to escape all difficult situations? This week's secret ingredient is...a naked man!  Get cocktails and historic true crime tales every week with...

We're off to Spain for the mysterious and frankly INSANE story of Manuel Blanco Romasanta, know as the Tallow Man but was also called something much more chilling... Did his troubled childhood pave the way to madness? What happened in the mountains of Spain? And what do you think of phrenology? The secret ingredient is...fat!  Get cocktails and historic true crime tales every week with The Po...

Marie Manning seemingly had her choice of men, but it was their money she was truly interested in. Which spelt bad news for one poor unfortunate soul.... What was on the menu when Marie invited her lover to dinner? Did her husband know what she was up to? And can YOU pronounce Bermondsey properly? The secret ingredient is...a bullet! Get cocktails and historic true crime tales every week with The...

We're firmly back in Victorian London for the famous case of Julie Martha Thomas, who met her gruesome end at the hands of her servant. What really happened at No 2 Mayfield Cottages? Is a meat saw the best tool for dissection? And what was found in the grounds of an old pub 130 years later? This week's secret ingredient is...copper Get cocktails and historic true crime tales every week with The P...

We're back for Season 2! And we're kicking things off with a BANG! Not only do we have the MOST experimental cocktail on the show to date, but we also tell the tale of world famous serial killer and all round demon in men's clothing, H.H. Holmes. Who was this charming man who walked the streets of Chicago? What terrifying secrets lay behind the doors of the World's Fair Hotel? And did the contract...

It's a bonus episode! While we are on a short seasonal break, our beautiful (and very sexy) Patreon subscribers have voted and all agreed that we should release one of our Deadly Nightcaps episodes for free on the main show to give you a taste of what we do on the Patreon channel. We have chosen our recent story of the Esing Bakery incident, one of Nick's famous China stories and a history lesson...

It's been 1 whole year of the Poisoners' Cabinet so to celebrate we are pitting two of history's most famous historic poisoners against each other - Lucrezia Borgia and Catherine de' Medici. Were these two noble women wrongly labelled? Are Italians the greatest poisoners of them all? And how sexy do you find chestnuts? This week's secret ingredient is...blue blood! Get cocktails and historic...

We're off to Essex this week to look at the case that may well have started poison panic in Victorian England - the troubling case of Sarah Chesham. Why was Sarah so interested in an illegitimate baby born in her village? What happened to her sons? And how much natural poison does it take to kill you? The secret ingredient is...rice! Get cocktails and historic true crime tales every week with The...