Deadly Dining at Hotel St Germain

In the spirit of what we’re calling ‘macabre gastronomy,’ Hotel St Germain is hosting a historical dining series about the centuries old ritual of poisoning.

During the European Renaissance of the 14th-16th centuries, poison was the preferred method of 'getting rid of the competition' in society. That meant invitations to swanky dinner parties were often accepted with trepidation and fear.

Delicious food and drink was the perfect way to deliver a deleterious dose of poison to an unsuspecting victim. One killer dose, concealed by the worn leather aromatic coming off a glass of pinot noir, would do the trick.

Often times victims’ symptoms resembled those of common diseases and their deaths were later attributed to natural causes. Thus, making it easy to “get away with murder.”

Hotel St Germain has put plenty of thought into how they want guests to pick their poison. The three dinners will feature historical menus paired with wine and spirits reflecting the changing tastes of palates spanning several eras. Guests can peruse illustrated programs, read amusing anecdotes, archival documents and court reports of famous documented poisonings as they sip wine and nosh on venomous (wink, wink) bites.

The seated dinners will each consist of five courses paired with wine and spirits. The cost is $95 per person.

Here are the dates: