Destinations: The Mad Men Finale Parties Oct 17th

The fourth season of AMC's  acclaimed Mad Men comes to an end Sunday October 17th. It has been a harrowing season at the Sterling Cooper Draper Price advertising agency.  We have witnessed Don Draper's roller coaster ride in a bottle of Canadian Club that even included a "Lost Weekend", SCDP's reversal of fortune with the loss of Lucky Strike, and the ascension of the new Mad generation - Pete Campbell and Peggy Olson. All while the nation and society goes through the radical changes of the 1960s. On that note, we are eagerly awaiting what Matthiew Weiner has in store of us in tonight's Finale.  To get in the Mad Mood, make a prty out of it. We recommend the following parties at New York establishments where the show's fictional characters would surely be regulars.

21 Club - "Mad Men Finale" viewing party - our man Grumpy Old Hepcat found this gem of an event at a venerable old haunt of  Gotham high society that Roger Sterling would have dined at weekly. Chase Sapphire is also hosting an open bar for their members. Thankfully, jackets are still required for Gentlemen at Upstairs section of the landmark restaurant. (21 Club - 21 West 52nd Street, NYC, NY)

Oak Room Bar at the Plaza Hotel -  Hi-Ball Cocktail Party has been a Mad Men viewing destination since the season opener in July. Party goers show up clad in early sixties suits and cocktail dresses. Period cocktails such as the Greyhound and a Whiskey Buck variation called the Ginger Whiskey complete the theme. But be prepared to pay 21st century prices for your libations! (Oak Room, 10 Central Park South, NYC, NY)

The Examiner.com lists some  alternatives if you don't have the scratch to hang at "21" or the Oak Room.



If you are staying home, we suggest the following true 1960s classic cocktails.  These libations are relatively easy to execute and use less than five ingredients.


Old Fashioned
2 oz of Rye (Old Overholt or Wild Turkey)
1-2 tsp of simple syrup or sugar cube
1-2 dashes of Angostura bitters
Orange peel

Tools: Bar glass (or pint glass), bar spoon,  jigger, cocktail glass, swiss peeler.

Muddle the bitters and sugar cube (or simple syrup) in a mixing glass, add rye, then add ice and stir the mixture until well chilled. Strain into an Old Fashioned or Hi-ball glass, garnish with orange peel.

"CC" Manhattan
2 oz Canadian Club Rye Whiskey
1 oz Dolin sweet vermouth
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Maraschino cherry (I suggest Luxardo brand or a brandied cherry)

Tools: Bar glass (or pint glass), bar spoon,  jigger, cocktail glass.

Combine rye, sweet vermouth, and bitters in mixing glass. Add plenty of ice, then stir using a bar spoon until  chilled (about 15-20 seconds). Strain into chilled cocktail glass and garnish with the cherry.

The Gimlet (Vodka or Gin)
2 oz Vodka (Smirnoff or Stolichnaya) or Gin (Beefeater)
3/4 oz fresh lime juice
bar spoon of simple syrup

Tools: Cocktail shaker, bar spoon,  jigger, cocktail glass.

Combine ingredients in cocktail shaker, add ice, and shake rigorously for 10-12 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, garnish with lime wedge. I do not favor using Rose's sweetened lime juice because it is artificially flavored. So, I add a bar spoon of simple syrup to the fresh lime juice.

The Daiquiri
2 oz light rum (Bacardi or Don Q)
1 oz simple syrup
1/2 oz fresh lime juice

Tools: Cocktail Shaker, jigger, cocktail glass.

Combine ingredients in cocktail shaker, add cracked ice, and shake hard until well chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe or cocktail glass. Garnish with lime wedge.

Mad Men Finale on AMC, Sunday October 17th, 10pm EST.

Cocktails for the Mad Men Premiere - July 25th

AMC's Mad Men begins it's fourth season on Sunday July 25th. The year is 1964, Don Draper and company have resurrected Sterling Cooper, Betty Draper has flown the coop, and many more surprises are in store. In anticipation of the premier night watch parties that will be popping up across the nation, the folks at AMC have come up with a retro cocktail guide of 1960s cocktails.

This guide includes the usual suspects such as the Classic Martini (but sadly suggests vodka instead of traditional gin), Manhattan (with bourbon not rye), the Old Fashioned (fruit salad style with bourbon), Mint Julep, Tom Collins, etc. There are many mistakes in their recipes and whole genres are missing. Besides the technical errors in building some drinks and incorrect base spirits, there are also some bizarre selections. For example, The Pink Squirrel (creme de noyeau, creme de cacao, vodka, heavy cream) and the Dirty Martini (vodka, olive brine, dry vermouth). Are these really vintage 1964 cocktails? 

According to Gary Regan's The Joy of Mixology, the Pink Squirrel first appears in a 1966 edition of Old Mr. Boston (a bartender's guide) and "was still going fairly strong in the mid-seventies." No vodka is used in the recipe from Regan's book which is equal parts creme de noyau (an almond flavored pink liquor),  white creme de cacao, and heavy cream. I doubt that this libation was popular enough at the time to be included in AMC's guide.

The Dirty Martini is rumored to have origins dating back to Franklin D. Roosevelt. However, the drink did not become ubiquitous until the mid-1990s. It was the male version of the Cosmopolitan. I certainly would not classify it as a true early 1960s cocktail, more like something Vince Vaughn would have ordered in Jon Favreau's Swingers.

Further, the cocktail guide has some glaring omissions. Most obvious, rum is not a base spirit in any of the cocktails in the guide. To me, this astonishing because rum was so common place at the time. Where is the Daiquiri? Where is the Cuba Libre? Did Americans boycott drinking Daiquiris in the early Sixties as a response to the Cuban Revolution? If so, why does the White Russian (which is included in AMC's guide) seem to"survive the anti-Soviet tensions."Dude!!!

What about Tiki? The Mad Men era was during the golden age of tiki cocktails with Trader Vic style bars in every city and town. At a minimum, I would have expected the Mai Tai to be on this list.  Instead, we get no Mai Tai. No Zombie. No Fog Cutter. No Tiki!  Once again rum is forgotten. 

An Alternative

I think artist Dyna Moe captured the pulse of true Mad Men cocktails more than AMC's crack blog team. She actually did research in creating the illustrations in her Mad Men Illustrated series. Dyna's "The Usual Mommy?" piece takes inspiration from the kitsch cocktail menu/place mats that were so popular at bars and restaurants at the time. These place mats had an image of the drink, plus the recipes to make each one. She gets the cocktails of Mad Men correct and includes the Mai Tai, the Side Car, Seven and Seven, Tom Collins, Sloe Gin Fizz, the Manhattan, Brandy Alexander, and Screwdriver.

In a Season 2 illustration called the "Sally Draper Cheat Sheet," Dyna Moe highlights the Bloody Mary, Pink Lady, Frozen Daiquiri, Planter's Punch, Mint Julep, Old Fashioned, Whiskey Sour, Vodka Gimlet, and...wait for it...the Cuba Libre. We suggest that Watch party planners refer to the Sally Draper series for a more authentic list of early 1960s cocktails. 

Oh and skip the Pink Squirrel until Sally Draper mixes one for Mommy.

(Illustrations courtesy of artist Dyna Moe)

Brooks Brothers Mad Men Edition

Loungerati endorses the Brooks Brothers "Mad Men Edition" suit. The limited edition gray static sharkskin suit is designed by Janie Bryant, AMC's Mad Men wardrobe designer. Only 250 will be produced and will be available from October 19 until the show's finale on November 8th.

The suit features: a slim cut, two button, single breasted jacket with diagonal pockets, narrower notch lapels, and side vents. It has the early 1960s style but with that classic American style of JFK. In other words, the suit is not a costume but rather an ode to modern haberdashery's golden era.

You can order The Mad Men edition online or pick one up at selected stores ... while they last.

Mad Men Yourself!

We are big fans of Mad men and now artist Dyna Moe has teamed up with AMC to let you "Mad Men Yourself" using attributes of her classic Jet Age style cartoons of the show! We first highlighted Dyna Moe's Mad Men Illustrated tributes back in October.



Fredo and Don Draper drinking Rye Old Fashioneds at Toots Shore Club circa 1962


Mad Men's third season begins on Sunday August 16 on AMC.

Mad Men Illustrated

"Casting Call"

Artist Dyna Moe aka Nobody's Sweetheart brings us free illustrations depicting snapshots of AMC's Emmy winning MAD MEN episodes on Flickr. She creates a new cartoon illustration after each episode.

She also adds:"Feel free to download and use any of them as wallpapers or write in your blog or website about them. I give everyone blanket permission to do so... you don't even need to ask."

Grazie mille Dyna! Keep these gems coming!!












"Joan and the Xerox"