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| Photo: Heath Fradkoff |
OK, we're projecting. Half the Slashfood staff is enamored with the show (see New York Magazine's handy primer) that is about to plunge into its third hard-drinking, heavy-philandering, Gotham-glamorizing season this Sunday. We are over the moon about the style, the cocktail culture, and those insane retro recipes.
It's the perfect excuse for a cocktail party (especially a costumed one), so bust out the pearls and heat up the curlers -- or grab the fedora and tiepin -- because it's totally OK to drink with friends on a Sunday night. No one batted a heavily lined eye at such a thing back in the day.
Our party primer, with tune selections, deviled eggs and LeNell's perfect martini, after the jump.
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| Blue Smoke's Deviled Eggs. Photo: Roboppy, Flickr. |
Let us not mince words here: Drink was considered food back in the early '60s, when the show is set. As this stellar New York Times piece notes, these were the heady days of the three-martini lunch. The show focuses on cocktails (occasionally made by Don and Betty's small children at their parents' behest) more than any other edible element.
 Photo: Romulo Yanes, Gourmet.com |
Our resident mixology maven, LeNell Smothers, revealed her method for making a dreamy martini:
"Mix equal parts gin with dry vermouth. Add in 2 to 4 dashes of bitters depending on your maturity level. Up the sexy factor by 10 by using an antique metal martini pitcher or spouted glass shaker with matching martini glasses. Stir with ice till you think it's ready to be handled. Strain into a small, chilled cocktail glass that's about 3-4 ounces. You want to drink it while it's still cold and laughing at you, not swim in a warm puddle. For 3-ounce glasses, use 1 to 1.25 ounces each gin and vermouth. Larger glasses can handle 1.5 ounces apiece."
We also love these old-school Moscow Mules from Gourmet, which are a bit lighter on the liquor but still utilize boss Roger's beloved spirit, vodka. Fresh lime juice, ginger beer and a few hunks of lime keep it an easy cocktail to make at a moment's notice (especially if you juice the limes in advance). We've personally tested these suckers out at parties, to the delight of attendees.
As per "food" food, it should take a secondary role. Think: fewer dishes to clean up Monday morning! Deviled eggs are fine (we love those at Manhattan's Blue Smoke, and spied their recipe here), but so are olives, casseroles, shrimp cocktails, popovers, or a nice "cheese-frosted sandwich loaf," as this writer spied -- to her horror -- clipped amongst her grandmother's favorites from that era. (One sample shopping list read: "Celery, olives, pickles, radishes, coffee, rolls and butter, pie.")
 1950s and 1960s recipes. Photo: Alex Van Buren. |
And as regards style, we're big believers in dress-up parties, so look into the many great resources out there, and think bright (for ladies) and dark (for gents). There's a fine interview with the actress who plays Joan Holloway, the show's buxom fashion heroine, here.
Music of that era, such as this fantastic Girl Group Sounds Lost and Found box set, never gets old. And keep the tunes just above conversational level, advises designer Alexa Hampton: "Don't have music too soft, because when people raise their voices to talk over music it sounds more like a party." Hampton's also a fan of "really flattering" candlelight.
If things look like they're winding down too soon for your taste, bust out the Isley Brothers. Give "Shout" and "Twist & Shout" a pass unless you're desperate; try "Take me in Your Arms (Rock me a Little While)" instead. Or, to make things crystal-clear, pop Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons' wonderful "Stay" on the stereo. It's pretty tough to resist -- almost as much as this show.
Related: Our sibling site StyleList on the launch of the Banana Republic "Mad Men" line, and Joan Holloway-inspired fashion.
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| "Mad Men"-inspired fashion. Photo: Heath Fradkoff |
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