"mad men" news and stories

The show may focus on the cocktails, but the characters on "Mad Men" have to eat, too. The folks over at iVillage report that those who want to dine like Don Draper are in luck: The Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook will hit bookshelves next winter. The authors, Judy Gelman and Peter Zheutlin, told Grub Street that the book will contain recipes for dishes featured in the show, from Sterling Cooper power lunches to Betty's "around the world" dinner. But it just wouldn't be Mad Men without the drinks, so don't worry -- there's a section for those, too.

While attending the opening of Johnnie Walker's House of Walker private lounge, in New York's Soho, we were fortunate enough to speak with the evening's luminous hostess, Mad Men's Christina Hendricks. Her visage has become increasingly associated with whiskey (with a name like Hendricks, we'd have guessed she'd be a gin girl), whether due to her hosting another Walker event in Los Angeles this summer or because her character, the comely secretary Joan Harris, pours copious amounts of it for all the well-dressed alcoholics on the show. With that in mind, we wondered how she started her not-so-clandestine love affair with Scotch.

"This happened very naturally," Hendricks explained. "It's very sexy when my husband orders a Scotch." That lucky gentleman, actor Geoffrey Arend, was also on hand, and she credits him with introducing her to the drink. "He enjoys it, my male friends really, really enjoy it, but we're introducing it to our lady friends [too]."

For those still unfamiliar with whiskey, Hendricks recommends a professionally led tasting as the best way to learn about the "process, the aging... it's really interesting." Before leaving Hendricks to her hosting duties, we just had to ask: How does she take hers? "On the rocks."

Are stuffed peppers something you think Betty Draper would have thrown together on the cook's night off? OK, they can be that-but get beyond the rice-ground beef-and-canned tomato soup Mad Men-era version, and kick it. A roasted pepper can cradle turkey sausage and smoked cheese, or shrimp and ricotta salata. It can overflow with chorizo or bulgur.

Onions, especially sweet ones such as Vidalia, make a terrific stuffed side dish, as in this recipe for mushrooms, wild rice, and hazelnuts. Served with a chilled aquavit, this might be a Sterling Cooper man's dream.

Become a member of the Slashfood Flickr pool for a shot of having your photos featured in Feast Your Eyes.

Lucky Strike cigarettes, mint juleps and martinis are in abundance on the hit TV drama, Mad Men. However, we rarely see what the characters eat, especially at home.

The Huffington Post has rounded up a character-by-character breakdown of season four eats including the well known Chicken Kiev scene, as well as the season four opener of pork chops.

Read more on the Huffington Post ...

While we'll all be cozying up to our TV's on Sunday night to watch the Mad Men premiere, sipping on either scotch, some Heinekens or a few dirty martinis (what? we like to have options), some dedicated fans might want to spend their weekend enjoying a more authentic "Mad Men" experience.

Eater has rounded up the bars and restaurants the [now former] Sterling Cooper employees visited in seasons 1 through 3. Though many of the establishments are long-gone ghosts of NYC past, there are still several existing bars, markets and restaurants die-hards can visit in anticipation of the expansion of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. (This would all culminate, naturally, in the official Mad Men premiere party in Times Square.) Happy drinking...er...watching!