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What to Drink for the Mad Men Final Season Premiere

by Emily Lee on Mar 31, 2015 in Culture


Photo via AMC

From Don Draper’s Old Fashioneds to Roger Sterling’s Martinis, classic cocktails of the 1960s have played a major role on AMC’s Mad Men, igniting modern-day buzz over timeless takes on whiskey, vodka, gin and more. Here are a few of the era’s signature drinks to stir or shake up for the premiere of the show’s final episodes, airing April 5 at 10/9c on AMC.


Photo via The Drink Nation

Manhattan
With a name like that, it's a surprise that New York's hard-drinking ad men aren't shown sipping this elegant concoction of whiskey and sweet vermouth more often. Never the less, it's a quintessential cocktail of the era. In fact, the Manhattan came first, paving the way for the Martinez, the Martini and a whole host of other spirit and vermouth combinations.
 


Photo via AMC

Martini (Dry)
Mad Men’s second season picks up in 1962, the year Dr. No informed the world that James Bond opts for a vodka martini (“shaken, not stirred”) in favor of the more traditional gin version. One classic approach is 2 ounces vodka, 1/3 ounce dry vermouth and an olive garnish. Roger Sterling would surely take his with smuggled Russian Stoli (see: Season 3, Episode 1).



Photo via The Drink Nation

Old Fashioned
This masculine number is a heady mix of whiskey, bitters and sugar, served with nothing more than a strip of lemon or orange peel. It also happens to be Don Draper's drink of choice, and he considers himself somewhat of an expert on mixing them. In season three, he serves hotel baron Conrad Hilton his own take featuring rye and soda water.



Photo via The Drink Nation

Tom Collins
After a long day at the office, Don likes to come home and fix himself (yet another) drink – or, even better, instruct his daughter on how to make one. In season two, Don teaches Sally how to make this refreshing mix of gin, lemon juice, sugar and soda.
 


Photo via AMC

Vodka Gimlet
This is Betty Draper’s signature drink and would most likely have been made with vodka and Rose’s West India Sweetened Lime Juice. While the Cuban missile crisis looms and there’s trouble in her marriage, Betty orders a gimlet at a bar before engaging in a backroom tryst with a stranger.

 


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