Host a ‘Mad Men’-worthy cocktail hour

It’s been a year and a half since fans of AMC’s period drama “Mad Men” have had a new dose of the exaggerated glamour of the smoke- and rye-soaked 1960s. No new visions of Jon Hamm’s black locks coated in Dapper Dan. No new nipped-waist skirts on Christina Hendricks. And no proper examples of a cocktail hour.

With Sunday night’s long-awaited premiere of the show’s fifth season, there’s no time like the present to dust off those gold-rimmed tumblers and decanters and throw a classic cocktail hour and viewing party.

Here at The Washington Post, we’ll be throwing a party of our own — and inviting you to join in the festivities.
Sally Quinn and Ben Bradlee (The Washington Post)

At 8 p.m. we’ll start a live blog of “Mad Men” at a watching party with two people who know the swirl and glamour of the era well: Ben Bradlee and Sally Quinn.

Ben Bradlee, confidant of president John F. Kennedy and former editor in chief of The Post, and his wife, Sally Quinn, who in 1966 was a Kelly girl in white gloves wending her way through New York and Washington society, will be commenting on the show with a gang of other Post folks.

We’ll be donning our finest ’60s fashion — the men in skinny ties, the women in long, black gloves. We’ll be sipping cocktails of the era (two of our favorite recipes are below). We’ll be dining on a lime gelatin Spring Salad Ring, courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens, 1963.

If you’re hosting your own premiere party, send in photos. We'd love to see you doing the era up. Tag them on Instagram or Twitter with #wpmadmen and we'll reprint some of the images in the live blog. 

We're looking forward to the smashing evening ahead!

Follow along with our party here.

Blinker
The Blinker cocktail (Deb Lindsey/THE WASHINGTON POST)

This spin on a 1930s classic uses raspberry simple syrup instead of grenadine.

Ingredients:

Ice

2 ounces rye whiskey

1 ounce freshly squeezed grapefruit juice

1 teaspoon store-bought or homemade raspberry syrup

A twist of lemon peel

Directions:

Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Add the rye, grapefruit juice and raspberry syrup. Shake well, then double strain into a chilled cocktail (martini) glass.

This variation on a Manhattan is a little bit sweeter.

Ingredients:

Ice

2 ounces rye whiskey

1/2 ounce Punt e Mes (an Italian vermouth, can substitute)

1/4 ounce maraschino liquor

Maraschino cheery or preserved cherries for garnish

Red Hook cocktail (Deb Lindsey/THE WASHINGTON POST)

Directions:

Fill a mixing glass halfway with ice. Add the rye whiskey, Punt e Mes and maraschino liqueur. Stir vigorously for 30 seconds, then strain into a chilled cocktail (martini) glass.

Original Martini

Early martini recipes called for sweet, rather than dry vermouth.

Ingredients:

Ice

1 ounce gin

1 ounce sweet vermouth

1 dash orange bitters

1 maraschino cherry, for garnish

Directions:

Fill a cocktail shaker two-thirds full with ice. Add the gin, vermouth and bitters and stir vigorously. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a maraschino cherry.

More rye drinks:

Algonquin 

Black Manhattan

Greenpoint

Haymaker Rickey

More gin drinks:

Appetizer Cocktail

Bijou Cocktail

Fifty-Fifty

French 75

Turf Club

Search our Recipe Finder for more cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. And watch the video below for some dinner party advice straight from Mrs. Post.

More on ‘Mad Men:’

‘Mad Men’ returns, in living color

Who is your 'Mad Men' style icon?

‘Mad Men’-era ads

Betty Draper style