After receiving both the 1st and 2nd Seasons of the AMC television show Mad Men on DVD, I decided to hunker down over the long New Years weekend and see what all of the hype is about.

As someone who is admittedly obsessed with advertising, history and good drinks, I was hooked after the first episode. Set in 1960′s New York City, the original drama follows the lives of the men and women of Sterling Cooper, a booming advertising agency on Madison Avenue (hence the MAD in Mad Men).

Copywriter Don Draper is the biggest ad man (and ladies man) around. As he and his colleagues charm clients and come up with killer creative for classic ad campaigns, they tend to drink – a lot. Cocktails and their consumption are a big part of the show and that’s ok because they only drink the good stuff.

Clearly, I’ve visited the show’s website (I told you, I’m hooked) and I found a guide to many of the 60′s cocktails they feature in the series. I know that all of the drinks aren’t listed though because when Don takes department store heiress Rachel Menken out for the first time, I clearly remember her ordering a Mai Tai and that’s not there.

You can check out the drinks that are featured here. There are great recipes and they give you a good idea of what makes a "classic cocktail." With favorites like the Manhattan, Mint Julep, Moscow Mule, Old Fashioned, Vodka Gimlet and Tom Collins, you can’t go wrong.

I sincerely recommend the show to anyone, especially anyone with an interest in good drinks. Grab the DVDs, stock up on bitters, mixers, and garnishes and make a few drinks that would impress an ad man. You won’t regret it.

TAGS [ MAD MEN COCKTAILS | CLASSIC COCKTAILS | MAD MEN | COCKTAIL RECIPES ]