As one of television’s most critically acclaimed series releases its majestic fifth season on DVD and Blu-ray, central London recently saw a special Mad Men themed event take place to promote the release.
> Buy Season 5 on DVD on Amazon.
As anyone who has seen the show will be aware, the Mad Men (and women) love a drink. There’s barely a scene where someone isn’t chugging a whiskey or a cocktail.
CultBox were luckily enough to attend a Mad Men ‘cocktail masterclass’, in which we were taught the history and origins of some of the drinks mentioned on the show (a Manhattan, an Old Fashioned, etc), shown how to make them, and then were even given the opportunity to step behind the bar and invent a cocktail of our own, using our new found knowledge!
The bartenders at the Icon Bar in London’s Leicester Square were extremely knowledgeable. Did you know, for instance, that back in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s (when Mad Men is set) that the booze was lower quality AND higher in alcohol content, which combined to result in alcohol that was actually more potent than the stuff we get today?
These days it’s unthinkable to drink the amount Don Draper and co. do – especially in the daytime and in a work environment – but the knowledge that they’re drinking even stronger booze on top of that is terrifying. How did they do it?!
We also took the opportunity, in this Bond Anniversary year, to quiz the experts on the ‘shaken or stirred’ martini debate, and it turns out that Bond has been doing it wrong all these years! Apparently, you should *never* shake a martini, as the ice serves to dilute the drink and ruin the flavour. Asked why Bond would so steadfastly insist on a shaken one, the barman replies with a grin, “You’d have to ask Ian Fleming.”
It was certainly a night to get us in the mood for more Mad Men, and luckily with Season 5 out today on DVD this week, everyone can now delve back into the rich and complicated world of 1960s New York – just go easy on the hooch though.
What’s your favourite Mad Men moment? Let us know below…
> Buy Season 5 on DVD on Amazon.
> Buy the Complete Seasons 1-4 boxset on Amazon.
Watch the Season 5 trailer…