Planning another holiday party this year? The same food, same wines and same old party music? Why not host a theme party by taking a cue from the best drama show on TV, Mad Men. Think groovy music, light hors d’oeuvres and cocktails, cocktails, cocktails. Read my tips for throwing a holiday party Mad Men style.

COCKTAILS

The key to any successful party is having a good mix of people, tons of alcohol and great music. You should designate a bar area where guests can mix their own drinks. Make sure to have plenty of essentials on hand: cocktail shaker, ice bucket and tongs, mixing spoon, sliced lemons and limes, ice and mixers. As for Mad Men cocktails, it was the time of plenty so anything goes, but here are some classics. All recipes are from the Mad Men cocktail guide.

CLASSIC MARTINI

Ingredients

2½ oz gin

1½ oz dry vermouth

3 green olives

Method

 Rinse martini glass in dry vermouth and pour out.

Shake gin with ice until chilled.

Pour into martini glass. Add olives.

OLD FASHIONED

Ingredients

2 dashes aromatic bitters

½ tsp sugar dissolved with water and bitters

1½ oz of bourbon

1 cherry

1 orange slice

1 lemon wedge

Method

Fill glass with ice. Add cherry, orange slice, and lemon wedge.

Pour in bourbon. Serve in a rocks glass over ice.

TOM COLLINS

Ingredients

1 oz fresh lemon juice

1 tsp sugar

1½ oz of gin

                                                      Lemon slices

Method

Mix sugar, gin, and juice over ice in mixing glass.

Stir, strain in cocktail glass with ice, and top off with soda water.

Garnish with lemon slices.

TASTY EATS

With all the booze, who needs to eat? But for those guests who insist on not drinking on an empty stomach, you can never go wrong with bread and fun toppings. For 10 ways to dress up a baguette, click to get delicious crostini recipes. If you don’t even want to bother with slicing and toasting bread to make crostini, there is a huge selection of frozen hors d’oeuvres you can pick up at your grocery store. Before heading out to buy anything, click the link to read up on the best frozen hors d’oeuvres.

GROOVY TUNES

To keep the party going all night long make sure you have a good playlist. Ultra-Lounge has several albums that fit the Mad Men theme. Bachelor Pad Royale and Wild, Cool & Swingin’ are solid choices. For a list of Ultra-Lounge’s entire catalogue or to download albums, click here. 

Alina Tarkhanian is the First Course editor.