Reformed Cynic

The Cocktails of Mad Men Week 12: Season Finale, Part 2

I apologize for the delay in posting this.. call it Post-Mad-Men Withdrawal Trauma..

Now, on to the final installment in the Season 3 Cocktail Series..

Lots of Buzz as we approach 10 PM.. More people are arriving, and thankfully this time there are rows of seats set up so hopefully folks won't be hanging from the rafters like the premiere.



My second drink has arrived, and to quote Monty Python, "Our Quest is at an end!" The Toronto Cocktail, a mid-season replacement for the summery Mika's Cup, is another powerhouse of rye, Fernet Branca, Simple Syrup, Orange Zest, and the ever popular Angostura Bitters. I have never been to Toronto, but based on this drink I can only surmise that it is a place that will strip the paint off of you. This drink is, in a word, deceptive - it has a lovely, faintly sweet odor, is fairly innocuous at first, then hits you in the face for all it's worth..

I was blown away by the fast pace of this season finale and the number of storylines that were (mostly) resolved. I think the overarching theme of this was pursuing what you want - for Don, the thrill of starting a new Agency, for Lane, breaking free from an employer who did not appreciate him, and for Betty, social status and security. To paraphrase Thackeray's Vanity Fair, Once we get what we desire, will we be truly happy?

For Joan this season, and I predict Betty, next season, the answer is not.. Don, Lane, and Peggy, I predict, will be very pleased with where they are when Season 4 commences.

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Well, that's a wrap at Noir for Season 3. I'd like to thank Tanita and all of the bar staff for their excellent service and for being so accommodating of me. I look forward to returning for Season 4!

The Cocktails of Mad Men Week 12: Season Finale, Part 1

Tonight, I'm doing something entirely new - liveblogging my visit to Noir's season finale party! Due to leaving my camera cable at home (and memory card), I'll have to upload the pictures later, but am psyched to be here with so many great people!

Great Crowd, Met Elizabeth, their  Online Marketing Guru, who found me through Google, and has graciously drummed up some traffic for my weekly postings!

First Drink, Red Hook - more than just a desolate place in Brooklyn, or an eponymous beer, Nor has styled it as the Manhattan's Cousin - I think it's sweeter, and less hard edged - a good Brooklyn vs "The City" analogy.

I then met the Noir tagline winner - a devotee of sixties fashion: Witness her bold mod getup!

Who will be the first at Sterling Coo to dip their toes into the new style? Jane started in her Harlequin outfit and her earlier color blocked secretary togs. Will Peggy get a dirty weekend with Duck in London, and raid Carnaby Street? Will Miss Farrell ditch her shapeless gear?


Honestly, I'm waiting for Betty to get her inner Gina Lollobrigida on once she marries Mr. Francis..

The Cocktails of Mad Men Week 11: Your Cheatin' Heart...

.. will tell on you, in ways both obvious and subtle: Betty's laying it down for Don, Rog finally realizing who the love of his life was (and dealing with the double tantrums of his two "children"), and the hit-you-over-the-head but nevertheless wonderful scene where Betty is faced with her two, and might I say incredibly handsome, choices. For some reason some of the side plots left me cold, but I have to say the treatment of President Kennedy's death was amazing. I remember my family telling me about people not being able to stop crying for days, and just the shock and horror of it all. Was that a clip of the wonderful Walter Cronkite delivering the news that the President was dead?

This week, I delved into the last of the drinks on the menu, opting for an Old Fashioned. Whiskey is potent, even if it is dolled up with a Maraschino cherry to make it palatable, and it burned on the way down like a good one should. Don't know if I'd make it a regular, though.

I was going to have a second from the list, but saw a wonderful drink created to support Community Servings' Pie In the Sky fundraiser, and knew that I ought to try it! The Harvard Cherry Crimson is a delightful mix of Smirnoff Black Cherry Vodka, Ginger Ale, Pom Pomegranate Juice, and Fresh Lime, and tastes like a Cherry-flavoured Lik-m-Aid. Sweet and Yummy!

Next week is the Season Finale, and as for the Premiere, Noir is throwing a fete! The winner of the tagline contest will be hosting, and judging the best costumes and handing out prizes! I will be liveblogging the event, as I have my final two cocktails, and whatever else strikes my fancy!

This coming Sunday: Who will be asked to  "Shut the Door. Have a Seat", and face the music? Don and Connie? Pete and TPTB at Sterling Coo? Bets and her new man? My money is on Rog telling Joanie that she was the one.. and always would be.

The Cocktails of Mad Men Week 10: Truth in Advertising

The truth will most certainly out, and it did this past week. I think I was correct in pegging Joan as our Gypsy, hoping to piece together a life, and of course Don was our Hobo, though I think he's staying put and not planning a Season 1-esque runner yet.

As my time with this cocktail list grows short, I decided to double up this week and have two drinks, the Champagne Cocktail and the Last Word, which I must say belonged to the wretched Carlton in this episode.

The Champagne Cocktail, made of Bouillot Grand reserve, Angostura Bitters, Sugar and Fresh Lemon Juice was spicy and warm, yet physically cold - the perfect Autumn drink. Was it the bitters that gave it that spicy glow warming the roof of my mouth?

Next, I had the Last Word, which tasted kind of like a Gin Gimlet  - this has Green Chartreuse, Bombay Gin, Maraschino Liqueur and Fresh Lime Juice, straight up. Yes, I realize this is a Gimlet, with a couple of punches thrown in. I added an extra squeeze of lime, and thought it was complex in that it tasted almost like a pastis, in an odd way. Nuanced - the way I like my drinks, and my men.

 

The best line of the episode, as I mentioned, was Carlton's, "Now who are you supposed to be?" One of those perfect phrases that could only be uttered by someone who has no idea of what's really going on in a situation - a disinterested third party, who is of course the perfect channel for the Truth.

Up Next - The Grown Ups. Will Peggy ditch Duck, or will she use him like the perfect Don Draper protege that she is? Will Betty's face crack?