Recipe and Outtake: Don Draper’s Old Fashioned

This Saturday on the show, Evan interviews Judy Gelman and Peter Zheutlin, authors of The Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook: Inside the Kitchens, Bars and Restaurants of Mad Men, about the food and drink of the 1960’s era. Food is certainly prevalent on the show, but what most of us remember (and crave) when watching Mad Men are the cocktails. In this outtake, Evan talks to Judy and Peter about Don’s signature drink, the Old Fashioned. The outtake is below and a recipe follows…

Outtake – Don Draper’s Old Fashioned by KCRW

Don’s Old Fashioned

Old Fashioned courtesy of The Grand Central Oyster Bar, New York, New York

Note: Bourbon or rye may be used in the Old Fashioned. Rye was originally used, and

The Grand Central Oyster Bar is starting to use rye again in these drinks; they use Michters’, but Don would likely choose Canadian Club, the brand we often see in his office and home. Seagrams V.O. and Crown Royal were also popular in the 1960s, says Jonathan Rogers of The Grand Central Oyster Bar.

1 orange slice

1 maraschino cherry

1 teaspoon sugar

Few drops of Angostura bitters

A splash of soda water to muddle ingredients

2 ½ ounces rye or bourbon

1. In a mixing glass, muddle orange slice, cherry, sugar, bitters and a little soda water: using a muddler, push around and break up cherry and orange until flavor is released.

2. Add soda water so cherry is wet and sugar is melted. Add bourbon or rye and serve over rocks, if desired.

* Recipe: The Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook: Inside the Kitchens, Bars, and Restaurants of Mad Men by Judy Gelman and Peter Zheutlin (Smart Pop, 2011).