The Mad Men Birthday Party

A good party is all about the details.

For our Mad Men party, it was the vintage advertisements that we printed out and stuck up on the walls.

It was the special menus that we designed and printed out on thick photographic paper.

It was food and cocktails inspired by the original Margaret Fulton Cookbook, an incredibly mysogynistic 1949 edition of Esquire's Handbook for Hosts, and, of course, one of my favourite TV shows.

Esquire's Handbook for Hosts (1949)

The Margaret Fulton Cookbook

It was a music playlist that included the likes of the Rat Pack, The Beatles (pre-1965), and some solo Dean Martin. 

It was vintage bottles of crème de menthe and vermouth, actually from the 1960's and still very drinkable.

It was vintage cigarettes, bought on eBay and definitely not still smokeable.  (Although I know some of my friends tried).

Cigarettes

It was loads of cocktails, expertly mixed up all night long by superstar-cocktail-maker Sandra.  It was gin.  So much gin.

But mainly, it was the most awesome friends who got into the spirit of the party and were way too generous with gifts.  Boys who wore dashing suits and bought hats and pipes just for the occasion.  Girls who got dressed in the prettiest frocks and teased and sprayed their hair to high heaven.  Friends who ate and drank and laughed to the wee hours of the morning.

But of course, no Sarah-party is complete without a ridiculous amount of food.  And my next post will be all about the food!

A good party is all about the details.

For our Mad Men party, it was the vintage advertisements that we printed out and stuck up on the walls.

It was the special menus that we designed and printed out on thick photographic paper.

It was food and cocktails inspired by the original Margaret Fulton Cookbook, an incredibly mysogynistic 1949 edition of Esquire's Handbook for Hosts, and, of course, one of my favourite TV shows.

Esquire's Handbook for Hosts (1949)

The Margaret Fulton Cookbook

It was a music playlist that included the likes of the Rat Pack, The Beatles (pre-1965), and some solo Dean Martin. 

It was vintage bottles of crème de menthe and vermouth, actually from the 1960's and still very drinkable.

It was vintage cigarettes, bought on eBay and definitely not still smokeable.  (Although I know some of my friends tried).

Cigarettes

It was loads of cocktails, expertly mixed up all night long by superstar-cocktail-maker Sandra.  It was gin.  So much gin.

But mainly, it was the most awesome friends who got into the spirit of the party and were way too generous with gifts.  Boys who wore dashing suits and bought hats and pipes just for the occasion.  Girls who got dressed in the prettiest frocks and teased and sprayed their hair to high heaven.  Friends who ate and drank and laughed to the wee hours of the morning.

But of course, no Sarah-party is complete without a ridiculous amount of food.  And my next post will be all about the food!