6 Steps to “Mad Men” Party Success: A Cheat Sheet

We’re going to make this easy, because we’re much too excited to see Joan and Don back in action to fiddle with a bunch of period-appropriate finger foods. Here, 6 steps to make your Sunday night “Mad Men” viewing party a stylish success.

STEP 1. PARTY-READY PUNCH
This show has too many snappy one-liners and subtle looks of sexual innuendo for you to be playing bartender all night, shaking cocktails one-by-one. You’ll miss all the fun. Mix up one big, potent punch. This one is a dangerous crowd-pleaser and fittingly, is far older than even Bert Cooper.

RECIPE: PHILADELPHIA FISH HOUSE PUNCH
from Saveur
Makes 3 quarts (enough for about 12 cocktails)

Ingredients
3 cups dark rum, preferably Jamaican
1½ cups cognac
1½ cups simple syrup
1½ cups fresh lemon juice
¾ cup peach schnapps
1 lemon, thinly sliced crosswise, to garnish

Combine rum, cognac, syrup, juice, schnapps, and 3 cups chilled water in a large punch bowl; place a large block of ice or ice ring mold in the punch to chill. Float lemon slices over top of punch and serve.

STEP 2. PIGS IN A BLANKET
No need to go homemade here. People go nuts for the frozen kind. For that added “Polynesian” flair, throw in a tray of egg rolls. (Those drinking Fish House Punch will eat anything deep-fried)

STEP 3. THINGS ON TOOTHPICKS
Buy or make anything you can stick a toothpick in, like bacon-wrapped potatoes (or dates or water chestnuts) and cheesy sausage meatballs.

STEP 4. RETRO, BUT NOT REVOLTING
You’ve added some charmingly old-fashioned nibbles, but it’s 2013 and you like kale salad and homemade burrata as much as the next Lena Dunham-lover. We get it. Make a huge batch of crostini and then mix and match the toppings. They’ll have the bite-sized appeal of canapes, but the cool, modern touch to prove you won’t be sailing in from the kitchen on the next commercial break with a Jell-o salad.

RECIPE: SIMPLE CROSTINI

RICOTTA, HONEY & LEMON
1 1/2 cups whole-milk ricotta
Salt and pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
Honey
Grated zest of 2 lemons

Divide ricotta among crostini. Season with salt, drizzle with olive oil and honey, and top with lemon zest and pepper.

TOMATO & AVOCADO
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ripe avocado
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pint grape tomatoes, quartered

Halve avocado lengthwise and remove pit; scoop flesh into a small bowl. Mash with lemon juice; season with coarse salt and ground pepper. Spread on toasted bread; top with grape tomatoes.

PEA, PROSCIUTTO & MINT
2 cups fresh or frozen peas
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/4 pound thinly sliced prosciutto

Cook peas in boiling salted water until tender, then drain. In a medium bowl, lightly mash peas with the back of a fork. Add olive oil, mint, and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine. To serve, divide prosciutto among crostini and top with pea mixture.

STEP 5. WING OUT YOUR EYELINER––WAY, WAY OUT

Megan Draper (Jessica Pare) – Mad Men – Season 6, Episode 2 – Photo Credit: Michael Yarish/AMC

STEP 6. TWO WORDS: HOSTESS GOWN
What do we have to do to bring these back? Comfortable with an easy kind of “Yes, I’m almost in my pajamas––what of it?” confidence. Obviously, Lisa Vanderpump would approve.