Mad Men Premiere Party
The Mad Men season premiere will be two fabulously-dressed, wonderfully brooding, and inevitably booze-soaked hours long. That's AMC's way of telling us to host a premiere party!
While a martini might seem like the obvious choice for a Man Men-themed party, we take issue with that choice on two counts. First, Don is an Old Fashioned guy (in more ways than one). Second, one of our favorite wow-parenting-was-weird-in-the-60s Mad Men moments involves a Sunday afternoon at the Draper home with little Sally Draper fixing Bloody Marys for Don and Betty. She haphazardly guesses her way through the recipe, usually opting for a roughly 7:1 vodka:tomato juice ratio. We think that these Horseradish Bloody Marys are a bit more enjoyable than Sally's, though Don and Betty may disagree.
While the Drapers would probably have eaten the soup-mix version, there are indeed many times when it is best not to follow exactly in their footsteps. This is one of them. Caramelized Onion Dip is an addictively allowable diversion from the original.
Betty would want something a little exotic on the table (but she probably knows better than to serve Heineken as her "taste of something exotic" by now) and this Heart of Gold appetizer would suit her just fine.
Next up: Rose's Deviled Clams Casino. Because is there anything more 1960s than Clams Casino? We didn't think so.
We think these Polpette Di Vitello Tonnato Style would look rather nice speared on a little cocktail sword, don't you? They're pleasantly beige, too, which Betty would be into. After all, they go with the drapes, and if a pesky child dropped one on the carpet, well, she'd still yell, but hey! No stain!
Last, but not least, it's just not a 1960s party without Chex Mix. Or in this case, merrill's so munchable Party Mix for Grown-Ups. It's just the thing for nibbly cocktailers, and it's great for the kids to have something to snack on between mixing drinks for you and your guests and changing the records.
Serves 8
5 cups Crispix® (or Chex®)
1½ cups mixed nuts
2 cups tiny twist pretzels
5 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
½ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1½ teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Large pinch cayenne
1. Heat the oven to 250 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the cereal, nuts and pretzels. In a medium bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients until the sugar dissolves. Drizzle this evenly over the cereal mixture and then use your hands to stir, making sure to distribute everything evenly.
2. Transfer to a 13x9" baking pan and bake for about 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, until crisp and lightly toasted. Spread out on a paper towel-lined baking sheet to cool. Serve or store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
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