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Have you ever watched a TV show or movie or read a book and came across a cocktail that you just had to try out? For me, watching Mad Men made me curious about trying out an old-fashioned because that’s all Don Draper drank.  In Great Gatsby, Daisy Bucchanan’s drink of choice was a mint julep, in Sex and The City, Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha would always have cosmos when they went out and in Charles Dickens’, ‘Pickwick papers’, the hot toddy is mentioned quite often making it a drink that goes back as far as the 19th century.

If you’re in the mood for a themed cocktail, here are the recipes on how to make all four of those cocktails.

Old Fashioned

Don Draper’s drink of choice is ‘Mad Men’ is so named because it’s one of the first cocktails that were ever made. It’s as old as the 1800s hence the name, old-fashioned.

Ingredients

  • 2 shots of whiskey
  • 1 TSP orange zest
  • 1 TSP white sugar or sugar syrup
  • Ice cubes

Cosmopolitan

This cocktail gained popularity in the 90s when Sex and The City was a hit. Carrie always ordered it for her mates when they were out. The cocktail is believed to have originated from the 70s.

Ingredients

  • 1 to 1/2 shot of vodka (orange flavoured vodka preferably but plain is okay)
  • 1/2 shot of triple sec (Butlers or Cointreau)
  • 1 shot of cranberry juice
  • 1/4 shot of lime juice

Mint Julep

Unlike all the other cocktails, I had never heard of this one until I read Great Gatsby. Daisy’s drink of choice is simple and easy to make as you’ll read from the ingredients.

Ingredients

  • 2 shots of whiskey or bourbon
  • Mint leaves
  • 1/2 shot of sugar syrup
  • Ice cubes ( optional)

Hot Toddy

This cocktail is great for cold weather. It’s basically a ‘dawa’ (hot lemon and ginger drink) with a shot of whiskey. You can add other liquors to it too depending on your preference. I heard it’s a good remedy for colds too.

Ingredients

  • 1 shot of lemon juice
  • Honey (add to your liking)
  • Ginger (add to your liking)
  • 1 shot of whiskey

Boil water and grated ginger in a sufuria then strain the mixture into a heat-resistant glass. Add honey, whiskey and lemon juice then stir.