A Little Drinking Never Hurt Anyone...

It’s no surprise that drinking is a prominent in the show Mad Men. From Old Fashioned’s to Bloody Mary’s, all types of drinks are seen throughout series. What’s even more surprising is that fact that most men in the series seem to be constantly drinking no matter what time it is. Roger asks Don if it’s too early to drink, but shrugs and pours himself a drink anyway. This nonchalant attitude causes any viewer to ask themselves, “Did people really drink like this in the 1960’s?”

Back in the 60’s, it was very common for executives to drink on the job. Natasha Vargas-Cooper, author of “Mad Men Unbuttoned”, says that the office was where people came to make money. Values were left at home, and therefore when you see someone drinking during the day or being crude to women in the office, it’s not an exaggeration. A popular daily activity in the 60’s were the three-martini lunch. Tom Borne, Asher Agency’s account supervisor, recollects that some instances one martini would turn into multiple. The end of the three-martini lunch started with Jimmy Carter. During his ’76 presidential campaign, he attacked businessmen for these three-martini dinners for classifying them as “business expenses.” In addition, many businesses and even government agencies put programs in effect which prevented employees from being intoxicated at work. However, can having a drink or two at work actually boost productivity in the office? A recent study by the University of Illinois found that subjects who were mildly drunk performed better in problem-solving situations. 

Although the three-martini lunches may be dead, nothing can stop high power businessmen from enjoying a drink or two during the day. The current day wall street businessmen are infamous for their crazy and extravagant lifestyles. The Mad Men series romanticized the idea of getting a client drinks at lunch and persuading them to sign a contract. However, drinks in the workplace are usually consumed when celebration is in effect. Whatever the reason for drinking today, it doesn’t hurt to enjoy a couple of old fashions after a long workday. 

(A little bonus for you guys. Every super cut of every drink in the Mad Men series)

Links referenced: http://articles.businessinsider.com/2012-03-23/news/31228676_1_vodka-alcohol-words

http://kathrynvercillo.hubpages.com/hub/Were-1960s-Offices-Really-Like-Mad-Men-Shows

http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20101003/FEAT/310039991

You Drink, You Drive, You Draper

In the Marriage of Figaro (episode 3), Mad Men Season 1, The Draper family throws a birthday party for Sally Draper (Kiernan Shipka). Betty Draper (January Jones) opens the birthday party scene by serving the adults Mint Juleps, a seasonal drink she seems obligated to serve. As the episode progresses Sally approaches Don, (Jon Hamm) and asks if she can serve him a drink. Not only does this scene act to highlight the service oriented mentality expected of women during the period, but also to emphasize the prevalent nature of alcohol.

Image credit: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG9QvxsNcP7ilY-GOrP39cy0baTwgee-Ubj3_Jh0HnKDhBhqoAPJWP3V8-GgCfNLmzczFyViU3CuvDh658n3lTEZOhWjMqgF3zsvoE-z6mNzCYWKl-zNGSCPUVgzY2ttxY_Sewmkfo3UJG/s1600/Mad+Men+Mad+Style+Season+1+Episode+3+5.jpg

The presence of alcohol was a common occurrence for many Americans for most of the 20^th century. What we may perceive today a Dons excessive or unsafe drinking habits were likely on par with the times. Towards the end of the episode a clearly intoxicated Don is asked by Betty to drive to pick up the birthday cake. Drinking and driving or DUI/DWI were not sufficiently countered in New York, the setting of Mad Men, until 1981 with the passage of the STOP-DWI law by the State Legislature(NYS Department of Corrections and Community Supervision). In fact, there was not a large push to reveal the effects drinking could possibly have on ones driving until the 1980’s with the creation of groups like MADD and the rise of the national drinking age to 21 (Drinking and Driving). 

Image credit: http://www.tomhoganlaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DUI-Overview.jpg

There has come to be a war waged against alcohol and the negative social, biological and mental side effects it has been found to cause. In 2010 there were close to 200,000 DUI related arrests in California alone(California Department of Alcohol and Drug Prevention). Many states are focusing efforts on street patrols, but also on preventative and educational measures.  Increased signage, special programs in schools and even television and radio ad campaigns, have all been recruited to combat the dangers of alcohol. Just what would the Men on Madison Ave. do if they knew their industry would forever change theirs as well as many other American’s lifestyle? I believe they would propose a toast, to drinking.

Image credit: http://www.blogcdn.com/www.dailyfinance.com/media/2012/04/don-draper-435cs041912-1334849614.jpg

Links referenced:

"A Short History of Drunk Driving." Drinking And Driving .Org. Drinking and Driving, n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2012. .

"FACT SHEET Driving-Under-The-Influence (DUI) Statistics 2010." N.p., Aug. 2012. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. .

Maccarone, Robert M. "DWI History in New York State." NYS Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. N.p., 17 June 2011. Web. 13 Oct. 2012. .

 

You can tell a lot about a man from what he is drinking. In the case of Roger and Don each drink their own distinct potent alcoholic concoction. Roger’s chosen poison is the Gibson Martini. Don’s favorite liquid pastime would be the iconic Old Fashion. Each liquor is quite strong enough to take the edge off of any stresses experienced at Roger Sterling. In many ways the drink each man drinks says a lot about his personality.

Image credit: http://www.efficientdrinker.com/liquor/mad-men-drinks.html

 

Roger’s choice of the Gibson martini mirrors his elegance and higher upbringing. The Gibson Martini is a clear gin drink that packs quite the punch. The Gibson martini has a lot in common with the man who enjoys them. The martini is clean and fancy. Roger is clean cut, well dressed, and shows often his wealthy background. Roger is drinking his equivalent in an alcoholic form.

Image credit: http://www.efficientdrinker.com/liquor/mad-men-drinks.html

Don on the other hand prefers the hardy Old Fashion. The Old Fashion is a dark bourbon drink. Just like the Gibson Martini and Roger, Don and the Old Fashion share many characteristics. Don is dark and mysterious just like the appearance of his favorite drink. An Old Fashion is served in a scotch glass, a sign of true manliness. This manly appearance goes hand in hand with Don’s rugged and masculine persona.

Slate takes on Sterling Cooper, Hilarity Ensues

In the course of one business day, it is not uncommon to see Don and the rest of the gang at Sterling Cooper consuming copious amounts of alcohol. Whether it be Sterling mixing Smirnoff vodka with his morning milk, the pitcher of bloody Mary’s in the ad pitch or the celebratory glass of rye whiskey. To the these mad men, alcohol has become just another part of the day. It is present in the boardroom, in the individual offices and even in the surprisingly long lunch “hours” frequently taken by these big shot Madison Ave employees. It is present all day because to these men alcohol does not diminish the work they do. They are able to function while under the influence of alcohol, and so there is no problem with a little bit of Canadian to get the creative
blood flowing.

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid271557392?bctid=42484739001

For the staff of Slate magazines Double X, the situation is not quite the same. The women that run this feminist section of the magazine are big fans of the television series Mad Men. For this reason, they decided it would be an interesting experience to try to behave as the characters in the AMC television series do during their respective work days. That is, the women working in this department decided they were going to start drinking as early and as often as the characters on the show. They wanted to know how it truly felt to be well just like Don Draper.

The ladies started out the morning by bringing bloody Mary’s to the 11:15 meeting. At first the presence of alcohol did not seem to have an adverse effect on the behavior, except that simply people felt looser and more willing to share their ideas. The major difference noticed was that they felt no desire to end the meeting, as was usually
not the case.

This meeting was then followed by an anything but dry lunch for the ladies. They each had an estimated 3 martinis during their longer than usual lunch break, and to be perfectly honest, things started to take a turn. The ladies of Double X began to come up with completely off-the-wall ideas for the magazine that everyone seemed to think were brilliant. This was mixed in with a lot of unrelated gossip and loads of giggling. However, lunch could not last forever and so eventually the ladies were forced to return to the office.

Once back in the office, the ladies were meant to enter another meeting with one of the more senior members of Slate. They decided this was a perfect time to introduce the whiskey into the equation. At this point I think it fair to say that all hope was lost for the day. The ladies of the magazine were simply spewing nonsense ideas, and as the only sober person in the room noted “talking extremely loudly.” By the time this meeting was over, it became clear little was going to be done the rest of the day. Simple questions addressed to people often took minutes to get a response because people became easily distracted. And the answers that would be given often were incoherent or simply nonsensical. Productivity was at an all time low.

It should go without saying that the decision to drink during the work day did not go according to plan. The ladies of the magazine simply went about their day believing they were functioning as usual, and upon looking back, they realized everything they decided upon during the day was a load of rubbish. The experiment was definitely one that was interesting and one that will likely never be repeated. It is also hard
to say whether the alcohol had a greater effect on them because they a)rarely drink or b)are lightweight females as opposed to the men on the show. Either way, it is clear the effect on these staffers as Slate was far greater than the men of Sterling Cooper. And after their one day of drinking, it becomes clear that the drinking should be left in the hands of the professionals.

Cocktails at the Plaza

In Season 1, Episode 7 “Red in the Face," we see Don and Roger enjoying an evening drink at a crowded bar. This bar is actually the Oak Room Bar, in the famous Plaza Hotel in New York, located on 5^th avenue and Central Park South. The bar is one of the most well known martini bars in New York, originally opened in 1907. The bar was designed by Henry Hardenbergh and originally only allowed men to frequent it. It was closed during the Prohibition era and then re-opened in 1934. The Oak Room Bar is still opened today, and considered to be one of the best hotel bars in the New York. It’s no surprise Don and Roger would go there for their after work cocktail, only the best and most elite hang-outs are sufficient for these Mad Men.

Links referenced: "Oak Bar Photo Gallery" and The Oak Room.