[I originally wrote this post for the beyond fabulous Savvy Host Blog, a must visit for all lovers of cocktails and entertaining.]

Unless you are like Auntie and I, who run our own Speak Easy, (no address given. So please don’t ask), the theme of 1920s is so done. But what’s sexy right now? An equally inebriating decade: the 1960s. Throwing a 1960s Mad Men themed party will make you the talk of the town. This is how Auntie Carrie’s Speak Easy would do it: Of course, our simple “How to a Throw Party” rules apply.

1. The Classic Cocktail: Familiarize yourself with the drinks of the times. Unless you have a head for bartending, just learn how to make three Classics (proportions courtesy of Drinks Mixer). We would suggest a Martini, Tom Collins and a Manhattan. The Mad Men Site has a wonderful collection of drinks from the period. However, I take issue with their listing vodka as the primary ingredient in the Martini. Do have vodka as an option but do be prepared to make a classic Martini. Also, make sure to have a healthy supply of scotch, champagne, garnishes (cherries, lemons, straws, umbrellas, plastic monkeys) and a top notch looking bar.

Martini
75ml (or approx 2+ 1/2 oz) Gin
15ml (or approx 1/4 oz) Dry Vermouth
1 green olive OR a twist of lemon peel

Tom Collins
2 oz gin
1 oz lemon juice
1 tsp superfine sugar
3 oz club soda
1 maraschino cherry
1 slice orange

Manhattan
3/4 oz sweet vermouth
2 1/2 oz bourbon whiskey
1 dash Angostura® bitters
1 maraschino cherry
1 twist orange peel

2. Party Punch. We believe every party should have a signature drink. Sometimes your friends have no idea what they want. Why waste time deciding when they should be drinking? We suggest a Brandy Punch:

50 cl brandy
12 cl dark rum
3 cl lemon juice
20 cl water
30 cl dry ginger ale
1 sliced orange
1 tbsp pineapple chunks
1 tbsp raspberries

3. The Stem is Half the Fun. All drinks should be served in appropriate stem-wear. A no-fail place to purchase is Crate and Barrel. However, if you love your guests but just don’t trust them? Go for some disposable Martini Glasses. We found some suitable ones on Amazon. Be a little sexist and add a ridiculous amount of garnish to the ladies’ drinks.

4. Dust off your Joy of Cooking or 1962 Reader’s Digest. Your guests will be tickled to see the Jello Salad, Canapes or Swedish Meatballs. If you need assistance finding recipes, there is a wonderful blog based on Vintage Cookbooks, that is certain to help and plenty of recipes on Epicurious. When in doubt, cook it in a mold. If you are not in the mood to cook, stick to Sterling Cooper’s clients: Utz Potato Chips, Stouffers TV Dinners and Chiquita Bananas.

5. “Appropriate Dress” must be stressed on your invites. The Gentlemen have it the easiest. A gray suit. Perhaps dark gray or bluish gray, but that’s it. Pinstripes are fine. Narrow or bow-tie. Nice watch. Cuff links. Conservative shoes.

The ladies of the early 1960s have a whole assortment of styles to choose from. They can choose to be the Suburban housewife, the aspiring working girl (and first hints of feminism) or the Pin Up. When researching your outfit, make sure to focus on early 1960s. We would even stray into late 1950s before attempting late 1960s which was a whole different mood. Unless you are appearing as the 1960s Pin Up girl, err on the side of sexually repressed.

I found this wonderful site to begin your research for the perfect outfit. If female guests would rather appear as the object of the Sterling Cooper boys’ fantasies, they can go Vintage Vogue or Vintage Playboy.

What do all three have in common? Maidenform.

6. Keep The Invite Jazzy as if you were the cool client or Account Execute throwing the party. You should have invites with a striking graphic. Or if you are uber-creative, style your invitations after early 1960s print ads. “New and Improved!” “No Dull Meals!” The site, Found in Mom’s Basement: Advertising from the 1960s is a must-see. Or take inspiration from some hip LP cover. Speaking of which…

7. 1960s Music Can Be What You Want. We want you to strive for authenticity. However, in the music category, it is important to choose what would be most pleasing to you and your crowd. You could create a playlist from Billboard’s popular songs at the time. However, if Auntie Carrie and I were throwing a 1960s party we would go heavy on the Bossa Nova and Cuban Jazz. Stan Getz. Cal Tjader. Tito Puente. If that’s not sexy, nothing is. And as the evening winds down (and it’s time for folks to go), we’d switch to some late 50s – early 60s Jazz: Miles Davis’ “Kind of Blue”, Dave Brubeck’s “Time Out”, Coltrane’s “My Favorite Things” with lots of Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan sprinkled in.

8. Streamlined or Kitschy Decor. This would depend upon whether you are throwing your romp at a bar, the NYC apartment or the house in the suburbs. When investigating, we again repeat to err on the side of late ‘50s before going too far into the ‘60s. This is especially true for the suburban home. Find a theme within the Mad Men theme. Is it Tiki Bar? or is it more Mambo? Is it “After Work Drinks With the Guys” or “Swapping Recipes with the Girls”. Depending upon that “theme within a theme”, you might either litter the room with dark leather coasters or bamboo curtains. Or small bottles of pills in the bathrooms and copies of Ladies Home Journal on the table. Quick tip: if you can’t afford or don’t have time to purchase vintage copies of Readers Digest or Playboy: download a jpg from online, print it and glue it onto the front of any periodical.

9. Can I Borrow A Light? Yes, cigarettes are a must. Definitely Lucky Strike. Thankfully, you can purchase candy/bubble gum cigarettes. Your friends should be posh but still healthy. Find a neighborhood vintage candy shop (Shoppe) to stock up on faux cigarettes and other goodies. If you live anywhere near New Hampshire, then Chutters is a must.

10. That’s Entertainment! We would certainly set up a Kodak Slide Show aka “The Carousel”. Run vintage commercials on your television or laptop. There are plenty online. We’d also like to suggest “games” but the only ones we can recall on Mad Men are power plays and sexual indiscretion. Perhaps, set up one room as a motel room or Don Draper’s city pad. Also, if you’ve not seen it, do rent the film “The Best of Everything” with Joan Crawford. It’s actually a film about three young women working in publishing but it might give you additional ideas beyond Mad Men clips on YouTube.

Auntie’s Advice: If you remember nothing else, do remember the three As: Arrogance. Advertising. Alcohol.

Everyone knows the basic travel tips: roll your clothes when packing, use curbside check-in, but do you know how to travel the SpeakEasy way? When I am not obsessed with cocktails and the arts, I am working in film production as a Cinematographer. I travel a lot. Especially overseas.

Add these simple tips to your travel routine:

1. Purchase a flask. I have three. However, someone needs to create a 3oz flask. If you are a part of the #3ozClub (I never check my bags unless it’s my insured camera equipment) you understand how nice it would be to travel with your own “little nip”. There are a number of sites, like EFlask and Things Remembered, to customize your own flask. But so far, I can not find a 3oz one. In the interim, you can travel with the 3oz bottles of liquor to help take the edge off. Sure, you may get funny looks at security. But you know what you won’t get? Your drinks confiscated or your bag checked. Note: you can find 3oz bottles of local liquor at the Duty Free. See if you can purchse them upon arrival at your destination. They go quickly.

2. ALWAYS pack a cocktail dress. Auntie and I don’t care where you are traveling nor for what purpose. This is a must. We traveled recently to Nigeria and thought we’d be spending our time in a small town teaching. Little did we know, as soon as we were picked up from the airport, we were whisked to an award ceremony.

3. ALWAYS pack a bikini and keep it in your carry-on bag/purse. Swimming pools, watering holes, hot springs or jacuzzis show up at the most random locales. During my last trip to Belize, I traveled ahead of my producer from Belize City to San Ignacio. I had time to kill and wandered into a resort lobby. They generously suggested that I cool off in their pool. My bikini was left behind in my luggage in Belize City. Learn from my mistake.

4. Travel (Faux) First Class. On the occassions that I am not able to fly First nor Business Class, I make sure to travel with accroutments and culinary delights to soften the experience of Coach. Of course, I pack a lunch. I splurge at my local Whole Foods for delicious Foccacia bread, olive tapenade, brie, arugula for the perfect gourmet sandwich. I travel with Jacques Torres chocolates and cashmere socks. I dab lavender essential oils on my wrists to relax me. I can’t recall which, but a airline carries Wolfgang Puck. Lovely. Tasty. But also very caloric and with plenty of salt.

Definitely download the TripIt App. If you do nothing else. It’s like having a personal secretary keeping track of your itinerary, alarming you to gate changes (necessary when you need to make that mad dash for a connecting flight) and directions to your hotel.

Also treat yourself to chic travel gadgets. My favorite little spot in Manhattan is a store called Flight 001 in the West Village.

Lastly, create a “Flying” playlist for your iPod. Mine includes all songs that keep me relaxed and help me to fall asleep for those long flights.

5. Familiarize and Designate Your Favorite Airport Hub. If you travel internationally often, besides knowing the intricacies of JFK, Houston, Miamia, LAX and Chicago, you will also have to be acquainted with Paris, Heathrow and Hong Kong Airports. Decide which has the best Food Court vendors to your taste, the better bar/lounges and specialized luxury treatments. I am a fan of Paris Charles de Gaulles massage vendors and the Breakfast Burrito I can get at Houston near the Continental gates. I do prefer Heathrow if I must have a long layover. Better food options and plenty of luxury shopping. Again, it’s personal but worth doing your research. When clients book my flight arrangements, I ask for my connecting flight in my prefered airport hub.
Note: the airports are also on Twitter and are very helpful. @IAH suggested the nearest bar to my gate.

6. Who is your Airline BFF? Airline Loyalty is a Win/Win. Of course, the airline wins by your insistence of flying with them. However, much like choosing your favorite hub and requesting that with clients and travel agents, familiarity with a chosen airline, will create a sense of ease. My preferred domestic is definitely Continental. They have my favorite rewards program, still offer food and the people are genuinely nice. Plus, I am madly in love with the electonic Smartphone boarding pass. I am also a huge fan of Virgin and Air France for International. Virgin feeds you every hour, it seems, and their founder’s outrageous and fun personality (my idol Richard Branson) seeps through every detail. Plus they have an extensive film/media library to chose from. Air France, no surprise, services you with champagne and plenty of wine.

Continental, as you know, has merged with my old favorite airline: United. Many moons ago, I was flying PHL-SFO. The airline stewardess asked “who has the oldest coin”. I did. And they gave me a bottle of champagne. That’s how you make a future speakeasy owner loyal.

7. One Girl’s Utility is Another Girls Contraband. Ok, not contraband exactly. I know you always bring a gift to whomever you are visiting (right?!!) There are so many items we take for granted in the US as being easy to find and cheap to purchase, but would actually be a superb gift for your friend or relative. A few examples include chocolates, H&H Bagels, magazines and kitchen utensils (garlic press, cheese grater, martini shaker).

8. Purchase Local Art While Abroad. In my not so humble opinion, this is far superior to any t-shirt or trinket you might find. Whenever I travel internationally, I ask my hosts to bring me to a local gallery, art vendor that sells contemporary art. It can be a small painting, drawing, sculpture, CD, whatever. Not only are you giving money to their growing art scene in the perspective country, you are also bringing back a unique gift. (For example, the first time I went to Belize, I purchased all of my gifts at the Image Factory. )

9. Schedule in a Luxury Day. As I mentioned, I travel often for work. Occassionally I stay at places like Ka’ana Resort, Room with a View or the Westham Stadium, but other times, “roughing it” is required. If that is the case, I appreciate the needs of the production or our limited budgets. However, I do warn my producers that I will need one (just one) day of luxury. It keeps me sane.

10. 3oz Club! Never check your baggage. Ship them via Fed Ex or purchase/borrow from friends upon arrival. I was able to get from off my plane through immigration to a different terminal to my connecting flight in under 20 minutes recently at IAH. If that isn’t “SpeakEasy”, nothing is.

11. Stay Natural. Two of my must have purchases are No Jet Lag Pills and Neem oil. The first is homeopathic and I swear by it. Whether it’s pyschosomatic or not, I’ve not experienced jetlag – at all – in years. The latter is a natural pesticide. I’ve traveled to some remote places and don’t want to bring any “friends” back with me. I always spray it on my luggage and bring a 3oz bottle as insect repellant and natural fungicide. If you live in NYC, you can purchase these items atLifeThyme.

P.S. Interestingly, I have traveled to enough destinations that serve sub-par coffee. I am a true admirer of strong, high octane brew. However, if I am in the middle of nowhere or just in a country that is not a believer, I am a very very sad girl. I have been on the search for the best instant coffee. So far, verdict is Nescafe (from Europe or Latin America) is the best option. If you know of alternatives, PLEASE, suggest them below.

My father, Bob Martin (more appropriately known as Auntie Carrie’s nephew) is an excellent painter. I’ve grown up watching him paint and over the years, I have made attempts to approach my own paintings in a similar way. Long story short, it never happened. He’s trained. I am not. He is patient. I’m far from it. Yet, I certainly do admire my own work even if I achieve it in an unorthodoxed way.

My Dad has a wonderful section on one of his blogs, “Knowing: Art of Learning” called “How To Paint”. Simply put, he gives his followers ideas and suggestions on the painting process. I thought it would be hilarious to share with people, who may be discouraged by his posts (from his first brush stroke, his work is quite good), my “process”. My work literally arises from the muck. But I still love them. The final piece is the photo above. The following photos are of my steps along the way.

Auntie Carrie’s Speak Easy asked our dear friend, Savvy Brown, aka the Queen of being Green, Frugal and still Stylish, for tips on our next BBQ, done the green way. Here is her very informative response:

I’ve had several requests as to how folks can green up their BBQ without breaking the bank. Well, here’s a list of 10 ways you can do that pretty simply…

1. Use Poly or biodegradable plates, cups and flatware instead of coated paper or Styrofoam plates (The latter are usually coated in petroleum!) Polypropylene plates and cups like these can be used, and they’re not as harmnful as regular plastic.
2. Gas grill – lower carbon footprint and less electricity.
3. Don’t use lighter fluid – it emits harmful VOCs.
4. Use Natural Charcoal- regular charcoal has not been soaked in lighter fluid, and burns less VOCs into the air. Try Cowboy Charcoals if you MUST use coal and check out Whole Foods. They have charcoal made from recycled scrap wood or sustainable wood.
4. Buy local/seasonal produce and lean meat – cooks in less time.
5. Potluck – if everyone brings something, not all of the costs will be on you.
6. Have a recycle bin- Make it easy for your guests to recycle bottles and cans
7. Grilling with the hood of the barbeque down – this helps maintain energy efficiency and also ensures the heat will be distributed more evenly throughout the grill.
8. Use cloth napkins – Paper towels and paper napkins are a no-no, just give everyone a cloth one. (You’ll be suprised how well they’ll hold onto them).
9. Mix rock salt with ice to keep drinks cold – put beverages into cooler, then fill halfway with ice, then fill the rest of the way with rock salt. the drinks will stay cooler, and the ice won’t melt as fast.
10. Make your own Bug Repellent- check out this simple recipe.

You can find these items in the Savvy Shop!

Polypropylene plates and cups

Cowboy Charcoals

Sources:

http://www.greenlivingonline.com/blog/candice/green-your-bbq

http://www.diylife.com/2007/07/17/how-to-make-your-own-organic-mosquito-repellent/

Without a doubt, New York has some of the greatest museums on the planet. Tourists so frequently attend the obvious ones, that they miss out on some incredible gems off the main path. Two of the strongest museums are The Studio Museum of Harlem and PS1 (once a public school turned Contemporary museum) located in Long Island City/Queens. For those not familiar, PS1 is now affiliated with MOMA.

Auntie Carrie’s Speak Easy is a firm believer in the signature cocktail for any event. If you watch pretty much any show on the Food Network (our personal addiction) you’ll notice that each chef makes a special drink to go with their recipe du jour. Here are two recent Signature Cocktails that we co-created with friends and were absolute crowd pleasers:

I always have a reason to celebrate. If you’ve read my How to Throw a Party post, you’ll notice what a fan I am of a party themes and in turn, drinks, invites, costumes, food selection to support the theme. I think it makes the event more fun. Silly? Very. But more likely to get your folks enthused versus the ho-hum “were getting together for drinks tonight”. Or the God forsaken “Networking Party”. Life is suppose to be fun. Outrageous fun. And if that’s not your intent for your next fête, Auntie and I wish you well.

As I’m sure you are aware, I am obsessed with the Speak Easy. Even chewing on following my own tips on How to Throw a SpeakEasy Party for my upcoming birthday (full disclosure: I’m also considering a “Soul Train” theme. Good job Kevin!) And dare I say, if I got married? Might even be the same theme.

New York City continues to give me so much joy. A few weeks ago, I was visiting a friend on the Upper East Side and saw this beautiful door front for a yoga studio called Pure Yoga. I inquired within about doing a class but learned it was membership only (no drop-ins).

Auntie’s Brother-in-law (aka my Grandfather), I am told, was a great admirer of Irish music and culture. He would have certainly enjoyed my recent night on the town.

There is a misconception that New York City is an expensive city to live in. Certainly, the asking price for most cultural events is steep. However, I’ve been fortunate to receive free tickets often. This past Thursday, a dear friend had an extra ticket to see The St Patrick’s Day Celebration at Carnegie Hall. Although I was not verse in Celtic music (beyong Lord of the Dance) I knew that, if it was at Carnegie Hall, it would certainly be impressive.