The spirit world

It’s impossible not to want to drink while watching Mad Men. What a vibe. The clink of the ice… the liquid sliding into a weighty glass… and the guilty bastard knocking it back.

Consequently, gimlets have been on my mind lately, and, lo and behold, you can go to the Mad Men official Web site to look up a quickie recipe for them, along with a bunch of other 60s cocktails. With all that limey tang, gimlets are a great summer drink, but they have plenty of heft to take us into fall.

Speaking of cocktails, it’s a good time to look out for the following on your travels: Bols Genever, Angostura Orange Bitters, and the single estate Tequila, Ocho. All were singled out this year as exemplary cocktail products in annual cocktail competitions, including Tales of the Cocktail and San Francisco Spirit Awards. Since they’re new, they’re not widely distributed, but keep them on your radar.