Drinkable Do you know who Tom Collins is? Ever tried a Old Fashioned? Here are a couple of ideas for drinks that will make sure that your next retro themed Mad Men cocktail party is one for the books. Which is your favorite retro cocktail? Bottoms up from Ultra Swank. Martini 2 oz. Gin or Vodka 2 drops Dry Vermouth (use less Vermouth for a drier Martini) Garnish with olive or lemon twist Tom Collins Fill a Collins glass with ice 1 1/2 oz. Gin Fill glass with equal amounts of Sweet & Sour and soda Water Garnish with a cherry and a lime squeeze Old Fashioned 2 oz. Brandy or Whiskey Dash Angostura Bitters 3 ( continue reading... )

The Cocktail Nation

The Cocktail Nation - Queens Of Vintage

Episode 266    May 12th 2013

This week we talk to the publisher of an online magazine called Queens Of Vintage, her name is Lena Weber and recently she interviewed me in her kings of vintage portion of the website so I thought we should have her on to talk vintage culture and the English scene. Plus the best exotica and lounge music from across the globe.

Music Mr. Lucky was a relatively short-lived (34 episodes) 1959-1960 television series. It starred actors John Vivyan as the suave professional gambler, “Mr. Lucky”, and Ross Martin as his sidekick, Andamo. Most of the action in this crime drama took place on or around Mr. Lucky’s floating casino/pad called “The Fortuna”. Possibly the most memorable thing about the show was the cool, jazzy theme and background music which was composed and conducted by Henry Mancini. The original LP cover looks great framed and hanging in any swank bachelor’s (or bachelorette’s) pad. I suggest you dig around on eBay for the original ( continue reading... )


Music Exotica music was made popular in the early 1950s and took its name from the Martin Denny album with the same title. The inspiration for the genre came from exotic locations and instruments from places such as Polynesia, Melanesia, Micronesia, Southeast Asia, and Hawaii. The genre was mostly popular in suburban USA with legends such as Les Baxter, Artur Lyman and Martin Denny leading the ( read more... )

Music American jazz vocalist Shaynee Rainbolt contacted me a while back having seen one of my compilations which features songs by legendary musician and composer Russell Garcia. It turns out that she is not only a fellow fan of his but also worked with him on her latest album entitled Charmed Life: Shaynee Rainbolt Sings Russell Garcia. Russell, now 92 years old have been living on ( read more... )

Design Whether you are redecorating your living room, planing on buying a mid-century modern flavored house or want to make your kitchen look more groovy, Bradbury & Bradbury Art Wallpaper has what you need. Their series of Atomic Age and Mod Generation wallpaper range from 1950s styled Googie patterns to exotic tropical Tiki to the revolutionary and psychedelic flower power look – perfect for any bachelor ( read more... )

Inspiration This photo by famed photographer Julius Shulman looks absolutely lovely. I wish I had a cocktail lounge like that in my penthouse apartment. The Mid-Century Modernist has a bunch of more photos and information. ( read more... )