The new season of Mad Men is upon us and with that in mind, I'm feeling particularly retro and I thought it was high time, I tried out a fancy, old school style cocktail! I'm channelling my inner Betty Draper for this drink and trying out a little something different. It's a bit more complicated than other cocktails (this ain't your regular old rum n' coke ladies) but it's not difficult and once you finish the cocktail you'll be able to host your very own dinner party and impress all your friends!

Here's what you'll need:
 

Sugar and Water
Soda Water
1 Shot of Lemon or Lemon Juice
2 Shots of Gin 
Cocktail Shaker 

Step 1: Make a simple syrup
 

Making a simple syrup is just that- simple. I thought it would be good to show you all the steps so you can use this as a reference to any other recipe or cocktail that calls for you to make one. To make a simple syrup, you use 2 parts sugar to 1 part water. Boil the water and once it's bubbling, pour in the sugar. 
 

Stir constantly until all the sugar is dissolved. Once dissolved, remove the pan from heat, you shouldn't boil the mixture again. Stir the mixture, cool and let thicken. 

Step 2: Lemon Juice
 

Squeeze out 1 ounce, or one shot of lemon juice and pour into a cocktail shaker, over ice. I use freshly squeezed lemon, but if you wanted to cheat and use bottled lemon juice it'll be our little secret!

Step 3: Gin and Syrup


Pour in the 2 shots of gin with the lemon juice. I found my drink a bit too sour for my taste so I suggest using up to about half a shot of simple syrup. You may need to play around with the proportions for your own taste (I've got a sweet tooth!).

Step 4: Shake and Soda


Shake the cocktail shaker, pour the mixture into a glass and top off with soda water. 

Final Product


Garnish your glass with a lemon wedge and you've got yourself a fine lookin' cocktail there chicks!

Are you a retro cocktail fan or maybe a Mad Men fan? Leave a comment and let me know what your fave cocktail is!