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Recipes for a <i>Mad Men</i> party

Swedish meatballs, mushroom canapes, and classic cocktails fit for the season premiere.

Swedish meatballs and shrimp canapes with whiskey sours.Photograph by Jim Scherer / Styling by Catrine Kelty

MAD MEN FANS, REJOICE. The Season 5 premiere is finally here. Celebrate tonight with a period cocktail party, and continue your mid-century food fix with The Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook: Inside the Kitchens, Bars, and Restaurants of Mad Men (BenBella Books/Smart Pop, 2011). In a volume that’s equal parts cookbook and historical snapshot of 1960s New York, Mad Men fanatics Judy Gelman and Peter Zheutlin help readers savor nearly every sip and morsel swallowed by Don Draper and crew during the show’s first four seasons.

WHISKEY SOUR

Makes 2

Ice, cracked

4 ounces bourbon or blended whiskey

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

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1 tablespoon superfine sugar

2 maraschino cherries

2 lemon slices

Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice and add the whiskey, lemon juice, and sugar. Cover and shake to dissolve the sugar, at least 30 seconds. Divide between 2 chilled sour glasses, garnish each with a cherry and a lemon slice, and serve.

TOM COLLINS

Makes 2

Ice, cracked

5 ounces gin

2 ounces fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons superfine sugar

1 cup sparkling water, chilled

2 maraschino cherries, for garnish

2 lemon slices, for garnish

Fill a cocktail shaker about halfway with ice and add the gin, lemon juice, and sugar. Cover and shake to dissolve the sugar, at least 30 seconds. Fill 2 chilled Collins glasses about halfway with ice and divide the mixture between them. Add half the sparkling water to each, stir, garnish each with a cherry and a lemon slice, and serve.

TEX COLLI NS

Makes 2

Ice, cracked

5 ounces gin

6 ounces freshly squeezed grapefruit juice

3 tablespoons honey

1 cup sparkling water, chilled

2 maraschino cherries, for garnish

2 thin grapefruit slices, for garnish

Fill a cocktail shaker about halfway with ice and add the gin, grapefruit juice, and honey. Cover and shake to blend, dissolve the honey, and chill, at least 30 seconds. Fill 2 chilled Collins glasses about halfway with ice and divide the mixture between them. Add half the sparkling water to each, stir, garnish each with a cherry and grapefruit slice, and serve.

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CURRIED SHRIMP CANAPES

Makes about 40

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

20 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Salt and pepper

3 tablespoons butter

2 shallots, minced

¾ teaspoon curry powder

½ teaspoon ground coriander

6 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

40 round Melba crackers or small crostini

40 whole cilantro leaves

In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Saute the shrimp with a pinch of salt until pink and just opaque, and remove to a bowl. When cool, halve lengthwise and refrigerate.

Adjust the heat under the skillet to medium, add the butter, and melt. Add the shallots and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, about 2 minutes. Add the curry powder and coriander and cook, stirring, about 40 seconds. Off heat, cool to room temperature.

In a small bowl, mix the cream cheese, cooled shallot mixture, lemon juice, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Top each cracker with about 1 teaspoon cream cheese mixture, a cilantro leaf, and half a shrimp, and serve.

SWEDISH MEATBALLS

Makes about 65 meatballs

⅓ cup heavy cream

2 eggs

3 slices rye bread, crusts trimmed, torn

4 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, minced

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Salt and pepper

½ teaspoon ground allspice

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Cooking spray

¾ pound ground pork

1 teaspoon baking powder

¾ pound ground beef

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1½ teaspoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

½ teaspoon lemon juice

3 tablespoons minced fresh dill 

In a medium bowl, whisk the cream and eggs. Mix in the bread and set aside until soft, then mash to a paste with a fork.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter until it stops foaming. Add the onion and ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, about 3 minutes. Add the allspice and nutmeg and cook, stirring, about 40 seconds, and set aside off heat.

Set the oven rack in the middle position and heat the oven to 500 degrees. Spray a large wire rack with nonstick cooking spray, set in a large rimmed baking sheet, and set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the pork, onion mixture, 1¼ teaspoons salt, ¾ teaspoon pepper, and baking powder on medium-high until smooth and pale, about 2 minutes. Add the bread mixture and beat briefly on high until homogeneous. Add the beef and mix on medium-low speed until just incorporated. With moistened hands, form the mixture into balls 1¼ inches in diameter. Arrange meatballs on the wire rack and bake 20 minutes, rotating halfway through, then set aside.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Set the skillet over medium heat and heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter until it turns a shade darker. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden. Slowly whisk in the broth and continue to cook, whisking, until sauce thickens, about 6 minutes, adding brown sugar, soy sauce, lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste partway through. Add the meatballs and simmer, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Add the dill and stir to mix. Transfer the warm meatballs and sauce to a chafing dish, if desired, and serve.

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MUSHROOM CANAPES

Makes about 40

1 pound mushrooms, roughly chopped

3 tablespoons butter

3 shallots, finely chopped

Salt and pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

1½ teaspoons minced fresh thyme

3 tablespoons heavy cream

⅓ cup grated Parmesan

⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley

40 round Melba crackers or small crostini

In a food processor, pulse the mushrooms to chop finely (do not overprocess; they should not release liquid). In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the butter until it melts and stops foaming. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and ½ teaspoon salt, adjust heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring, until liquid given off by mushrooms has evaporated, about 13 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme and cook, stirring, about 45 seconds. Add the cream and cook, stirring, about 45 seconds. Off heat, stir in the Parmesan, most of the parsley, pepper to taste, and additional salt, if necessary (you should have about 1½ cups of the mushroom mixture).

Heat the broiler and set the rack about 6 inches below the element. Top each cracker with about 2 teaspoons mushroom mixture and arrange on a baking sheet. Broil until the mushroom mixture is heated through, 4 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining parsley, transfer crackers to a platter, and serve.

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Recipes adapted from The Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook, by Judy Gelman and Peter Zheutlin. Send comments or suggestions to Adam Ried at cooking@globe.com.