'Mad Men' sites in New York City evoke retro vibe

— -- Mad Men fans, it's time for a cocktail.

The return of the AMC show March 25 after a hiatus of a year and a half is cause for celebration, and there's no better place to raise your glass than in Manhattan at one of Don Draper's favorite haunts.

While many of the places name-dropped in Mad Men no longer exist - Lutece, the Stork Club, Toots Shor's - there are plenty that do, among them P.J. Clarke's, the Roosevelt Hotel and Sardi's. Some Manhattan bars, clubs and hotels are even offering packages, drinks or viewing parties to mark the show's return.

Of course, the series is filmed in California, so what you see on TV are well-researched sets, not real Manhattan bars. But Mad Men fans will not be disappointed by reality: Many of the establishments that turn up on the show retain a classy, retro vibe in real life, and can offer a fun, sophisticated setting for drinks or a meal.

Judy Gelman and Peter Zheutlin, authors of The Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook, provide "A Handy List of Mad Men Haunts" in their book along with recipes from them.

"Some of these places just never go out of style, like the Grand Central Oyster Bar," said Zheutlin. "It's such a classic and bustling place."

Mad Men aficionados know the Oyster Bar at the landmark train terminal was not mentioned by name on the show, but it's believed to be the place where Don takes Roger Sterling for a martini-and-oyster lunch.

P.J. Clarke's, at Third Avenue and 55th Street, manages to appeal to a trendy 21st century sensibility while channeling the classic cool that got the crowd from Mad Men ad agency Sterling Cooper drinking and doing the twist. P. J. Clarke's "was the site of many Mad Men parties," Gelman said. "I think there might be more scenes set there" than any other bar or restaurant.

According to its real-life bartender, Doug Quinn, P.J. Clarke's "was a joint often frequented by Madison Avenue advertising executives during the 1960s. Our bar and restaurant continues to be a destination for this crowd."

Quinn says he'd recommend a sidecar cocktail to any Mad Men fans dropping by - "one part sweet, one part sour and one part strong." For food, try a medium-rare bacon cheeseburger, once named "the Cadillac of burgers" by singer Nat King Cole. "It continues to be one of our most ordered menu items," Quinn said.

The Roosevelt Hotel, 45 E. 45th St. at Madison Avenue, where Don stayed after his wife Betty threw him out, is offering a "Mad Men in the City" package, starting at $425 a night through June 30, so guests can "experience New York City as Don Draper would," according to Kevin Croke, the hotel's director of sales and marketing.

The package includes accommodations, '60s-era themed cocktails at the hotel's lobby-level Madison Club Lounge or its rooftop bar, called mad46. Guests also get a DVD of the show's fourth season, a copy of The Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook, and tickets to the Paley Center for Media at 25 W. 52nd St., where the hotel has reserved a screening booth for viewing ads from the era.