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Classic cocktails like the Gimlet are cool again

The steady popularity of US drama series Mad Men is driving the comeback of classic retro cocktails like the Manhattan, Gimlet and Sidecar on bar and restaurant menus.

That's according to market research firm Mintel, which found that cocktails labeled ‘classic' on menus have increased a whopping 76 percent since 2009.

Analysts attribute the trend to the TV drama series set in the 1960s which glamorizes booze-fueled power lunches and the clinking of glasses among ad execs working on Madison Avenue.

Among the most popular cocktails include the Gimlet, which has experienced a 63 percent rise, the Sazerac, which has jumped 57 percent and the Sidecar, which has seen a 50 percent increase on menus, says the Mintel report. The Manhattan also spiked 35 percent.

"Bartenders and cocktail geeks are taking a very academic approach to mixing drinks, and many are learning the history and the evolution of iconic cocktails," said Mintel analyst Kathy Hayden in a statement. "This approach combines with better ingredients, some nostalgia for a time when people had time to enjoy cocktails and cocktail parties and widespread interest in 'cocktail culture' to boost interest in the classics."

It could be said that Mad Men is doing for retro cocktails what Sex and The City did for The Cosmopolitan cocktail.

'Skinny drinks'

Meanwhile, analysts also noted another emerging trend on cocktail menus: the growing popularity of "skinny" drinks, targeted specifically towards calorie-conscious female consumers.

In 2009, for example, the term "skinny" was non-existent on bar and restaurant menus. Just three years later, however, Mintel tracked 110 items carrying the descriptor in their US menu database.

Perhaps the poster girl for the skinny drink is the brand Skinnygirl Cocktails, created by US reality TV star Bethenny Frankel. According to Technomic, the Skinnygirl brand recorded the biggest gains in the spirits industry last year, experiencing a 388 percent increase in volume share in 2011.

Meanwhile, a post-mortem on the cocktail industry in the final days of summer show that while Mojitos, Mai Tais and Margaritas enjoyed steady popularity this season, the Pina Colada and Daiquiri are at risk of being relegated to the back of the bar, as demand declined 28 percent and 19 percent respectively.