It's not a requirement that you serve festive, thematically-appropriate cocktails at your Memorial Day bash this weekend, but in this Instagram- and Pinterest-obsessed culture of ours, giving your guests something more interesting to behold than a bottle of Corona may help give you the edge on all the other hosts who will be opening up their backyards for the three-day holiday weekend.

Kaine Owens at SAIA in Fort Lauderdale has created a Memorial Day-appropriate cocktail recipe that's fairly easy to emulate at home. The SAIA salute is made by combining two ounces of Pisco Porton, an egg white, an ounce of lime juice, and an ounce of blue Curacao in a shaker with ice. Give it a shake and strain into a martini glass. Pour a dash of bitters into the center of the drink and use a toothpick to create a star shape. If that sounds like more work than you intend to go to for your holiday cocktail, the drink is available this weekend for $10 at the restaurant. 

UPDATE: In my haste for the return of Draper and co., I indicated the series would be returning a week earlier than it is in reality. Mad Men season five premieres next Sunday, March 25.

Ever wonder why Don Draper and his Mad Men cohorts could get through a two-plus-martini lunch and still manage to make it back to the office with enough acumen to land the Lucky Strikes account and their secretary before the end of the day? Being a debonair badass is only part of the equation. Michelle Finamore, who curated the "Cocktail Culture" exhibition at the Norton Museum of Art, says size had something to do with it.

"The cocktails were a lot smaller than what we think of today. You could get away with drinking a few more," Finamore said, adding that over the years, cocktails, particularly the martini, increased in size. "In the 1990s, everything seemed to get bigger."

Why is this important for you to know? It may help you to cut costs and achieve maximum authenticity at your viewing party for the two-hour premiere of season five of Mad Men, which airs at 9 p.m. Sunday, March 25, on AMC. After the jump, Finamore offers some other suggestions on era-appropriate food and drinks for a killer Mad Men viewing party. 

The full moon isn't only about your pets -- or neighbors -- acting out in new and creative ways, it's also an excuse to hang out oceanside with pretty people and boozy drinks via the monthly full moon party at The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale. The theme for tonight's party is "Havana night" with Cuban-inspired food and beverage, domino tables, and cigar rollers.

Margaritas and palm trees belong together, so it's no wonder South Florida is awash in tequila goodness. Clean Plate Charlie takes a look at some of the best margaritas in Broward and Palm Beach. These are finalists in the Best Of issue that will hit the stands in June -- as usual, feel free to let us know what we missed. 

The Day-Glo pink of Canyon's Prickly Pear Margarita hints at the Hawaiian Punch flavors favored by college girls with bad fake IDs, but devotees swear by this balancing act of a beverage. The subtle sweetness of prickly pear is tempered by the sour of lime and works in tandem to help the medicine (in this case, tequila) go down. Women pay $5 for the drink during happy hour, nightly -- except Saturday -- until 7 p.m.

Timpano Chophouse and Martini Bar 

​At the 6-month-old Sweetwater Bar and Grill in Boynton Beach, we dare you to find anything recognizable on the rotating cocktail and beer menu.

A quick once-over and you'll see there's not a single familiar favorite. No Cosmos, lemon drops, or mojitos -- not even a margarita. 

And forget about ordering a Bud, Miller Light, or any other basic, boring beer. Try and all you'll get is a snicker from the staff. They don't have that type of thing at Sweetwater.

Basically, this isn't your average bar -- and these aren't your average drinks. Instead, prepare for authentic classic craft cocktails brought to you by bartender Sean Iglehart.