Alcohol Ads in Cosmopolitan 1953

Two white cartoon men are served a “dram” of Drambuie liquor, described as “a luxurious after-dinner adventure.” They are served by what looks like an Asian waiter in an Oriental place (perhaps China). The point is that you can enjoy Drambuie in any…

: Advice on how to cure an alcoholic man centers on the wife, arguing that a nagging and over-ambitious wife could be the main cause. It says that she might want him to be an alcoholic so she can dominate him and appear indispensible. If the man…

This advertisement emphasizes the quality and variation of the whiskey. It mentions many times that it is from Kentucky. The two variations are “BLEND” and “STRAIGHT,” which vary in their intensity of flavor. The alcohol is presented on a glamorous…

The ad depicts a black man in a tuxedo serving crystal tumblers of bourbon whiskey in a holiday-decorated room of what looks like a mansion. It is implicit that he is a server of the whiskey, and probably not the wealthy owner/consumer of it. The ad…

Interestingly, this is an ad not for an alcoholic beverage, but for the glassware made for the consumption of a particular kind of alcohol. The lure of specific glassware for specific alcoholic drinks as a sign of wealth and refinement is a recurring…

“Our ignorance about wines and the art of enjoying them is one of the secret scandals of the civilized world,” writes the author S.S. Field. They proceed with a field guide to table wines, constantly mentioning that “civilized peoples” ought to know…

This advertisement explains that Old Crow has developed a milder, less alcoholic version of their original bourbon whiskey (Original is 100 proof, new version is 86 proof), to accommodate customers who want a “lighter taste.” It asserts, like almost…

This alcohol advertisement is similar to other ones in its focus on the very old and esteemed roots of the liquor product it sells. It alleges that only two French monks now the secret recipe, which was passed down to them by a guy named Marshall…