“Civilization begins with distillation,” William Faulkner once famously quipped.

Whether the great man of letters (and legendary drinker) was right or not, there’s no denying the enjoyment of spirits got a big boost with the invention of the cocktail, which, next to baseball and jazz, may be one of the most recognizable — and enduring — of American traditions.

Today, Cosmopolitans, Mojitos, and Margaritas reign as some of the top-selling tipples, but thanks in part to the popularity of Mad Men, AMC’s hard-drinking show set in the New York ad world of the 1960s, at least some imbibers are branching out to re-discover the classics.

“Some of the old drinks we make, if you ordered them in most bars, you’d get a blank stare,” said Adam Bota, a bartender at Zingerman’s Roadhouse on Jackson Avenue in west Ann Arbor.

“My mom and dad always drank Manhattans and martinis,” said Bota’s fellow mixologist Bob Brunelli, whose weathered face and white hair suggest he’s seen a few trends come and go himself. “Those were the standard drinks back in the day.”

The Roadhouse barkeeps regularly sell Zingerman's own version of the Manhattan (Jim Beam rye whiskey, Vya sweet vermouth, Gary Regan’s Orange Bitters No. 6, maraschino cherry) as well as other well known classics such as the Sidecar and the Old Fashioned. They also serve less-well-remembered ones with names like Corpse Reviver No. 2, the Monkey Gland, and the Mamie Taylor.

“We make everything from scratch, from our own maraschino cherries to simple syrup to fresh squeezed juice,” said Bota. “Many classic cocktails use basic ingredients like this, and we make sure ours are the freshest and best possible.”

But some classics require more ingredients — and more work. “There’s the Ramos Gin Fizz, which includes egg whites and cream,” said Brunelli. “You need to shake that one for at least two minutes to get all the ingredients to hang together.

“We do sell a couple of those each day,” he added.

Dave Landrum, owner of Café Felix on Main Street, follows a similar old school philosophy, but with his own modern twist.

“You have to keep it simple, yet innovative,” he said. “You don’t want to completely mask the flavor of the spirits with, for example, lots of fruit, but you want to make something interesting and enjoyable — something the customer maybe hasn’t tried before.”

A self-taught mixologist, Landrum developed the recipes for the roughly 30 specialty cocktails Felix serves, including its two top sellers: the Ginger Snap (ginger infused vodka, lime juice, simple syrup, and a splash of ginger beer) and the Felix Martini (Grey Goose vodka and Lillet Rouge, a French aperitif).

“In a college town especially, lots of people ask for stuff like Jager and Red Bull and flavored vodkas, which are going through the roof in popularity,” he said. “We serve those things, of course, but I do think there’s a rise in classic cocktail culture.”

Landrum, who has traveled extensively in search of new or little-known liquors, points to establishments such as Bourbon and Branch in San Francisco; Milk and Honey in New York; and, closer to home, Cliff Bell’s in Detroit as great examples of newer throwback cocktail bars.

“I think there’s a market in Ann Arbor for something similar,” he noted.

But the modern love of creativity and experimentation continues to dominate the cocktail scene at places like the Black Pearl Seafood and Martini Bar, also on Main.

“We do have some of the more trendy drinks,” said bartender Aren Stobby. “You gotta know what people want. If you’re not working for the people, then what are you doing?”

At any time, Black Pearl serves around 18 specialty cocktails, a mix of mainstays and seasonal rotating recipes like the Ann Arbor Cosmo (Patrón tequila substituted for vodka) and the Classic Melon (Stoli vodka, Midori, pineapple and lemon juice).

In February, Black Pearl won the “Artini” competition — an Ann Arbor Art Center fundraiser that challenged downtown bars to create the most creative cocktail — with the Freddy Mercury, a concoction of muddled cucumber, Stoli Apple vodka, and Elderflower, garnished with chunks of candied apple.

“We all come up with the drink recipes as a team,” said Stobby. “We taste a lot of different things and decide if they meet our standards.”

So what’ll it be? Mojito or Manhattan? Cosmo or Corpse Reviver? It probably doesn’t matter in the end whether your glass holds a new innovation or a time-honored classic. As Mad Men’s most quotable character, ad exec Roger Sterling, might say: “We drink because it’s good.”

David Bardallis is a freelance writer and editor, blogger, bon vivant, and man about town. Visit his website, DavidBardallis.com, to engage his services or read his latest. Email thoughts to annarborbeer@gmail.com or follow @dbardallis on Twitter.