One of my favorite TV shows of the aughts was Mad Men. From its profoundly flawed heroes, to its careful capture of the aesthetic of the 60’s and 70’s Manhattan, to its genius writing and carefully plotted (across seasons!) callbacks to characterization, it was a wonderfully-crafted show.

In Season 2, episode 4, Don, our enigmatic lead protagonist, describes a special candy favored by his (abusive, alcoholic) father:

And this candy.
It tasted like violets.
Had a beautiful purple and silver package.

I was curious about this vintage hard candy, and I went about trying to find out where I could try violet-flavored candy. I found it, tried it, and here’s the story.