Raise a toast to Dad
Father’s Day is the perfect occasion to make your dad feel special
With Father’s Day just around the corner, there have been a barrage of “special offers” dedicated to making the occasion a special one for all dads. If you haven’t planned just what you’re going to do, worry not, as I’m going to set out a few suggestions for you today.
Since Father’s Day is on a Sunday, it’s going to be a nice, relaxed one. Ensure the focus is on him and on family time. After serving him breakfast in bed and a leisurely reading of the papers, mix up a drink for dad and let him enjoy it while you set up a nice lunch. Now, beer might be easy, but Father’s Day merits a little work on your part, so I’d recommend that you mix something classic, like an Old Fashioned or a Manhattan. Not fussy, but no less the complex for it.
For a Manhattan, mix 45 ml of good bourbon with about 20 ml of sweet vermouth in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Add a dash or two of Angostura bitters and mix. Strain it into a cocktail glass and garnish with a cherry (do put in a bit of flourish if you want dad to feel special!) and serve with a hug!
I feel another classic recipe that’s apt for Father’s Day is the Whisky Sour. It’s got a 150-year tradition, so you know you can’t mess with this. Pour 60 ml bourbon with 30 ml simple syrup and 30 ml of limejuice into your trusty cocktail shaker, mix, and strain into a glass with ice.
An Old Fashioned requires 60 ml of bourbon again (or rye whisky), some Angostura bitters (about three dashes), a little soda and a sugar cube (some feel brown sugar is better than white) and an orange slice and cherry for the garnish. First, place the sugar cube in a glass and drizzle the bitters over it until the cube is wet. Next, splash in a little bit of soda. Crush the cube with a pestle and then swirl the glass around until the crushed sugar and bitters are nicely lining the bottom of it. Put in some ice, pour the bourbon over it, garnish with the cherry and orange slice and carry it over to dad. Raise a toast to the man who means the most in your life!
The writer is a bartender