8 Cocktails & A Shot Bartenders Recommend for Father's Day
Editor’s note: A special thanks to contributor Robert Haynes-Peterson who originated this series, shared last year’s picks and contributed to this list as well.
Father’s Day is right around the corner, and now is a perfect time to raise a toast to the father figure in your life. For cocktails suitable for such an occasion, we reached out to a handful of mixologists and bartenders around the U.S. and Mexico for inspiration. Here are the cocktails they suggest, as well as why they’re a perfect way to celebrate with the dad in your life.
All Night Long
Bartender JB Reynolds, the Beverage Director for Occitania & Duende in Oakland CA shares “My grandfather was a judge in San Francisco. He was one of the first ever Black municipal court judges in S.F. (appointed by Ronald Reagan when he was governor) and also the president of the NAACP. My grandfather was always on the go, fighting for justice and “making moves” in his community, so I would serve him a cocktail from my current menu called “All Night Long”. The cocktail is made from roasted espresso bean and cinnamon infused cognac, Fancy Stiggens pineapple rum, braulio amaro, cinnamon syrup & creole bitters.”
1 oz cognac w/roasted espresso beans & cinnamon
1.25 oz fancy stiggens pineapple rum
Bar spoon of braulio amaro
Bar spoon of house made cinnamon syrup
2 dashes creole bitters
Gold Ranch Water
“My dad deserves the best, and there is nothing better to celebrate his special day than the spicy Gold Ranch Water,” says Matías Mánrique Hernández, mixologist at Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit in Puerto Vallarta.
“Gold Ranch Water at Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit uses Tequila La Santa as it speaks of our strength, made of passion, love and experience,” he continues. “Gold as a mineral in the body boosts the immune system and has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.”
2 ounces Tequila La Santa
1 ounce lime juice
3 slices jalapeño
1 slice lime
1 bottle of Topo Chico sparkling mineral water
Chili lime seasoning for glass rim (optional)
Prepare your seasoning and rim the top of a rocks glass. Add the tequila, lime juice and jalapeño slices to the glass. Add ice and top off with Topo Chico and a lime slice to garnish. Serve and enjoy!
Mother's Medicine. Photo credit: Sarah Maingot
Mother’s Medicine
“My dad was never someone who enjoyed alcohol,” recalls Amber Carregal, lead bartender at Willa’s in Tampa. “I remember being a kid and never seeing my dad with beer, wine, or a cocktail in hand.
“But now that all of his kids are out of the house, he has taken a liking to bourbon,” she continues. “One of his favorite cocktails is the Mother’s Medicine that's currently on Willa's menu. It's the perfect cocktail for my dad because it’s a bourbon-based drink with tropical notes and is very approachable.”
1.5 ounces Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Rye
0.5 ounce Cynar
0.75 ounce Pineapple Gomme
0.75 ounce lemon juice
Add all ingredients to a shaker. Shake and strain over crushed ice. Garnish with a mint sprig.
Throwing Stones photo courtesy of Haven Kitchen Bar - Lake Nona Wave Hotel
Throwing Stones
“This cocktail represents harmony on Father’s Day with the easy summertime enjoyment of a margarita with a spicy, deconstructed spin,” says Rebekah Santos, beverage team of the Lake Nona Wave Hotel beverage team, of this drink featured at the hotel’s Haven Kitchen Bar in Orlando.
1.5 ounces DeLe ón Blanco tequila
0.5 ounce Tipplers Orange liqueur
0.5 ounce agave
0.75 ounce lime juice
3 dashes celery bitters
Black lava salt
Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass. Pour over a spicy Aji Amarilla cube-shaped as a skull (or a regular large format ice cube) in a cocktail glass rimmed with black lava salt.
The Subourbon photo courtesy of Daxton Hotel
Subourbon
“Gone are the days of having a run-of-the-mill bourbon with Dad for Father’s Day,” says Ryan Nolen, bartender at Geode Bar & Lounge at Daxton Hotel in Birmingham, Michigan. “Try putting a modern twist on a timeless cocktail with The Subourbon. Skip the socks for dad and start a new tradition – it’s one I’m sure he’ll appreciate!”
2.5 ounces Heaven’s Door bourbon
0.25 ounce St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram
0.25 ounce hibiscus syrup
2 dashes orange bitters
Sliced orange peel
Hibiscus syrup: steep hibiscus flowers (loose tea) for 15 minutes. Strain the tea and add sugar.
Combine bourbon, allspice, hibiscus syrup, and bitters in a mixing glass with ice. Briefly stir to combine the ingredients and slightly dilute. Strain and serve on the rocks with a sliced orange peel garnish.
The Envio Black Manhattan photo courtesy of Rooftop at The Envio
The Envio Black Manhattan
“This is our fresh take on a newer classic created by San Francisco bartender Todd Smith in the mid-aughts,” says Jessica Kimball, bar supervisor at Rooftop at the Envio in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
“Rather than the traditional Averna (delicious, too), we pair a slightly sweeter Cardamaro with our house label WhistlePig 10 Year Rye,” she continues. “Finished with a couple dashes of Fee Brothers Black Walnut Bitters, The Envio Black Manhattan is spicy and nutty, with a bitter-sweet balance that makes this the perfect elegant cocktail for the whiskey-loving Dad.”
2 ounces WhistlePig 10 Year Small-Batch Rye
1 ounce Cardamaro Vino Amaro
3 dashes Fee Brothers Black Walnut Bitters
Maraschino cherry
Combine WhistlePig, Cardamaro and bitters in a beaker or mixing glass. Add a large-format ice cube and stir thoroughly with a bar spoon. Double strain into a well-chilled coupe or martini glass. Garnish with a good quality maraschino cherry.
Whiskey Smash courtesy of CW's Gin Joint
Whiskey Smash + Roger’s Take On A Dark ’n Stormy
Why limit yourself to a single cocktail? “These cocktails are inspired by what my dad and I would enjoy poolside, grilling out on a summer day,” says Roger McQueen, head mixologist at CW's Gin Joint in Tampa.
Whiskey Smash
3 lemon wedges
2 ounces Redwood Empire bourbon whiskey
0.75 ounce simple syrup or ginger syrup
4-6 mint leaves
Muddle the lemons, syrup, mint leaves, bourbon and ice in a shaker. Shake. Strain into glass of choice over ice.
Roger’s Take On A Dark ‘N’ Stormy
2 ounces Benham’s Barrel Finished Gin (or any dark liquor of your choice)
0.5 ounce Pomp & Whimsy gin liqueur
5 ounces ginger beer
0.5 ounce ginger syrup
Pour all ingredients over ice and mix.
The Parran
“When people think ‘dad’ they think whiskey,” says Mike Steel, assistant bar manager at Marriott Warehouse Arts District in New Orleans, who created this cocktail with the bar team. “Well, my dad always drank cognac, which inspired this playful twist on the iconic Sazerac.
“The Parran is everything that a good father (or godfather) should be: strong, straightforward, and a little silly,” he adds.
2 ounces Courvoisier
0.25 ounce simple syrup
2 dashes of Angostura bitters
Candied lemon ice
Cherry
Lemon peel
Herbsaint
Candied lemon ice: Boil equal parts sugar and water with a lemon peel. Freeze sugar lemon water inside of an ice ball.
Rinse a rocks glass with Herbsaint. Add candied lemon ice to rocks glass. Muddle a cherry and lemon peel at the bottom of the glass. Combine Courvoisier, simple syrup and bitters in a mixing glass. Stir. Strain and pour over readied glass.
A Shot of Old Forester
A Shot of Old Forester from 1939
Casey Robison, Bartender, The Doctor’s Office, Seattle, WA says “My dad is a one-of-a-kind character. There’s nobody in the world he won’t talk to—at length, and with hundreds of anecdotes about every facet of life and the human condition. He greets everyone with a smile and a hello, and is immediately liked by everyone he meets. His gregarious and affable nature is something I have always admired.
As generous with support as he is with a smile and a joke, my dad has always been an enthusiastic supporter of my career choices and has never failed to let me know that he’s proud of me—a quality for which I am extremely grateful.
I can think of only one thing to toast my dad this father’s day—a neat pour of Old-Forester Bourbon from 1939.
Like my dad, this bottle is remarkable and rare. I always tell my guests that a person hasn’t lived until they’ve drunk something older than themselves; and at the stout age of 82, not many things beat my dad in years, but this special bottle is certainly one of them.”
This bottle of Old Forester from 1939 can only be found at The Doctor’s Office in Seattle, WA.