New Traditions: The fathers day cocktail.
The true essence of a Father's Day gift, I believe, lies not in the gift itself but in how it benefits you. A well-chosen gift could ingeniously edge you closer to becoming the primary beneficiary of the estate. Of course, a poorly chosen tie could also doom your chances, but let's agree that this is not our primary concern.
The quintessential Father's Day gift, is one that facilitates connection, an artefact that sparks a shared moment. My own childhood is scattered with vignettes of tables blanketed with newspaper, the scent of Airfix glue hanging in the air, and an intricate F-14 Tomcat model demanding a patience and dexterity that I had yet to master. It was my dad who filled those gaps, making the time to help me navigate complex aerodynamics, and flight engineering.
Interestingly, our shared experiences were never confined to the traditionally masculine pursuits. My dad was acutely aware of my disinterest in these common hobbies and ventured instead to unearth activities we could both enjoy, carving out shared spaces that truly mattered.
It's no fluke that as I grew older, my father's wardrobe, a time capsule from the late 90s brimming with Levi vests, tees, and gold-buttoned blazers, became my own. As I embarked on my 2001 fashion odyssey, inspired by the effortless cool of "The Strokes," I found my dad's old outfits serving as the perfect foundations.
Fast forward a few years from my indie era to my university days, the stage where the world of cocktails was an enigma I was determined to solve. My romance with alcopops was fleeting, replaced by a resolve to cultivate a taste for more serious drinks by my 18th birthday. You'd hardly catch a young man in the north ordering a Manhattan in 2004, yet I found myself swimming against the tide.
In my quest to unravel the art of mixology, the "Old Fashioned" started to emerge as a recurring motif. It wasn't long before my dad, well-tuned to my growing fascination, gifted me a complete cocktail set by Christmas. Still, I was far from content to stick to the classics. My experimental tendencies drew me towards creating rum Old Fashioneds and adding the twists of whisky marmalade.
Among a limited selection of spirits, my dad casually mentioned his preference for brandy - an opportunity to butcher a drink in the name of experimentation.
This Father's Day, consider a gift that threads the needle between the classic and the contemporary. Craft a signature cocktail - your trademark drink that you can whip up for your dad.
Gift yourself a moment with the big man.
Brandy is the perfect gift, and non moreso than Seven Tails. Uniquely charming and luxuriously decadent, Seven Tails provides the perfect platform for a cocktail you will both look forward to time and again.
THE TIMELESS SIDECAR
Ingredients:
50ml Seven Tails Spiced Brandy
20ml triple sec
20ml lemon juice
Method:
Fill a shaker with ice.
Add brandy, triple sec, and lemon juice.
Shake well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
This Father's Day, let's start with a Sidecar - a throwback to times gone by. Simple in its construction yet profound in its effect, the Sidecar can become more than just a cocktail. It's a narrative, a timeless connection between generations. Plus it just looks effortlessly cool, fantastic photo opps.
SEVEN TAILS COOLER:
Ingredients:
50ml Seven Tails XO Brandy
10ml Aperol
20ml fresh lemon juice
20ml fresh grapefruit juice
2 dashes of strawberry bitters
Method:
Pour all ingredients into a shaker filled with ice.
Shake until well-chilled.
Strain into a tall glass filled with ice.
When the summer heatwave threatens the need for something a little more quenching, respond with the zip of a Seven Tails Cooler. This cocktail combines the depth of the Seven Tails XO Brandy with the refreshing twang of citrus and the bitter sweet of Aperol. It's a perfect solution to a sweltering day, and will almost certainly be one of many.
The brandy should serve as a timeless link between you and your father - a vessel for connection, spurring memories of nights where you get just the right amount of pissed. Master the art of mixing these cocktails and introduce them to your dad, laying the foundation for a tradition that's all yours.
