It’s time to honor dad with a special sip.
Yes, Father’s Day is around the corner. Spending on the holiday is expected to reach $20 billion, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). That’s about on par with last year, showing that even in these inflationary times, there’s still a desire to spend a lot on dads.
The most popular gift categories connected to the holiday are special outings, followed by clothing, the NRF says. But as someone who writes a column called Weekend Sip, I’m naturally inclined to suggest a boozy gift. With that in mind, here are five picks to consider (hint: they’re not necessarily all bottles).
A cocktail kit
Sure, dad can source all the ingredients to make his own drink. He could also probably find all the parts needed to build his own rocket ship. The point: Sometimes it’s easier if the items are already there in one place. And that’s the idea behind the kits offered by Cocktail Courier, which cover a range of spirits and mixed drinks. We’re partial to the golf-themed Dewar’s Lemon Wedge Cocktail Kit ($74.99, though supplies may be limited) — it provides all you need (a bottle of Dewar’s 12-year-old Scotch, lemonade and some soda water) to make a Lemon Wedge, the official sip of the U.S. Open golf tournament.
Booze as coffee
If your dad is partial to Jack Daniel’s, the classic Tennessee whiskey, here’s a way to give him Jack as a morning pick-me-up. Namely, Jack-flavored coffee. The folks at World of Coffee, Inc., a specialty roaster, have created such a brew — and it’s thoroughly delicious. You get just enough of the whiskey flavor (no actual booze, though) to enhance the coffee without overwhelming it. Available online through various retailers and outlets (with prices generally starting at about $15 for a can).
Booze as ice cream
Tipsy Scoop is a company that lives up to its name. It makes ice cream with an alcoholic kick. For Father’s Day, it offers a four-pack ($56) with some great flavors: Tequila Mexican “Hot” Chocolate, Vanilla Bean Bourbon, Spiked Mint Chocolate Chip and Dark Chocolate Whiskey Salted Caramel. Admittedly, you’ll have to eat a lot of this ice cream for the booze to register, but this is quality stuff either way.
A piece of The Rock
The Rock says: Treat your dad to his tequila.
Teremana
Dwayne Johnson — aka The Rock — is many things: a former pro wrestler, an actor and a businessman. And now he’s a tequila maker. The Rock is behind Teremana, a small-batch spirit that has a kind of gentility to it, with earthy and slightly sweet notes all at once. (Indeed, the first part of the tequila’s name refers to earth, as in the Latin “terra, while the “mana” is the Polynesian word for “spirit.”). The tequila comes in different expressions — blanco, reposado and añejo — starting at around $30. If dad is a fan of The Rock, I expect this would be a much-appreciated gift. And, hey, The Rock is a dad himself.
The gift of many bottles
With so many bottles to choose from, why settle for one? Even better, why not give dad a crash course in a spirit he may not know so well. Hence, my final pick: the American Single Malt Tasting Experience ($249) from Bevridge, a company that produces spirits events. The idea here is to learn all about what some call “American Scotch” — American single malts share much with the Scottish version, but they also have singular flavor characteristics. This “experience” includes 10 small bottles of whiskey from a half-dozen top producers. If your dad wants to educate himself further, Bevridge has plenty of video content on its website about the spirits and who makes them.