Western Living Magazine
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Photos: The Western Living Design 25 Finalists Party
Ten cocktail recipes your dad will love.
If there’s one thing we know, it’s that dads love beer (or scotch, or bourbon, or cognac). But this year, instead of gifting him with his fave bottle and calling it a day, use these recipes to mix up a perfect-for-dad cocktail—black walnut old fashioned, boozy iced tea, mezcal Rob Roy—and raise a glass to the big guy who has done so much for you.
Mixing beer and Clamato juice is nothing new, but the team at Tacofino takes the humble beverage to the next level with lime juice and tequila.
This recipe from Salted Vine‘s Dave Warren is a nostalgic rendition of a classical whiskey cocktail, inspired by his dad’s favourite spirit and his own childhood (he chewed on rhubarb stalks dipped in sugar as a kid).
It’ll be tough to find a dad who doesn’t like this cocktail from Ancora‘s Philipp Karatsyupa. The unusual combination of scotch, chocolate bitters and champagne comes together in perfect harmony—and the crushed Sweety Drop pepper garnish adds a nice sweet-and-sour finish.
It doesn’t get much simpler than this: the distillers at Martell complement their VSOP (Very Special Old Pale) cognac (wood, vanilla, butterscotch and pepper aromas) with triple sec and the tart-sweetness of a grilled lemon slice.
With warm weather in the forecast, you may want to celebrate with dad on the patio. And this Moroccan iced tea cocktail from Café Medina‘s Marc Slingsby-Jones is the perfect afternoon sipper: it’s cool, refreshing and citrusy.
Ryley Zucca, beverage director at La Mezcaleria, has created the ultimate fusion cocktail, pairing Cynar bitters with mezcal in a Mexican-Italian version of a Rob Roy.
Uva‘s Sabrine Dhaliwal, named Bartender of the Year in VanMag‘s 2017 Restaurant Awards, shares her recipe for Safe Key, a whiskey, green tea and ginger beer cocktail inspired by the tale of distiller Jasper “Jack” Daniel.
Martell‘s version of a rum and coke? Cognac and cola. The Caractère’s notes of pear and citrus—lemon, grapefruit and tangerine—are brought to life with a splash of pineapple juice.
JS Dupuis of Homer St. Cafe and Bar combines black walnut bitters, demerara sugar and rye for a nutty, Canadian version of a classic.
Warning: this is not your typical boulevardier. Maenam‘s citrusy Thai-inspired version is mixed with smokey mezcal, cointreau and vermouth, and can be finished with a fresh twist of grapefruit or orange rind.
Kaitlyn is a design-obsessed writer, editor and content manager based in Vancouver. When she's not busy swooning over gorgeous homes, you can find her reading, hiking and befriending as many dogs as possible.
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