As dads get older, they tend to stick to patterns, which can be an equally maddening and endearing trait. Filtered through the lens — er, glass — of booze, this means most people could tell you their father’s favorite drink. It probably didn’t change much over the course of growing up.
As Father’s Day approaches, let’s raise a glass to dad and his tipple of choice. We asked nearly a dozen bartenders, brand owners and drinks professionals about their father’s preferred drink and a story behind it. From an NFL legend whose barometer for a good cocktail is sticking a finger in “like a chef checking a sauce” to a bourbon historian who had his own signature Manhattan, these tales prove that dads are not a monolith. Some prefer the simplicity of an ice-cold beer (though as you’ll see, not just any style will do), while others swear by the ritual of building a complex drink.
If there’s one commonality among these preferences, it’s this: dads like it the way they like it, and nothing else will do.
“My father drank highballs. Japanese whisky and soda, nothing else, but the way he ordered it was the whole thing. He wanted one large piece of ice, never cubes, and he would tell the bartender to express the lemon peel over the glass and then throw the peel away, never drop it in. And if the bubbles went soft before he finished, he would just stop drinking it. He would not complain, he would not send it back, he would simply leave it. As a kid, I thought he was impossible. Now I understand he was paying attention to the part of the drink that the guest is not supposed to notice, which is exactly the part that matters.” — Yu Jiang Zhao, founder of Kobayashi Bar
“As an adult, my dad would come to visit me in CA (he lived in NY), and my mom would get on him if he wanted a drink. But I would get the wink and knew Oban was his favorite. So I got a bottle of Oban and we’d share a small pour when he was here. He passed away about 15 years ago, but I still have that exact bottle, and on his birthday, I take it out and have a small sip and toast to him.” — Troy Bolotnick, founder and CEO of Filmland Spirits
“My dad, Kevin, has been a rum lover as long as I’ve been alive, and he’s developed from rum appreciator to rum expert and adventurer. (Perhaps this is why we took multiple trips to Jamaica and Guadeloupe when I was a kid.) When I was young, I remember his go-to was always a rum and orange juice. Later, as he got more into the history and geography of rum, his go-to became a Daiquiri. (“You can always tell the true skill of a bartender by how they make a Daiquiri,” he says. “Fresh lime juice and simple syrup only, none of that cordial stuff.”) Today, he orders a Ti’ Punch from any bartender who knows how to make it. Funky and savory from the rhum, with the hints of tropical flavors that make a Daiquiri delicious, but for those who want the rhum to stand out above all else.” — Emily Nixon, wine publicist at Glodow Nead Communications
“My grandfather would always order a Tom Collins with Beefeater. As a kid, I absolutely thought this was the coolest thing, but I had absolutely no idea what it meant. He’d order a Tom Collins, and my sisters and I would all order Shirley Temples or virgin Piña Coladas. My strongest memory of him ordering a Tom Collins is that no one ever got it right (in his opinion).” — Allison Bowers, co-founder of drinks publicity firm Willow PR
“My dad, Chet, was an attorney but also a bourbon historian, so he loved learning about and tasting whiskey. I remember him walking in the door after work and reaching to make the same after-work drink every time, a classic Manhattan. He had his own system: he kept a bottle of bourbon in the freezer and chilled his glasses, so by the time he poured, the whole thing was ice cold. I was his designated shaker. I’d grab the shaker with both hands and shake it as hard as I could, completely obsessed with seeing how cold and frosted I could get the metal before it went into the glass.” — Trey Zoeller, founder and master blender of Jefferson’s Bourbon
“My father did not collect wine or have expensive tastes. He did, however, have a deep love for Mexican lagers. I remember my father’s passion for deep-sea fishing. He would travel 155 miles south to Ensenada, Mexico, where he and his friends would charter a boat deep into the Pacific Ocean. I still have a picture of him with his friends: laughing, smiling and most likely intoxicated from sucking down numerous bottles of Mexican beer. When I was the wine director at the original Union Square Cafe in Manhattan, my father and mother dined with me. The general manager offered my father a beverage. “I’ll take a Corona,” he said. Embarrassed, I replied, “Dad, they have these amazing local hazy IPAs you should try.” Under his breath, he muttered, “Fuck IPAs. I hate craft beer.” The general manager ran to the local liquor store and returned with a black plastic bag filled with a six-pack of Corona. He placed the beers in a silver-plated champagne bucket and offered one to my father.” — Michael Scaffidi, sommelier at Fish Shop in Washington, D.C.
“Whenever there was something to celebrate, my father always ordered a tequila neat with a side of sangrita. Not only was the drink itself memorable, but the ritual. My father would alternate between sips of tequila and sangrita rather than mixing them together. He always said the sangrita was meant to complement the tequila. As a father and someone fortunate enough to work alongside my children, these moments mean even more now.” — Chef Richard Sandoval of Richard Sandoval Hospitality
“Terry has always been mindful of staying in shape, so Diet Coke has long been his go-to. Somewhere along the way, he decided Diet Coke and a splash of bourbon made it perfectly acceptable for a midday round of golf. The golf course is one of the few places where we can both put our phones away and just enjoy each other’s company. Terry is one of the wisest people I know, and some of my favorite conversations with him have happened walking down a fairway with that drink in hand. What always makes me laugh is his routine when the cocktail arrives. He immediately removes the little straw, stirs the drink with his finger and then tastes it by putting his finger in his mouth, almost like a chef checking a sauce.” — Noah Hester, chef and co-founder of Bradshaw Bourbon (with his father-in-law, NFL legend Terry Bradshaw)
The Best Bottles for Father’s Day, According to the Country’s Biggest Whiskey Retailer
Find the ideal bottle for every whiskey-enthusiast dad, as suggested by Total Wine’s spirits expert“My father was not much of a drinker, but I have a great memory of him getting a little tipsy at a dinner with me. I was in my early 20s, had moved to California and was working at a high-end steakhouse. My parents flew out to visit, so my husband and I took them to our restaurant for dinner. My husband ordered a Vox Vodka Martini and Dad decided to try one as well. He obviously liked it as he ordered a second. Note that this was the late 1990s when steakhouses served huge 5- to 6-ounce Martinis. My father was inebriated (in a good way) by the end of dinner. When we went back to my house, he lay on the couch and passed out. This was my first ‘grown-up’ dinner with my parents and sharing a drink with my father was a great experience. We gave him a bottle of Vox for Christmas that year and I’m pretty sure he still hasn’t opened it.” — Lisa Kozloff, director of beverage at Firebirds Wood Fired Grill
“My dad’s Caipirinha had one rule nobody else followed: He muddled the lime with the sugar, then let it sit for a full two minutes before the cachaça ever went in. Said the sugar had to pull the oil out of the peel on its own time and you couldn’t rush it with alcohol. Bartenders hated the wait. He’d stand there with his hand over the glass like he was guarding it, then taste it before the ice went in, one small sip of warm lime and sugar and cachaça, and only then nod for the ice. He called that first warm sip ‘truth.’” — Caio Costa, general manager of Laurel at The Talbott Hotel
“Before his passing in December 2025, my dad had started to drink less, but in his words: ‘Since I’m drinking less, I can drink the good stuff.’ Fact is, he had good taste and an eye for value, and by the time I was born, Gordon’s Gin was the usual, with Tanqueray being a bit of a splurge. It was the latter he reached for one summer afternoon (I was not yet 9 years old) to teach me how to make one of his standby cocktails, the Gimlet. He viewed the Gimlet as a day drinker’s drink because it could be made in a way that allowed one to have three or four without bottoming out before dinner. His recipe was equal measures of gin and Rose’s sweetened lime cordial. He would add a squeeze of fresh lime and shake it vigorously over ice, dumping all the contents out in a glass and adding more ice if there was room. Garnish with another slice of lime. I still remember feeling so adult as we played chess and sipped our cocktails (mine that day was 100% Rose’s lime with a fresh-squeezed piece of lime, shaken and served the same way). It’s still a drink I relish in summer.” — Jackson Cannon, beverage director at Eastern Standard Hospitality
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