It’s Father’s Day and, as someone who was only recently promoted to the position a little over a year ago, I can assure you that the year may have gone by quick but the days were extremely long. Being around a toddler is like being around a very (very!) large heavenly body in space — the fabric of space and time bend around it. Consequently, night and day merge into each other, and time, as shown by a clock, or the sun’s relative position in the sky, has little meaning on whether you should be working or resting. At times like these, a nifty little nightcap first thing in the morning is the best coping mechanism.
Now let me clarify that fatherhood is nothing compared to motherhood yet it poses its own unique set of challenges and, as the respective parenthood’s progress, the problems only diverge encore. Either way, both parents need support, mostly from each other but, every now and then, a little bottle goes a long way in showing that the caregivers too need to be cared for.
Here then are my three top choices for ringing in a very special day that is only commemorated because we fathers are seeking validation for taking care of a living thing that we ourselves willingly brought into this crowded world in the first place.
Beer
Nothing cheers a man up like a beer. A good classic lager or a pale ale, or whatever new-fangled category takes your fancy, as long as it has some malt and hops, it’s good to go. Why? Because as a father, you always need to be on the alert. The tots can go up-ending things in a second, and some situations can pose a serious threat to their continued well-being. Jumping off a ledge, falling off the bed, kicking a stone…anything can happen. As a father, I need something to calm my nerves but not so much that I zone out. A beer at 5% abv or so is just the right amount of dosing for that in-between relaxation where one is calm yet alert enough to make an agile move to catch the flying kiddo, should the need arise.
My picks
Kati Patang Ruby Ale, Bira White, Geist Kamacitra
An old fashioned at Valkyrie, as mixed by owner Aaron Post with a blend of Elijah Craig bourbon and Rittenhouse straight rye, in Tulsa Okla., Feb. 19, 2016. The growing availability of single-source and small-batch spirits has popularized interest in savoring unblended liquors, but some cocktail makers continue to experiment with blending, sometimes with wonderful new results. (Shane Brown/The New York Times)
Bourbon
While a beer is great, a Bourbon goes deeper, where feelings truly reside. And when it gets cold outside, or a cold chill runs inside, a beer may not cut it. That’s when one needs to switch it up and a Bourbon is a great upgrade. It smells all fruity and dessert-like, which means, it feels festive. Unlike single malts, Bourbon is disarming, less strict and friendlier. It is also more flexible, good on its own or party to being mixed in with a mixer of your choice, ranging from cola to green tea! There is always that hour between two sunrises when a guy wants to sip slow and think slow – when they know that they have done it all and now is the time to simply sit back, observe, and reminisce. The momentum of parenthood is adequate at this point so that you can allow the system to run on auto pilot. These moments are rarer when the child is a toddler but get more frequent thereon. A Bourbon drink thus, is best timed around when an infant child is sleeping, or a grown up one has gone for their graduation ceremony.
My picks
Varchas Straight Bourbon, Jim Beam Devil’s Cut, Four Roses Single Barrel
Tequila
Okay, to be honest I wanted to write Mezcal – it’s earthier, and richer in taste – but tequila is easier to find. Either way, a father, even as he devotes himself to ensuring that the tot doesn’t self-destruct around him, still needs to remember that he too once was young and therefore should never let his inner child (of legal drinking age, I hastily add) grow up or be forgotten. Good Tequila, fresh and herbaceous, is the cleanest of plant-based distillates and, in that, it can be a veritable fountain for youthful rejuvenation. Tequila reminds me of when we were young, troubled and volatile, of how we felt and behaved and, not always in the right manner. Empathy came only with age, (as also did the wisdom to not shoot tequila but sip it instead!) So, when the little one floods the den, or draws on walls, or knicks the fender on your weekend sportster, remember that it could always have been a lot worse. Teq up before you have that talk.
These three drinks to mark Father’s Day, or Mother’s Day, or general parenthood everyday, whatever you choose, choose in moderation.
