10 Bottles Of Booze To Gift On Father's Day
OK, so you forgot that Father's Day is Sunday. Don't stress. You could consult our trusty food and drink-related gift guide and get dad a crucial salt block or beer making kit. But there's always an easier way to make him happy. Hit up your nearest liquor store and grab one of these choice bottles, all Food Republic staff favorites. After all, we all know the golden rule of gift giving: you can never go wrong with a well-chosen bottle of booze. We made up that golden rule, but you get the point.
1. Hudson Whiskey Four Grain Bourbon
Made in New York State at Tuthilltown Spirits, this small-batch bourbon in the adorable fat medicine bottle is a gem if you can find it. It's a balanced blend of corn, rye, wheat and malted barley, 90% of which is sourced from within 10 miles of the distillery. The result is sweet and peppery, a mellow bourbon made for sipping. $50, hudsonwhiskey.com
2. Perry's Tot Navy Strength Gin
Named for a 19th-century commandant of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, this over-proof gin from New York Distilling Company manages to show all its subtler spice notes even when topped up with tonic. More alcohol means more flavor: win-win. $32, nydistilling.com
3. Caña Brava Rum
Made by our own Simon Ford, Caña Brava is an aged and filtered rum that goes through a relatively short but complex aging process to gather as much flavor from the oak as possible before it is filtered to remove a chunk of the flavor. This process may seem odd, but it is the purpose of the style; the filtering pushes back the complexities of the aging process and brings forth the flavor of the sugar cane. All of the beautiful flavor from the wood complements the sugar cane. $25, canabrava.com
4. Corsair Triple Smoke Whiskey
Created by one of our favorite craft distilleries (and the first to operate in Nashville since Prohibition), this acclaimed whiskey is distinctly American. It is comprised of three fractions of malted barley smoked, respectively, in cherry wood, peat and beechwood, then pot distilled and aged in new charred oak barrels. It has the honeyed vanilla notes of an American whiskey and the fruit and peat flavors of a Scotch. Enjoy it neat or in your favorite Scotch cocktail. $50, corsairartisan.com
5. Hangar One Kaffir Lime Vodka
Vodka may not be a conventional choice for a Father's Day bottle, but hear us out for just a minute here. Available in a variety of all-naturally infused flavors (yet still 80 proof, score), our favorite blend of the California-based company is kaffir lime. Made with the bumpy Thai citrus, there are rich notes of pepper and cucumber present in this one. Finally, a vodka that won't make you cringe when you drink it on the rocks! $30, hangarone.com
6. Siete Leguas Tequila
Siete Leguas continues to be the tequila geek's tequila for its über-traditional production method. Eight months in white oak barrels give their reposado a hay color with intense yellow hues and greenish highlights. It is herbaceous and peppery, and there is a powerful flavor of agave and wooden notes. $48, tequilasieteleguas.com.mx/english
7. Luli Amaro
Aperitif wines, amaros (actually, technically, amari) and other not-quite-hard liquors are all the rage these days. Sip them on their own or look up a cocktail recipe that makes use of one. Luli is a white version of the popular red-wine based Vergano Chinato elixir, and makes use of moscato as its base, like a brighter more herbaceous Lillet. $48, louisdressner.com
8. Four Roses Limited-Edition Single-Barrel Bourbon
Four Roses is where it's at when it comes to excellent value. We strongly urge you to use the original Four Roses with the yellow label in your mint julep. But you might not be able to bring yourself to mix the brand's new limited-edition bourbon, released this spring. Bottled at barrel strength, which is anywhere from 100.6 to 114.4 proof, only about 4,000 bottles went out to the market. Also read our interview with Four Roses distiller, Jim Rutledge. $80, fourrosesbourbon.com
9. Del Maguey Tobalá Mezcal
The natural progression for tequila lovers is to eventually try mezcal. Del Maguey Tobalá is made from wild mountain agave, about as organic as it gets. The mezcal has a sweet, fruity nose, with a mango and cinnamon taste and long, extra smooth, distinctly herbal finish. $135, mezcal.com
10. Five Banks Rum
On the lighter side of the rum spectrum there's Banks Five Island, a blend of rums from five different islands, including Java, in Indonesia, that gets aged between three and 12 years. The spirit is filtered crystal clear, then dosed with Batavia Arrack for a complex, herbaceous result. $33, banksrum.com
— George Embiricos and Chantal Martineau
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