15 Cocktails to Make for Father’s Day

Why not swap the standard six-pack for a tasty cocktail? Whether you’re looking for sophisticated sippers or cookout-friendly summer drinks, these Father’s Day recipes—including bourbon, rye, and beer cocktails—are all delicious ways to pay tribute to the dads in your life.

1. Manhattan

If Dad appreciates tradition, you can’t go wrong with this timeless combination of rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters. The beloved drink has remained much the same since it allegedly debuted at New York City’s Manhattan Club around 1880. 

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2. Michelada

Michelada loosely translates to “my cold beer,” and this thirst-quenching savory cocktail is indeed best served ice-cold. Although many versions add tomato or Clamato sauce, producing a drink that resembles a Bloody Mary, our Mexico City-inspired recipe calls for lager, Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, lime juice, black pepper, and celery salt. 

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3. Oaxaca Old Fashioned

For agave-spirit enthusiasts, mix up this Old Fashioned riff that bar pro Phil Ward created at New York City’s now-shuttered Mayahuel. He combines reposado tequila, mezcal, agave nectar, and Angostura bitters to produce a smoky, earthy take on the classic. 

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4. Bourbon Rosemary Punch

If you’re hosting a crowd, mix up this bittersweet big-batch cocktail with rosemary-infused Aperol, bourbon, honey syrup, grapefruit juice, dry sparkling wine, and soda water. You can make the punch ahead of time so you can spend more time with guests—and, of course, Dad!

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5. Whiskey Smash

Although it dates back to at least 1887, this citrusy and minty cocktail was revived by legendary bartender Dale DeGroff in the 1980s and ’90s. The refreshing mix of bourbon, muddled lemon wedges, simple syrup, and mint leaves is easy to love. 

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6. Lagerita

Serve Dad a beer in cocktail form: This twist on a Margarita adds Modelo lager to the classic combination of tequila, Cointreau, and lime juice. 

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7. Old Pal

If Dad is a Negroni or Boulevardier fan, he might just find a new friend in this lighter, drier variation, which calls for equal parts rye whiskey, Campari, and dry vermouth. Although it’s less well-known than its counterparts, the Old Pal is no newfangled creation—it was invented by famed bartender Harry MacElhone in the 1920s.

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8. Summer Rye

This cocktail proves that its namesake spirit can work any time of year. Rye whiskey, St-Germain liqueur, simple syrup, and lemon and apple juices are topped with Champagne to produce a fruity and fizzy drink. 

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9. Painkiller

Take Dad to the tropics with this fruity mix of dark rum, pineapple and orange juices, and cream of coconut, garnished with freshly grated nutmeg. First created in the 1970s in the British Virgin Islands as a riff on the Piña Colada, the irresistible drink lives up to its ail-curing promise.  

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10. Peach Beer Julep

Can’t choose between bourbon and beer? Mix up this inventive Mint Julep riff from Speed Rack co-founder Lynnette Marrero with bourbon, muddled peach slices, and an IPA simple syrup. 

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11. Tom Collins

Think beyond the G&T with this simple but delicious gin cocktail you can build right in the glass. First immortalized in Harry Johnson’s 1882 book New and Improved Bartender’s Manual, the classic combination of gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, and club soda is as easy to make as it is to throw back.  

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12. Hemingway Daiquiri

Legend has it Hemingway himself first tried a variation of this drink at El Floridita Bar in 1930s-era Havana, when he asked for a Daiquiri with half the sugar, double the booze. That cocktail was nearly undrinkable, but a few tweaks over the years have ensured the mix of white rum, maraschino liqueur, and lime and grapefruit juices goes down easily. 

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13. Sour Shandy

This citrusy beer cocktail from Marrero is endlessly riffable, calling for your spirit of choice and freshly squeezed lemon, grapefruit, or lime juice. The two constants: a homemade sour beer syrup and lager beer to top. 

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14. Dark ’n Stormy

Ginger beer and lime juice make this refreshing sipper similar to the Moscow Mule, but it calls for rum instead of vodka. Legally, any drink called a Dark ’n Stormy must include Gosling’s Black Seal, a rich Bermudan rum, but if you’re keeping the party to your backyard, any dark rum will probably do. 

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15. Black Demure

Despite its moniker, this fruity bourbon drink is anything but demure. Rather, its namesake is the blackberry liqueur creme de mure, which New York City bartender Franky Marshall combines with bourbon, Cointreau, lemon juice, and simple syrup. 

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