Dad deserves a toast, a break and a strong, cold drink. Thankfully, the spirits world has got dad's back with a few refreshing cocktail recipes.

From tequila to rum and bourbon, these concocktions are crafted with fathers in mind. These are the perfect drinks for your family get-together or outdoor barbeque, and they’ll put a smile on your dad’s face, to say the least!

See also: Benriach Releases Ultra Rare 24, 23 and 12-Year Old Single Malt Scotch to U.S.

Bandido Burro

This refreshing beverage from El Bandido Yankee tequila has all the flavor and spice you need to pair with a delicious barbeque meal—or just enjoy it on a hot summer day. The garnishes tie it all together in one elevated drink.

Ingredients:

• 1½ oz El Bandido Yankee Tequila Blanco
• ½ oz Lime Juice
• 3 to 4 oz Ginger Beer

Directions: Blend all the ingredients together in a shaker over ice, then pour. Garnish with fresh mint and lime wedges.

Cactus Cable

This drink is not for the faint of heart, with its prickly pear syrup and cucumber wheels. Similar to the Bandido Burro, this cocktail uses El Bandido Yankee Tequila Blanco which is sure to get the party started!

Ingredients:

• 2 oz El Bandido Yankee Tequila Blanco
• 1 oz Lime Juice
• 3 Cucumber Wheels
• Tajin
• ¾ oz Prickly Pear Syrup
• 2 Dashes of Fire Water Bitters

Directions: Combine all the ingredients into a shaker and shake vigorously for 8 to 10 seconds. Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass, and garnish with a cucumber wheel topped with a pinch of tajin.

Magickal Childe

This cocktail comes straight from the newly opened Vinyl Steakhouse in New York City. No matter where you are in the country, this cocktail is sure to bring some flavor into your life with its grenadine, lime juice, and blackberry combination.

Directions:

• 4 oz Guinness
• 2 oz Cardinal Bourbon
• 2 tbsp grenadine or sugar syrup
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 5 fresh blackberries and 1 for garnish
• Lime wedge

Directions: Muddle the blackberries, then add bourbon, grenadine and lime juice into a cocktail shaker. Half fill the shaker with ice, and shake vigorously for 30 seconds. Pour into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Stir in Guinness and garnish with a lime wedge and blackberry threaded on a toothpick.

Wasabi mar-Gari-ta

Hailing from Gugu Room, the newly opened Filipino-Japanese izakaya in New York City, this unique drink is sure to turn heads at your next summer party. The calamansi honey adds a sweetness and a thick, syrupy texture that is a nice balance to the spicy wasabi flavor.

Ingredients:

• 1½ oz blanco tequila
• ½ oz Cointreau
• ½ oz calamansi honey
• 1oz lime juice
• 3 large pieces of Gari (pickled ginger)
• 1 barspoon wasabi paste
• For the rim: wasabi powder and smoked Madon salt

Directions: Add the tequila, Cointreau, calamansi honey, lime juice, gari and wasabi paste to a shaker and muddle. Add ice and shake vigorously. Rim a rocks glass by dipping half of it in calamansi honey, then roll in a mixture of wasabi powder and smoked Madon salt. Strain cocktail into rocks glass over fresh ice.

Spiced Fashion

This sweet drink from Koloa Rum is fruity, fun and perfect to combat the summer heat. The orange bitters offer a sour flavor that mixes nicely with the body of the drink. Nothing says summer like a delicious rum drink!

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Koloa Kauai Spice Rum
• ½ oz demerara syrup (1:1, turbinado sugar : water)
• 3 dashes orange bitters
• Garnish: orange slice and cocktail cherry

Directions: Mix demerara syrup and orange bitters in an Old Fashioned glass. Add a dash of plain water. Fill the glass with ice cubes, and add Koloa Kauai Spice Rum.

Coffee Negroni

Another from Koloa Rum, this is the perfect cocktail for the coffee lover in your life. The combination of rum and coffee flavor pairs deliciously with the kumquat zest garnish.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Koloa Kauai Coffee Rum
• 1½ oz Campari
• ½ oz orgeat
• Garnish: kumquat zest and hanging whole fruit

Directions: Stir Koloa Kauai Coffee Rum, Campari and orgeat with ice. Strain into glass with crushed ice. Zest a ripened kumquat over the cocktail.

The Kilkea Duke

This drink tastes like it comes straight from the garden with a heavy lime flavor and hints of fresh rosemary. From the bartenders at Kilkea Castle in Ireland, this cold and refreshing drink is great to serve at large for any outdoor occasion.

Ingredients:

• 25 ml of Chambord
• 25 ml of Writers Tears Whiskey
• 70 ml of crushed ice
• 50 ml of lime juice
• 15 ml of sugar syrup
• Rosemary
• Slice of lime

Directions: Combine Chambord and whiskey in a Boston glass. Add sugar syrup and lime juice to glass. Add a scoop of ice and shake for 20 seconds. Crush 70 ml of ice, and add to whiskey tumbler. Pour contents of Boston glass into the whiskey tumbler. Garnish with rosemary and a slice of lime. Enjoy!

Divine Manhattan

Does your dad love bacon and chocolate? This rich treat from the folks at Divine Chocolate will tickle the sweet tooth and make pops feel extra manly.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz smoked bacon (“Applewood” or “Hickory Smoked” both are good for infusing)
• 12 oz Rye
• 4” slices of thick cut smoked bacon for garnish
• 85% Divine Dark Chocolate bar
• Large flake sea salt
• 2 oz bacon infused Rye*
• ½ oz sweet vermouth
• 2 to 3 dashes Angostura Bitters
• Salted Divine Chocolate bacon garnish*

Directions:

Bacon Infused Rye

1. Render smoked bacon until crisp, then remove the bacon slices from the pan. Save rendering/liquid fat for next step.
2. In a heat safe, non-reactive container, measure out the rye. Pour the warm liquid fat over the rye, cover and let sit at room temperature for at least an hour (longer for a more pronounced flavor).
3. To skim fat, place the container in the freezer overnight. Once the fat has congealed and hardened, remove by breaking apart.
4. Filter infused rye through a coffee filter or fine strainer to remove any remaining particles. Store tightly sealed for up to two months.

Salted Divine Chocolate Bacon Garnish

1. Lay bacon on a sheet tray and bake at 375 F for 20 minutes, or until crisp, but not dry. You may need to pour off some of the rendered fat during the process (use this to make more bacon infused rye).
2. Remove from oven and transfer to a rack until cool.
3. Temper Divine Chocolate in a double boiler. Dip or paint half of the bacon with melted chocolate, sprinkle with salt and let cool until set. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Build the Cocktail

1. Combine bacon-infused rye, vermouth and bitters in a mixing glass.
2. Add ice and stir until well chilled. Strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass.
3. Garnish with a slice of salted chocolate bacon.

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