Father’s Day. That compulsory, faintly absurd matinée in which offspring, nudged by guilt and the tireless ingenuity of marketing departments, attempt to settle a lifelong account with socks stitched with puns, ties for jobs long since abandoned, novelty aprons, and aftershaves which cling to the air like guilty admissions. A day when the machinery of sentiment is shrink-wrapped, barcoded, and subsequently quietly tipped into the landfill with everything else we once believed would last.
There is, however, still a better offering. Take him drinking. Ideally, somewhere he cannot be easily retrieved: to a brewery, to a vineyard. Or simply pour him a glass— properly, patiently — and let it say what you can’t articulate. That could be out for one of London’s best martinis — like those at the Dover, at the top of this page — or a night in with a good dram of whisky, as below.
Because in the end, it is not the garments, the gadgets, or the glib cards which are remembered. It is the clink of two glasses: brief, brittle, brave. A small sound, yet the oldest toast in the world — a sound which says “thanks Dad.”
Sugrue Dear Noodles Rosé 2023
Named not after a favourite takeaway, but the dearly departed lurcher of legendary winemaker, Dermot Sugrue, whose rhubarb-evoking, dark rebellious English rosé is to Provence what a well-worn Barbour is to catwalk couture. Deeper, realer, altogether less performative.
Champagne Drappier Rosé de Saignée
This is a grown-up, bold Champagne for a father who can strip an engine. Drappier’s saignée-method, cherry-scented rosé is vibrant, persistent, and dressed for summer, though with enough backbone to remind you this is not a frivolous fizz, but a toast worth raising.
Billecart-Salmon Nicolas François 2012
This cuvée blends grand cru Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, aged, darkly, for a decade on lees until it emerges with the composure of a Saville Row suit. Orchard fruits, just-baked brioche, and the kind of finish which lingers longer than anything you meant to say. For fathers with cellar space next to the First Growths.
Palmaráe Gin Premier Cru gin
For the father who once owned an XJ12 with the top smart spec. A gin at its most worldly - distilled in France, but botanicised in Morocco. As the price suggests, this is certainly not for an average dad. It tastes of travel, albeit without the pain of the boarding gate. Designed for martinis, or to be admired over big, filtered ice, tonic-free.
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NUDE Bar / Giani Martini Glasses
Because even fathers with elbows like driftwood deserve to drink from something with architectural integrity. Designed by Giorgio Bargiani of The Connaught, above — who knows the weight of a proper glass with class, and the importance of a good pour.
That Boutique-y 21-year-old Irish whiskey, Capallín Chonamar
If your father has aged as well as this, consider yourself fortunate. This stately Irish whiskey has spent over two decades in ex-bourbon and Oloroso barrels, developing honeyed, dried fruit characteristics. The label stars a Connemara pony: a creature as surefooted as it is unfazed, a fitting stand-in for a man who’s weathered life’s misalignments with dignity and dry humour.
Cotswolds Distillery Hearts and Crafts Calvados Cask
Joinery in a bottle. Matured in Calvados casks and wrapped in William Morris patterning, this malt is built for the father who sharpens his own chisels and alphabetises his seed packets. Orchard soul, with a brush of pastry makes this dangerously drinkable, so succumb. Just 1,500 bottles.
Sambrook’s Brewery & Heritage Centre Tour
A gift for fathers who believe history should be drunk. Led by the mighty John Hatch, who single-handedly kept brewing alive in Wandsworth after Young’s closed - this is a tour through Britain’s oldest continuous brewing site conducted with rare, mesmerising mastery.
Denbies Cellar Tasting & Gallery Lunch
Treat dad to Surrey’s take on Sonoma: a day which begins with a flute of Whitelands sparkling in the on-site cinema, segues into a cellar tour led by the effervescent Jeremy, and concludes with a tower-top lunch overlooking 265 acres of vines, pictured above. The estate once belonged to Thomas Cubitt - architect of half of Belgravia - but these days it’s better known as the setting for the Bacchus marathon, where wine and Lycra go hand in hand. Trains from Victoria or Waterloo.
