Father’s Day is a day to toast your dad. In his honor, here are a slew of beverage ideas, starting with the “manly” mojito and the “Vesper,” favored by those icons of manhood, Ernest Hemingway and James Bond. The recipes, listed below, are found in “Cocktails” by Norman Kolpas (Fireside Books, 2008), which might be a nice gift for Dad. That way, he can make his own toast.
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COOKBOOKS
— “Slurp,” another new book on drinks, written by Nina and Jim Hensley and Paul Lowe (Andrews McMeel, 2008): This book includes some very simple, appealing recipes. For a sample, see the nonalcoholic lemonade and the watermelon cooler below.
— “Sam the Cooking Guy” by Sam Zien (Wiley, 2008): Zien, host of a cooking show on the Discovery Health channel, takes a no-nonsense, guy-friendly approach to good cooking. Dad will be whipping up platters of fajitas, black-bean salmon or risotto in no time. Beer Two Ways, also listed below, comes from his book.
— “Dad’s Own Cookbook” by Bob Sloan (Workman, 2007): This reissued 1993 cookbook remains useful and helps the culinary beginner get up to speed in no time.
COOKING EQUIPMENT
— Most Father’s Day gift guides include a lot of grills and grill accessories, which are cool but do not necessarily encourage everyday-type cooking. But you have to get a load of the mesh-grill-top fry pan. It’s inspired, apparently, by Spanish Basques cuisine and can be used to cook vegetables on the grill (www.williams-sonoma.com; $29.95). From the same source, there’s the Pizza-Cue Pizza Stone, which goes on the grill to make pizzas, fajitas and the like ($99.95).
— How’s this for a manly present? A mortar and pestle carved from volcanic lava. It’s called a molcajete, and Williams-Sonoma sells it for $49. Dad will be making guacamole and grinding spices in no time.
— Knives are macho gifts — and so useful for prepping dinner ingredients. There are many types out there, but you can’t miss with the German-made Henckel. Check out www.knifecenter.com. If you decide against kitchenware, you can buy Dad a sword, a machete or shaving supplies.
COOKING CLASSES
For a gift with many happy returns, send Dad to cooking class. You’ll find them at your local Y, continuing-ed institutions, cookware stores, culinary schools, etc. Restaurants often offer classes, as do some caterers. The King Arthur Flour Co. in Norwich, Vt., is offering a pizza-making class for fathers and kids on Father’s Day, as well as other classes throughout the year and online (www.kingarthurflour.com).
MOJITO
2 or 3 sugar cubes
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
1-1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
ice cubes
2 ounces light rum
3 ounces club soda
1 lime wedge and 1 fresh mint sprig for garnish
In the bottom of a sturdy, tall highball glass, use a muddler or the back of a wooden spoon to combine the sugar cubes, mint and lime juice, pounding firmly but gently and grinding the ingredients together until the sugar cubes are crushed and partially dissolved.
Fill the glass with ice cubes. Add the rum, then pour in the soda. Stir well. Garnish with the lime wedge and mint sprig, and serve.
For a blended mojito: Muddle the sugar, mint and lime juice in the glass. Add the rum and steep for two hours. Put a glassful of ice cubes into a blender and pour in the mixture though a fine mesh sieve. Add another 1/4 cup of fresh mint leaves along with the club soda. Cover and blend until smooth.
Yield: 1 serving
Recipe from “Cocktails” by Norman Kolpas (Fireside Books, 2008)
VESPER
1-1/2 ounces vodka
1-1/2 ounces gin
1 ounce Lillet Blanc
ice cubes
1 strip lemon zest, 3 inches long
Chill a martini glass in the freezer, or fill it with ice and water and set aside to chill.
Pour the vodka, gin and Lillet Blank into a cocktail shaker filled two-thirds with ice. Stir, or close and shake the shaker, for 15 to 20 seconds.
Strain the drink into the chilled (empty) glass. Hold the strip of lemon zest over the drink and twist its ends in opposite directions to release its oils. Drop the zest into the glass.
Serving idea: Photocopy the page from a paperback copy of Ian Fleming’s “Casino Royale,” in which James Bond names this martini after his love interest, Vesper Lynd. Use the pages as coasters.
Yield: 1 serving
Recipe from “Cocktails” by Norman Kolpas (Fireside Books, 2008)
BEER TWO WAYS
Lager and Lime
1 bottle beer, preferably a good lager
2 tablespoons Rose’s lime juice
Open the bottle and take a big sip. Replace the sip with the lime juice and then, with your thumb over the top, turn the bottle upside down to mix. Then turn slowly upright and release your thumb. Enjoy.
Yield: 1 serving
Red Beer
1 (12-ounce) bottle flavorful beer (nothing “light”)
6 ounces spicy tomato juice
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 big, fat lime wedges
Divide all of the ingredients (except for the lime wedges) between two glasses and mix well. Squeeze a lime wedge into each glass, then drop the wedge into the glass.
Yield: 2 servings
Recipes from “Sam the Cooking Guy” by Sam Zien (Wiley, 2008)
WATERMLEON AND GINGER COOLER
1-1/3 cups cubed watermelon
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1/2 cup soda water
1-1/2 cups ice cubes
Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a glass and serve.
Yield: 1 serving
Recipe from “Slurp” by Nina and Jim Hensley and Paul Lowe (Andrews McMeel, 2008)
HOMEMADE LEMONADE CONCENTRATE
6 organic lemons
4-1/4 cups water
2-1/4 cups sugar
Wash the lemons well and cut them into thick slices. Put these in a large saucepan with the water and sugar. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Keep covered in the fridge for 24 hours. Strain, pour into a clean jar, cover and refrigerate. You now have a concentrate that needs to be mixed with water: one part concentrate to three parts water. Serve with lots of ice.
Yield: 20 servings when diluted according to directions
Recipe from “Slurp” by Nina and Jim Hensley and Paul Lowe (Andrews McMeel, 2008)
Marialisa Calta is the author of “Barbarians at the Plate: Taming and Feeding the American Family” (Perigee, 2005). For more information, go to www.marialisacalta.com.
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