A gin old-fashioned, you ask? Everybody knows an old-fashioned is made with bourbon or rye. Nope, not this week: For today’s Happy Hour, we’re serving a cool little story and a great cocktail to share with your pop this Father’s Day weekend.

Back in the mid- to late-19th century, a “cocktail” was a specific drink, just like a collins, julep or rickey, and comprised of five ingredients: A base spirit, bitters, sugar, water (or ice), and peel. The choice of base spirit didn’t matter; as long these five components came together, it was a cocktail. Over time, however, the term “cocktail” evolved into a generic name for pretty much any mixed drink. So if you wanted the real thing, then you had to go old-school and order… an old-fashioned.

So I teamed up with John McCarthy (yes, a different John McCarthy), beverage director of the gin-centric NYC bar Whitehall, who showed me this “new” twist on the old-fashioned. Gin is basically a vodka flavored with at least seven classic ingredients, the most pronounced being juniper. I’ve never been a huge gin fan, but John turned me on to Nolet’s gin, which adds a little raspberry, Turkish rose and peach to the mix, making it a little less juniper-forward. It definitely worked for me.

So if you’re seeing the old man this weekend, here is a fine drink to share with him.  If you’re not, treat yourself and raise your glass in his honor. And to my own pop and all you dads out there, Happy Father’s Day!

No. 11
Recipe courtesy of John McCarthy, beverage director of Highlands Restaurant Group

What You’ll need:
2 oz. Nolet’s Silver Dry Gin
.25 oz. simple syrup
3 dashes of orange bitters

How to make it:
Stir and strain over ice, garnish with orange twist. 

Via: Happy Hour A Gin Old-Fashioned for the Old Man