CLINK

WHO’S YOUR DADDY?

SOUR SIMPLICITY

We love cocktails that are creative with a mix of well-balanced, considered ingredients. The Violet Sour showcases simplicity over complexity. Highlights include gin, violette liqueur, lychee, and lemon with a hint of hibiscus extract. To enjoy one with 360-degree views, we suggest the Pink Lady Rooftop, which undoubtedly is one of the best spots in the city for an openair drink. Bring on the sunshine, and bring on the Violet Sours! pinkladyrooftop.co.nz

SWEET N’ SMOOTH

Looking for a premium Kentucky bourbon for dad, infused with the sweetness and smoothness of New Zealand honey? Batch10 has a strong, up-front Bourbon flavour with a smooth, natural honey finish which is proving very popular. This Puhoibased spirit brand recommends that your drink is best drunk neat and cold or with a cheeky splash of ginger beer. Try the Mānuka Smoked option for an alternative.

batch10.com

LIL’ BIDDY!

Reefton Distilling Co. and Swanndri have a lot in common; both are transforming raw elements of our environment into something wonderfully refined, with a dedication to enduring quality and down-to-earth Kiwi ambition. A bit like dad, really! Make him smile this Father’s Day. Little Biddy’s dry gin has notes of foraged watercress, snow moss, kahikatea tips, and toatoa – all delivering a soulful, aromatic experience. ballantynes.co.nz

BEOUF HEAD

Le Boeuf is Grater Good’s vegan answer to a French ‘beef’ burger. It’s stacked with two house-made beet patties, melted cheese, caramelised onions, aioli, lettuce, and topped off with pickles. As always, Grater Goods makes everything in house, and everything is plant-based. This beef burger is the perfect Father’s Day lunch – pair it with either a salad or fries on the side and a silky glass of delicious Bordeaux. Prendre plaisir! gratergoods.co.nz

SNAPSHOT IN TIME

Nik Mavromatis Greystone Wines greystonewines.co.nz Wine is incredibly unique in its ability to capture time and place. If you’re a brewery or a distiller, then you can have ferments going any time of the year to suit demand.

Winemaking means you only get one shot at it annually. It doesn’t matter if there has been a frost, if you can’t get staff due to a pandemic, or if there is a plague of locusts... I should not tempt fate!

Good wine doesn’t rely on additives and winemaking tricks. It should tell you the story of the vintage, whether it was a wet summer or a drought. It should tell you where it was from in the world. North Canterbury wines always show intensity from the drying effects of the nor’wester and beautiful aromatics from our soil profiles.

Just as a wedding, anniversary, or birthday celebrates a specific time, so does great wine. If you are to be celebrating a specific event, look to put some wine down in your cellar in advance or gift a special bottle from that year. You don’t need some fancy wine storage place, just somewhere that doesn’t get hot – in the back of a wardrobe works best. Most North Canterbury Pinot Noir will taste better around the seven-to-ten-year mark. Then when you open that wine, you can reflect on what you were doing and where you were – a real snapshot in time you can enjoy with friends.

Some wines I recommend:

Greystone Vineyard Ferment Pinot Noir 2019 This is fermented outside in the vineyard so that it captures the native yeasts and flavours of Canterbury. A unique and award-winning wine for the true Pinotphile. $75, greystonewines.co.nz

Muddy Water Pinot Noir 2018 From old, ungrafted vines that have deep roots into the clay-rich soil of Omihi. Organic and uncompromising with a fuller, richer style than many Pinots. $42, muddywater.co.nz

Norwester Pinot Noir 2018 A blend of three sites across North Canterbury to capture that sense of what true Cantabrian Pinot tastes like. $28, vinofino.co.nz