Cocktails, Campfires & Chaos: A Very Dad-ly Father’s Day Après

Welcome back, friends of the flask and fans of the firepit.  This is the Father’s Day Après edition of Banter at the Bistro.  

If you tuned in to Cocktails with Friends, you already know this Father’s Day is less necktie, more smoked tomato jalapeño Bloody Mary. Hosts Bob Cutler and Rich Stoner (Bob’s co-conspirator in all things après) brought the heat—literally—sharing their backyard smoker secrets, parenting fails, and the fine art of accidentally smacking strangers at galas. Real fatherhood energy.

Bob, resident mixologist and pancake connoisseur, laid out his ideal Father’s Day game plan: sleep past 6:30 (lofty goals with a 3 and 5-year-old), whip up a batch of fluffy flapjacks—none of that “pat it down with the spatula” nonsense—and, in a bold move, break pescatarian protocol for bacon. After that, it’s off to the driving range for a “three-hole max” round of golf with the little ones. Later? Fire up the pizza oven or grill, pour a glass of wine, and let the après begin.

Rich? Well, he’s basically running a suburban Tour de Northeast. From Pennsylvania tryouts to upstate New York college visits, his Father’s Day might be spent behind the wheel—but he’s making the most of it with brewery pit stops, meat on the smoker, and dreams of a recliner with a cold one. That’s the spirit.

Enter special guest Feet Banks, editor of Mountain Life Magazine and proud Canadian, joining in from the wilds of Squamish, BC. He brought tales of beach fires, grilled cheese cooked over open flames, and the unmatched joy of receiving a fly-killing salt shotgun from his teenage son. Is that not the most dad gift ever?

So here’s your playbook if you’ve been sleeping on Father’s Day plans:

  • Hike, then hit a brewpub. (Or just park at the far end of the lot. Counts.)
  • Fire up the smoker, the grill, or the pizza oven. Meat = love.
  • Let the kids craft a cocktail (watermelon lemonade counts).
  • Backyard campout? Firepit hang? Beachside toast? All acceptable.

Just remember: après isn’t a time of day. It’s a state of mind. One filled with laughs, love, maybe a little bourbon, and definitely no neckties.

Happy Father’s Day. Now go forth and après like a legend.  Cheers!