Father’s Day Bourbon BBQ Bash (Great for Birthdays Too)
This year for Father’s Day we celebrated with some spice, our Dad’s BBQ Game is out of this World BBq sauces and a splash of bourbon. This is the ultimate combo for the father figures in our lives. Whether you’re planning a birthday bash or a liad-back summer gathering this Bourbon BBQ theme is a gauranteed crowd-pleaser.
Here’s all the fun stuff we did to celebrate our guy; from cocktail station to a cigar fire pit plus our full menu with creative and fun twists.
Bourbon Cocktail Station
We turned a long banquet table into a cocktail creation zone by covering it in black butcher paper and writing the drink recipes directly on the surface in mixed fonts using white paint. We called it: BOURBON BABY
Tips
- measure your table and then cut the paper to fit
- use a ruler – even if you want something flowy and casual you’re eye will appreciate a guide
- premake the sign – lay it out somewhere your back won’t get angry and start working so that you’re not worrying about this the day of your party
- before you get the markers or white paint out; use a pencil. You’ll be grateful.
- leave room for the ingredients to go on the table. You may need to put them out as you make your sign
“Bourbon Baby”
Guests grabbed a glass, added ice and made one of four signature bourbon cocktails:
- Bourbon Arnold Palmer
- Maple Whiskey Sour
- Traditional Old Fashion
- Cherry Bourbon Float
Bourbon Arnold Palmer
- 1 shot Bourbon
- Fill Glass with Lemonade-Ice tea Mix
Maple Whiskey Sour
- 1 shot Bourbon
- squeeze of lemon
- 1/2 shot maple syrup
- dash of bitters
- 1 Tbsp egg white
- Shake and pour over ice
Traditional Old Fashioned
- 1 shot Bourbon
- Squeeze of simple syrup
- Dash of bitters
- Garnish with orange peel and cherry
Bourbon Float
- 1 scoop vanilla ice cream
- 1 shot bourbon
- Fill with Cherry Coke
- Garnish with whipped cream and a cherry
This table makes hosting so much easier. Interactive for your guests, offers lots of options and is host friendly.
The Menu: Bourbon Inspired with BBQ Faves
We laid out the full menu on another sheet of black butcher paper for the food table. This menu I did with gold and silver sharpies. I found this to be a much easier option. Follow the same tips for making your table runner easy and organized.
The Big Deal: Pulled Pork Bar
We slow-cooked a pork shoulder and then offered different homemade BBQ sauces from around the world. We slow roasted the pork with a dry rub. If you want to slow cook it add some chicken stock but don’t cook it in any BBQ sauces so that you’re guests can add their own flavour profile with BBQ sauces from around the world. You could add a cute sign that said “DAD, YOU’RE OUT OF THIS WORLD”
We also suggest using these BBQ sauces as a heartfelt and budget friendly Father’s Day gift. Find our BBQ sauce recipes here.
- South Africa “Monkey Gland” – steak and lamb
- USA ” Traditional” – ribs and chicken
- Portugal ” Red Wine Cherry” – ribs and steak
- Cuban “Mojo” – pork
- Italian “Tuscan Herbs” – seafood
- Asian ” Beijing BBQ” – chicken
Sides
We offered lots of make ahead sides. We did a mix of items that either continued with the Bourbon theme or we consciously chose things that would lighten up the menu. Click on each item to get the recipe.
Bourbon Baked Beans
These were the hit of the evening. They’re smoky, sweet and rich. Several of our guests wanted to take them home to eat on toast the next morning.
Watermelon, Mint and Feta Salad
This is where we felt we needed to lighten up the menu. This salad is also so visually appealing. The beautiful watermelon is simply dressed with a good olive oil and fresh lemon juice. The ingredients shine here
Coleslaw with Apple Bourbon Dijon Vinaigrette
Count this as a new pic nic staple as well. This salad should be put close to the pork to encourage your guests to add it right into their pulled pork sandwich.
Grinder Pasta Salad
This is my version of the viral grinder pasta salad. I loaded it with bocconcini, roasted red peppers, salami and lots of bright vegetables. Another great idea for this menu would be to do a macaroni and cheese.
Corn on the Cob with Bourbon Lime Butter
Super easy, unexpected and addictive. The Bourbon Lime Butter would also go great on your bun before you pile on the pork. This is still refreshing but I love that it is still on theme.
Desserts
A sweet finish is the best part of a good menu. We used the same philosophy and wanted a mix of things that were light and bright and then a contrasting flavour of rich and deep like the bourbon.
Mini Lemon Meringue Pies
Honestly, I bought these from Costco. They added some nice color and obviously were easy. However also consider making some easy ones in a jar.
Chocolate Cake with an Amaretto Cherry Sauce
We also chose an easy option. We simply baked a chocolate cake from a mix. Whipped up a quick butter cream and then made it extra by reducing some frozen cherries into an Amaretto Cherty Sauce. This has those dark flavours that go well with bourbon.
Banana Cream Puddings with a Bourbon Caramel
The Banana cream puddings were the evening winner. Layers of vanilla pudding and whip cream, bananas, cream filled vanilla cookies are topped off with a homemade bourbon caramel sauce. A touch of Malden salt on top adds a little something too.
DIY Cigar Station
We created a cigar bar for after supper. We were outside and having a casual evening so we created a Cigar Station sign and set it up with the cigars at the fire pit. But some great additions to make it fancy could be:
- grab a rustic tray to put the assorted cigars on
- provide matches and a vintage ashtray
- Your sign could say “Smoke ‘Em if You Got ‘Em Pops”
This would add an old school lounge feel and will be an great hangout corner after dessert.
Blind Bourbon Tasting: Guess the Pour
We set up a “Dad vs. the Distiller” guessing game. We poured one top shelf bourbon and one bargain bottle. Dad had to guess which was which. You can get all of your guests in on this game if you’d like. We were so hoping he would not be able to pick the more expensive bourbon but his palette is too good. He’s never going to let us forget it.
Party Tips
- The Black butcher paper is perfect for this decor and is unexpected from the regular brown. It’s also very photo friendly
- Let Dad be the judge. The bourbon tasting is really fun.
- Label everything, uses puns and keep everything fun.
- We did salads and did as much as we could ahead to make this host friendly. We didn’t have to worry about food being hot and we just add the dressings right before serving.
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Tag us in your own Father’s Day BBQ or bourbon themed parties. There is no need to have an excuse to drink bourbon in the backyard.
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