As part of our mission here at Why Daddy Drinks to revel in the humorous lunacy that is fatherhood, and to promote the drinking of quality beverages, we bring you our weekly segment highlighting something that should be in your glass. This is The Drink Of The Weekend.

This past weekend was an interesting one, to say the least, what with me mostly entertaining my four-year-old, Maddo, by doing things like taking her to her first movie in a movie theater, while my wife, The Thoroughly Awesome Ms. Crums, spent most of the time from Friday night until Sunday dealing with our younger daughter, Little Sis, as she fought a bad-natured battle with stomach flu.

By the time dinner rolled around on Saturday, we were all pretty well fried. A mess of great Chinese food helped satiate us and come on…Chinese food is never really bad, so all that Kung Pao and Chow Mein put us in a good mood, even with the path of destruction that Little Sis’ illness wreaked on our living room…And for the kid, on her bed and bedroom floor, too.

Normally, a cold beer is the perfect match for Chinese food. A chilled lager or pilsner is just about the best thing you can use to wash down a plate overflowing with whatever. But this night, I was in the mood for something different. Something a little more refreshing. Something F. Scott Fitzgerald might have drunk.

Something with gin. And that something was a Gin Rickey.

The Gin Rickey doesn’t get a lot of love in a lot of bars these days. That’s because when many people order gin, they just go for an easy-to-remember gin and tonic. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Gin, tonic water, squeeze of lime and that lime wedge for a garnish. Make sure that gin is Bombay Sapphire and you have what is probably my favorite cocktail.

Ask for a Gin Rickey and the bartender, or waitress, might give you a “Huh?” look. But the Gin Rickey is no slouch. Just explain what you want. And what you want is this:

A Classic Gin Rickey:

In a highball glass [Preferably, but a rocks glass will work just fine]
–2 ounces of good gin. [Bombay Sapphire. Tanqueray. Nothing from Mexico.]
–Juice from one freshly squeezed lime [This is as crucial as the gin. If you use one of those plastic, green, lime-juice squeezer things you can pick up in the produce department, you have no right to be making this drink.]
–Club soda.

Fill a highball glass with ice…A rocks glass will work fine, too. Pour in the gin and lime juice and top off with club soda. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Best to drink out on the deck while grilling up anything on a hot summer day. Even better, have two or three while you’re out there.