My dad was born in Cuba. He was an island boy raised on spit-roast pork and sweet sugarcane nectar. He came to this country as a teen and was raised with the same Cuban traditions and customs he would've received back on the island.

He was instilled with "machismo" early on–that old-world masculine pride and bravado. He has a hard-nosed view of what it means to be a man and a gentleman. He opens doors. He pulls out chairs. He's also consistently reinforced that I, as a woman, could be anything I wanted to be in this crazy life. Doctor, lawyer, teacher, hell--President of the United States of America!

Incidentally, my pops also has a fine appreciation for Cuban cigars and sipping rums. So for this old-fashioned, yet thoroughly progressive man–a twist on a classic: The Rum Old-Fashioned.

Happy Father's Day, Dad.

The Perfect Rum Old-Fashioned

2 oz Ron Zacapa Solera 23 Year
4 dashes Angostura bitters
1 barspoon raw sugar, or demerara syrup
2 orange slices
2 Luxardo cherries

In a double rocks glass, add the sugar or demerara syurp, bitters, one orange slice, and one cherry. Muddle together. Remove the orange rind (optional). Add rum and ice and stir well. Garnish with the last orange slice and cherry.