The Time My Dad Wrote About Whisky

I couldn’t find any photos of me and my dad having a drink, so here’s one of us at Yankee Stadium in 2008. (photo by Derek Caney)

Tomorrow would be my dad’s 95th birthday. I always assumed he’d make it to 99 and then get all pissed off about dying before his 100th, but still, living to 86 isn’t too bad, considering how little he denied himself in the way of food and drink. He came up as a copywriter for Esquire and GQ, among others, in the golden age of the three-martini lunch, and even when he was pushing 60, a typical post-work dinner might consist of a pre-meal Manhattan; a beer to accompany the food; and a Sambuca digestif.

Much as my dad enjoyed a good cocktail or glass of whisky, he only wrote about it, to my knowledge, on one occasion. Fortunately, he saved virtually everything he’d ever worked on, from direct mail for Esquire in the ‘50s to those annoying cards that fall out of your magazine in the ‘80s and ‘90s (he was particularly proud of those, for whatever reason). So I managed to find a copy of his proposed ad campaign for the launch of 100 Pipers blended Scotch, which he worked on in 1965. I wrote about it for Forbes for Father’s Day, but forgot to post a link to it here. Better late than never, right? It’s a pretty good story that may or may not include his ghost — I think it does. Have a read! Link is -> HERE <-.