I can’t take credit for the name. An old boyfriend in Muskoka coined the term and I have borrowed it ever since. Then again, maybe he didn’t coin it — he was the kind of guy who claimed to have a friend who invented putting the fries in the top half of the Big Mac box too. Hmm.

Anyway, Docktail Hour begins anywhere from 3pm on. It depends if you had lunch or not and if you need a mid-afternoon snack to tide you over until late-afternoon snack. So really, anytime you need a snack in the afternoon is pretty much an acceptable time for Docktail Hour.

To do Docktail Hour properly, you need to consider the colour of your drink and whether it will look amazing with the sun pouring through your glass. Like awesome enough to make your friends yell “Oh come ON” at their Instagram when you post it.

For this reason, here is a list of my top recommended Docktails, in no particular order:

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1. Aperol Spritz (see photo above. This one is a total winner at sunset.) You need Aperol, Prosecco, a splash of soda water, and if you do things CORRECTLY, as they do in Venice, you’ll make it a dirty one with a couple of high quality green olives. This is proper, in my opinion.

2. Rosé. Yes way, rosé. Pink drinks in a glass glass can never go wrong. Plus rosé is extremely refreshing. You need a good crisp dry one though. My favourite local rosé is Malivoire’s Ladybug, but otherwise, the Provençal ones are almost always a sure thing.

3. Pimmers. This is what we fondly call the particular blend of lemonade and Pimm’s with 3 ice cubes that we rock at Shepville, my sister’s cottage on Limerick Lake. This is also an absolute friggin’ delight when frozen in popsicle molds. It is an extremely sneaky way to get your mom tipsy as well, because you can pass it off as an Arnold Palmer, which she thinks is iced tea and lemonade.

4. G&Ts. A classic move. Can’t go wrong. But, given the extra points for colour noted above, you  should use Hendrick’s because it goes best with the slice of cucumber that you really should have in your glass.

5. The Kiddo Version. In our family, the Littles require a docktail at the same time as the adults, sometimes sooner. Lemonade base, and then whatever pink or orange soda pop you can convince their mother is ok for them to have a little splash of. Then you have to promise to run around with them to work off their sugar high. Parents are not responsible for this step if you are the one bringing the docktails.

6. Margaritas. High effort because lime squeezing and shaking things in a shaker is involved, but this one probably has the biggest bang for your afternoon bender buck.

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Docktails are best served with good old salty potato chips, or at fancier swimming holes, a nice board of charcuterie and smelly cheese.

Cheers.