My dad turned 60 this year. Like many retired dads, he mostly does what he wants, and owns the things he wants to own, and doesn't need anything for his birthday. As the saying goes: what to get the man who's already completed his paprika collection? (Roughly 25 jars, if you're curious, lined up end-to-end on the kitchen counter like a little spicy freight train.)

The answer, I determined, was a fake commemorative bottle of gin. Throughout my childhood my father was an avid gatherer of bourbons, but has since pivoted to gin and has assembled a respectable collection of bottles, many from local B.C. distilleries.

Sheringham Distillery was kind enough to supply me with an unlabelled bottle of their Seaside Gin, and I designed a label for a fictional brand, jammed with inside jokes and references to my father's character. I had the labels printed at Metropol Printing and opted for a surface laminate which made the labels feel legitimate. I even designed the little ribbon that's taped over the top of the cork, because when it's your dad's 60th birthday, you've gotta go above and beyond.