You Need A Nightcap

(Bloomberg) -- I get asked all the time, What exactly is a nightcap, anyway? As the author of a new book on the topic, my standard response is that it’s your last drink of the evening—it’s the pour that caps off your night.

But that’s a little flip. The longer answer, if you have a drink in hand and want to hear it, is to first explain what a nightcap isn’t. It isn’t an aperitivo, designed to rev up your appetite for a meal; it isn’t a drink that’s overly stimulating, which is why I usually put perky gin martinis in the not-a-nightcap column; it isn’t a drink that’s too fussy and distracting. And it sure isn’t multiple drinks—that’s called having another round, not a singular, final nightcap.

A proper nightcap can be a cocktail or straight pour of a spirit. But beyond that, what you’re drinking isn’t the point. As I found by talking with bartenders, the nightcap is defined by when you’re drinking it—end of night, of course, although I have a friend who argues in favor of the prenap “afternoon-cap”—as well as how and why, and, sometimes, where you’re enjoying it.

“I think there’s a few different reasons someone would enjoy a nightcap,” says Ryan Lotz, proprietor of newly opened Boston tiki bar Shore Leave, who favors a funky, complex aged rum as his nightcap. “Basically, you’re looking to finish off your evening and it’s an excuse to have one more drink. I think that ‘one more’ can be something on the stronger side to send you off to sleep. It can be something low-alcohol and easy if you’re looking to have one more and extend some time spent with friends, or it can be something sweet to punctuate your progression of drinks.”

Notice what’s missing from that rundown? The tired wink-wink trope that the point of a nightcap is to lure the object of one’s affection back to the boudoir. Hey baby, ya wanna come up to my place for a nightcap? That’s not the role of the modern nightcap, at least not in the age of Tinder and the like.

These days the role of the nightcap is more akin to self-care, say bar pros such as Amie Ward, beverage director at Baltimore’s R.Bar.

“For me, having a nightcap is something of a ritual, signifying the close of a very long day,” Ward says. “My perfect nightcap is dry and astringent, either a pour of amaro or rye whiskey. A two-ounce pour is all I need to unwind and put the day to rest.”

For others, that last drink marks a transition between on- and off-duty. Natasha David, proprietor of Nitecap gave her bar that name because “we wanted it to be a bartender’s bar, the bar you go to at the end of your shift. It’s your last drink.” In addition, “I wanted the bar to be a place where you could come and forget about the rest of the day, be transported, have a little treat.”
 
Although the bar also offers plenty of aperitivo-style drinks (such as appetite-inducing spritzes), the cocktail menu features a strong roster of closers. It’s a way to ease into rest and relaxation, even though you may not be quite ready for lights out yet.
 
“We’ve always made the nightcap decadent, indulgent,” David explains. “It doesn’t have to have cream, but it often has a component that’s rich or velvety. Maybe it’s brandy-based or citrus-based, but mixed in with cacao. There’s always something a little naughty about the drinks.” 

After all, the point of a nightcap is to recount your evening and relax, says Shannon Ponche, head bartender at Leyenda in Brooklyn, N.Y. “If you’re not quite ready for bed and over the party, a nightcap is what you need.” In addition, “you shouldn’t have to think too hard to pour or order one,” Ponche says. Her go-to drinks: a mezcal at home or a boulevardier at her local bar on the corner. Either way, she says, a nightcap is best enjoyed in a place where you’re most comfortable.

Makes sense to me.

At this point, most of us are in the mindset that we survived the year, or at least the holiday season, or at least the day. There’s little agreement as to what an ideal end-of-night drink should be—frankly, I contend there’s room for the low-alcohol and no-alcohol nightcap, where it’s more about the ritual and the company than the booze. We’re never all going to agree about politics or anything else dominating headlines. But if there’s one thing we can agree upon, it’s that we all deserve to chill with a nightcap. Here’s two:

Coperta Da Sci

The name translates to “ski lodge blanket,” explains Kellie Thorn, of Empire State South in Birmingham, Ala., who created the drink. Calvados, the famed apple brandy of Normandy, creates a rich, round backdrop, while the alpine notes of Braulio amaro really pop. “It's definitely something that could be enjoyed apres-ski, after dinner in the Italian alps, under a blanket and in front of a fire,” Thorn says.
 
¾ oz. (about 20 ml) apple brandy
¾ oz.  Braulio amaro
¾ oz.  Cocchi vermouth di Torino (or sweet vermouth)
¼ oz.  (about 7 ml) crème de cacao
Orange peel, for garnish
 
In a mixing glass, stir the brandy, amaro, vermouth, and crème de cacao together with ice. Strain into a small, chilled cocktail glass or brandy tulip. Twist the orange peel over the top of the drink to express the oils. Garnish with the peel.

Snake Oil

“This [was] our house nightcap,” says Benjamin Krick, who created this for Juniper Tar, a San Antonio bar that has since closed. Wait, a whole minibottle of Underberg bitters for this drink?  “It’s a little edgy,” he warns.
 
2 oz. [about 60 ml] bonded (100-proof) bourbon 
½ oz. [about 15 ml] sherry
1 minibottle (0.67 oz.) Underberg bitters
Dash Bad Dog Bar Craft Fire and Damnation bitters
Dash Angostura bitters
 
In a mixing glass, stir all the ingredients together with ice. Strain into a Nick & Nora glass. (No garnish.)

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Justin Ocean at jocean1@bloomberg.net

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