Kara Newman - Nightcap: More than 40 Cocktails to Close Out Any Evening

Text copyright 2018 by Kara Newman.
Photographs copyright 2018 by Antonis Achilleos.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

ISBN 9781452170718 (epub, mobi)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Newman, Kara, author.
Title: Nightcap / Kara Newman.
Description: San Francisco : Chronicle Books, [2018]
Identifiers: LCCN 2017057556 | ISBN 9781452170688 (hardcover : alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Cocktails. | LCGFT: Cookbooks.
Classification: LCC TX951 .N5455 2018 | DDC 641.87/4dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017057556

Design by vanessa dina

Chronicle books and gifts are available at special quantity discounts to corporations, professional associations, literacy programs, and other organizations. For details and discount information, please contact our corporate/premiums department at or at 1-800-759-0190.

Chronicle Books LLC
680 Second Street
San Francisco, California 94107
www.chroniclebooks.com

This is hard for me to admit, but when it comes to the end-of-night drink known as the nightcap, the drink itself is actually the least important part of the ritual.

That doesnt mean it shouldnt be a good drink, or better still, a great one. But think for a moment about what youre really saying when you ask, How about a nightcap?

The underlying message is: Im not quite ready for the evening to end. Lets prolong this lively conversation, this dazzling meal. One more dance. One more drink. Dont go home yet, come up to my place. The clock might say bedtime, but Im not ready to sleep. Heres a calming pour to quiet the mind. Maybe the evening is ending soon. But not yet.

With all of these situations (and others) in mind, how to define the nightcap cocktail?

The truth is, the drink spans a wide rangeand thats perfectly fine.

In trying to unravel the modern-day nightcap, one of my first stops was a chat with Natasha David, proprietor of New York bar Nitecap, who developed her entire menu around the construct.

The nightcap is an intensely personal beverage, she explains. It has to be what makes you happy at the end of the day. Its so much about your personal state of mind at that moment.

Right there is the problem in trying to define the nightcap: Its not exactly a category, like the aperitivo, or a style, like the Martini. Its more about the timing of the drink, and the context that surrounds it. As David sums it up: its personal.

The origin of the word clearly points to nighttime: nightcap as trusty hat to keep ones noggin warm during sleeping long predates nightcap as boozy bed-timer. The earliest definition I found is in Dictionary of Americanisms, by John Russell Bartlett, 1848: A glass of hot toddy or gin-sling taken before bed at night. When a second glass is taken, it is called a string to tie it with.

The word had been in use for some time before then, and it wasnt strictly an Americanism, either. A slim book called Oxford Night Caps: Being a Collection of Receipts for Making Various Beverages Used in the University was first published in 1835, referring to Englands Oxford University.

Today, theres no shortage of nightcap-worthy cocktails, or bartenders who know how to showcase them to best advantage. Still, the definition remains fluid.

To Jess Lambert, who put together a Before Bed cocktail menu for Chicago bar Boleo, the role of a nightcap is to ramp up your evening if youre going to stay and dance and hang out. In other words, its a signal that the evening isnt quite over.

Meanwhile, Charles Joly, also a Chicago-area bartender, says that when hes made nightcaps, theyre intended as night closuresthe polar opposite of the bracing eye-opener drink.

Still others consider the nightcap as a boozy way to wind down a mealwhich may or may not mean the end of your night. Its not a coincidence that a growing number of restaurants include after dinner sections in cocktail menus, as well as spirits lists tucked into dessert menus. Some people are looking for a calming digestivo; others are seeking one last decadent indulgence.

When I think of a nightcap, I think of something a touch more sweet or a touch more bitter, explains Beau Williams, owner of Kansas Citys Julep. Maybe something dessert-y, instead of dessert. That might take the form of an amaro or a creamy, comforting cocktail in place of that monster slice of cake beckoning from the dessert tray.

In writing this book, Ive tried to keep all of these definitionsand othersin mind, and the chapters ahead reflect some of the many roles a nightcap can play: the wind-down, the conversation-lengthener, the stomach-soother. Theres no single definition, and thats part of what makes it so intriguing. And since its meant to be the last drink of the night, all these recipes make a single drinkunless otherwise noted.

However, I did find one other universal quality that bartenders agree upon: that end-of-the-night drink is generally just thata final punctuation of some sort. Yet whether that means a hit-the-hay full stop, a party-on exclamation point, or even a sensuous question mark about where the evening is headed, exactlythat part is up to you.

Although this is a cocktail book, a straight spirit is another typical way to cap the evening. Often these pours are brown and potent, such as brandies (Cognac, calvados, etc.), whiskeys (Scotch, bourbon, etc.) or aged rums. Liqueurs are also a popular pour, as are digestivo-style amari and fortified wines like sherry or port. This section will explain those spirits and fortified wine categories, and provide a few brand recommendations. Most of the spirits mentioned here will also be used throughout the recipe sections.

Ive called out a few recommended brands, but this is by no means a comprehensive list. (Note: You can also view my ratings on Wine Enthusiasts website if youre seeking a deeper dive into brands and tasting notes.)

Brandy

Brandies come in a very wide range of prices and provenances; select one that you enjoy sipping straight up and it will make your mixed drinks wonderful, too. In this book, where drink recipes call for brandy, my first stop would likely be an American-made brandy, although any type of brandy can be used. Cognac is the classic brandy, made in Frances Cognac region, and a value-priced VSOP (basically, a Cognac thats in the middle of the age range, delicious but not too old or rare to mix) is a useful building block for the bar.

Armagnac, another French brandy, this one made in the Armagnac region in Gascony, is particularly popular among bartenders as a nightcap, whether to sip or mix. (In an informal survey of industry pros, several confessed their before-bed ritual includes a nip of Armagnac plus a square of dark chocolate.)

While not called for in recipes in this book, calvados, Normandys apple brandy, and Americas