Night Cap (Sloppy Joes 1935)
Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 21% ABV ∙
The Night Cap is an equal-parts shaken sour from Sloppy Joe's Havana bar, blending cognac, gin, and white crème de cacao with lime and a touch of sugar syrup. Cocoa sweetness rounds out sharp lime, while the cognac and gin trade off warmth and juniper snap through a short, brisk finish.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake all ingredients with ice: Cognac 20 mlLondon dry gin 20 mlWhite Crème de Cacao 20 mlLime juice 20 mlSugar syrup 5 ml
- Fine strain into the chilled glass
- Garnish with an orange twist
Tips
- Pre-chill the coupe before straining — the drink is fine-strained with no ice in the glass, so it warms fast without a cold vessel.
- Express the orange twist over the glass before dropping it in, releasing citrus oils that lift the cacao aroma.
- Shake hard and briefly — the equal-parts build needs full aeration and dilution to blend the cognac, gin, and cacao smoothly.
History
The Night Cap comes from Sloppy Joe's, the Prohibition-era Havana bar run by José "Sloppy Joe" Abeal, a Spanish immigrant bartender who opened the saloon in the early 20th century and turned it into one of Cuba's most famous watering holes for American tourists once Prohibition sent them south for legal drinking. The bar issued its own souvenir cocktail booklets through the 1930s, and a Night Cap made of equal parts cognac, gin, white crème de cacao, and lime juice appears among the house recipes in its 1935 pamphlet. The drink was largely forgotten until tiki historian Jeff "Beachbum" Berry republished it in his book Beachbum Berry's Potions of the Caribbean, crediting it to Sloppy Joe's 1935 recipe list and preserving the "Sloppy Joe's 1935" tag that distinguishes it from other cocktails sharing the Night Cap name.
FAQ
What is in a Night Cap (Sloppy Joe's 1935)?
Equal parts cognac, London dry gin, and white crème de cacao, shaken with fresh lime juice and a touch of sugar syrup, then fine-strained into a chilled coupe and garnished with an orange twist. It comes in at about 21% ABV and around 174 calories per serving, and is vegan, vegetarian, and lactose-free.
What was the original Sloppy Joe's cocktail?
Sloppy Joe's was a famous Havana bar whose 1930s cocktail book cataloged many original drinks rather than one signature recipe; this Night Cap, built on cognac and gin with a splash of crème de cacao, is one of those builds rather than the rum drinks the bar is best known for.
