Night Cap (Sloppy Joes 1935)
A coffee and sour cocktail ∙ Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 17.8% 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.
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
- Keep the sugar syrup to 5 ml. That just takes the edge off the lime; any more and the crème de cacao makes the drink cloying.
History
The Night Cap comes from Sloppy Joe's, the Prohibition-era Havana bar run by José "Sloppy Joe" Abeal. A Spanish immigrant bartender, Abeal 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. He credited it to Sloppy Joe's 1935 recipe list, 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)?
20 ml each of Cognac, London dry gin, white crème de cacao and fresh lime juice, plus 5 ml sugar syrup. It comes in at about 18% ABV and is vegan, vegetarian and lactose-free.
