Drinks After Dark: From After-Dinner to Nightcap Cocktails

Sometimes when the day is done, your fun is just getting started. We love a good daytime poolside party or a sunny happy hour, but there’s something special about drinks after dark. Whether you’re planning an intimate, relaxed gathering or a lively celebration with a group, we have just the right cocktail for the occasion.

After-Dinner Digestifs

Want to treat your guests to something unexpected and make your perfect dinner even more memorable? The meal isn’t really over until the final course: a fantastic serve perfectly suited for the special evening.

You might have heard of traditional after-dinner drinks called digestifs. Some well-known digestifs include brandy, cognac and amaro. They are often a single, herbaceous spirit, and their bitter taste may not be a favorite of all your dinner guests if you serve them straight. Instead, you can offer cocktails that incorporate digestifs deliciously.

The Gypsy Queen contains Benedictine® while the Pear-n-Berry features brandy. A Wet Martini Cocktail contains more of the traditional digestif vermouth than your Classic Martini Cocktail.

While not technically digestifs, flavored vodkas of some sort (or schnapps, a spirit distilled from fruits) have also often been served after dinner for centuries. Try serving our flavored vodka on the rocks for a sophisticated yet simple grand finale to your dinner party. And of course there’s nothing like ending your meal with a Grey Goose Old Fashioned.

Drinks for Dessert

If your taste buds lean more sweet than bitter, you can always drink your dessert after dinner. Both the classic Lemon Drop and the lesser known Amour Rouge serve as great finales to your meal. The Magic Hour is like a creamsicle in a glass, and the Mocha Martini Cocktail is a chocolatey, coffee-forward way to end your dinner with a dessert cocktail.

You can also peruse all our sweeter cocktails to find the perfect one to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Late-Night Cocktails

Long after dinner, you may want to serve late-night vodka cocktails. The Espresso Martini Cocktail is a classic drink in the midst of a resurgence — many people love its espresso and coffee liqueur base. The Black Orchid is a beautiful, distinctive drink to delight your guests at the end of the night. The Peartini and Passionfruit Martini Cocktail make for flavorful, fruit-forward final drinks, while the Countdown was specifically designed to be consumed at midnight (for New Year’s Eve).

Lovely Nightcaps

If you want a quiet end to your night at home — one last, delicious sip to end the day — look no further than these favorites. The Fireside Martini Cocktail brings together a truly tantalizing mixture of flavors, and looks good doing it, to perfectly cap your evening. If you prefer a warm cup of something other than tea, maybe try this heated, aromatic nightcap. And if you want a glass of something other than just milk, a White Russian will do the trick.

Whether you’re looking for something tasty after a delicious meal, some after-party serves or a nice vodka nightcap to end your day, the options are plentiful. You can search all of our late-night cocktails and find one to your liking.