Best "Bedtime" Drinks

[jhlurie]

Okay... I'll admit to having trouble sleeping normal hours since... you know what last Tuesday.  For some folks, daily alcohol is a bad idea.  But assuming this is not the case with you, can we discuss some favorite potions to help open the gates to a nice peaceful visit to Dreamland?  I don't like Sleeping Pills... maybe a nightcap is still a chemical aid to sleeping, but I think its a more chemically stable one for those without an addictive personality.

[Jason Perlow]

A snort of cognac/bas-armagnac or rum cream on the rocks.

In winter months I like a good hot cocoa with a shot of schnapps or hot apple cider with a shot of rum or bourbon.

[papachef]

I second the cocoa with that special twist. I actually like a double cocoa with a shot of frangelico and chambord. Good night!

[Phil Laurie]

I work nights and sometimes need something to send me off in the morning, I 've tried lots of things, but in the end a good Whiskey, any single malt, is the best. In winter I might warm it slightly. Boring, but it all depends on how good the Whisky is dosn't it ?

[=Mark]

I prefer pounding down shots of cheap vodka till my eyes bleed...

[tommy]

maybe some of my answer belongs on a different forum, but for me, generally it's a couple of glasses of wine (let's face it, it's a bottle), and bringing the walkman into the bed with the headphones for some music to take my eyes off of the TV and my mind off of everything.  lately, it's been Coldplay's Parachutes.  of course, i don't recommend this for everyone (the wine or Coldplay), but it has been doing the trick for me.

oh, and, those snore strips are God's gift to the breathing impared.

[jordan]

I like to either have shot of Bell de Brillet (cognac combined with sweetened pear brandy) or an "I don't know what it's called".  An "I don't know what it's called is made with:

a shot of dark rum, a table spoon of premium honey, juice of half a small lemon and one once of boiling water.  Stir and drink.  Not only will it help you fall asleep it also makes a great cold remedy.

By the way Bell de Brillet also makes a killer sidecar; I tried one at "Bid" (they have a fantastic "classic" cocktail list) and I am a convert.  If you go for the sidecar I would also suggest the real whiskey sour (made with egg whites).

[Wilfrid]

Following pre-dinner drinks and some wine with dinner, I usually turn my attention to a Janneau bas-armagnac.  I also have a bottle of Otard XO cognac open at the moment (a present).  Sometimes, however, my palate calls for a liqueur: then it's cointreau or amaretto on the rocks.  If you really want to bludgeon yourself into unconsciousness, mix the cointreau with an equal part gin and call it a White Lady.

By the way, I agree daily alcohol is a bad idea, but have no notion how to avoid it.

[cabrales]

By the way, I agree daily alcohol is a bad idea, but have no notion how to avoid it.

I have been drinking too much champagne (including old champagnes that taste almost like wine), incl. around bedtime.  This week, it's Mumm de Cramant (a single-grape Chardonnay from a special grand cru classified region), which has no indication of year. I recently realized there are white Banyuls, and might try some of that too.

Something like warm milk with almond or hazelnut syrup might be a nice thing to switch to.  There is a grainy barley (?) based drink mix called Horlicks that might be good as well for this purpose.  Other non-alcoholic possibilities I have been considering include an infusion of orange flower blossom.

Wilfrid -- Is it daily alcohol that is potentially not a good idea, or daily alcohol around the time being discussed?

[Wilfrid]

I may be duplicating my posts here, but the last one seems to have vanished.  Cabrales, we seem to be discussing the daily alcohol issue over here:

http://www.egullet.com/ib3....24;t=66

No, I wasn't thinking of the time of day.  Only the notion that excessive alcohol can be bad for you

By the way, Horlicks was a popular bedtime drink in the UK when I was a kid, along with Ovaltine, Cadbury's drinking chocolate and various cocoas.  Haven't tasted it in years.

[cabrales]

By the way, Horlicks was a popular bedtime drink in the UK when I was a kid, along with Ovaltine, Cadbury's drinking chocolate and various cocoas.  Haven't tasted it in years.

If Horlicks and Ovaltine are not readily available in supermarkets or specialty stores in NYC, try Chinatown (Canal or Flushing).  

[bigbear]

Warm milk and 2 aspirins. Tend to those imperceptible aches and pains that tend to keep you awake.

[Wilfrid]

By the way, Horlicks was a popular bedtime drink in the UK when I was a kid, along with Ovaltine, Cadbury's drinking chocolate and various cocoas.  Haven't tasted it in years.

If Horlicks and Ovaltine are not readily available in supermarkets or specialty stores in NYC, try Chinatown (Canal or Flushing).  

I'll be amazed if you can't get them from Myers of Keswick in Greenwich Village.