Nightcap (drink) Nightcap (drink) A nightcap is a drink taken shortly before bedtime. For example, a small alcoholic drink or glass of warm milk can supposedly promote a good night's sleep. Traditional nightcaps include brandy, bourbon, and cream-based liqueurs such as Irish cream. Wine and beer can also function as nightcaps. In folk medicine, consuming a nightcap is for the purpose of inducing sleep. Alcohol is not recommended by many doctors as a sleep aid because it may interfere with sleep quality. But, in low doses, alcohol has sleep-promoting benefits, and some popular sleep medicines include 10% alcohol, although the effects of
Barley wine Barley wine Barley wine is a style of strong ale of between 6-11% or 8-12% alcohol by volume. It is also sometimes written as one word, barleywine. In Ancient Armenia, a style of fermented grain beverage was referred to as "κρίθινος οἶνος" ("krithinos oinos") - "barley wine", by the Greek historian Xenophon, who mentioned to have experienced it, while being in Armenia, in his work "Anabasis" and Polybius in his work "The Histories". These barley wines would be dissimilar to modern examples as their mention predates the use of hops (a key component in modern barley wines) by several centuries.