We’ve all been jolted awake by the barman, missed our last train and discovered there are no hotel rooms within a 50-mile radius. Right?
I blame it on the ‘last drink’ of the evening that no one needs. Nothing good happens after that drink. It’s the one that nudges us the wrong way past the tipsy stage, giving us existential dread the following morning. Assuming we’ve made it home by then.
Understandably, fewer of us want that in our lives. We’re busy, tired and basically broke.
As such, we’re steadily seeing the sun-kissed dawn of the ‘daycap’, according to Bacardi’s recent 2026 Trends Report – it’s day drinking, but not as we’ve always known it.
The popular booze brand describes this rising trend as ‘cocktails enjoyed in the late afternoon to close the workday’, and apparently, it marks a shift towards ‘micro celebrations’ and drinking windows that fit around our routine.
‘Think Thursday afternoon happy hours, slow-paced afternoon parties and drinks that complement, not derail, the rest of the day,’ Bacardi continues.
What’s driving this daytime drinking trend?
Drinking patterns have been shifting across the UK over the last few years, and people just aren’t staying out as late as they used to.
This tallies with the rise in ‘sessionable’ beverages – from lower-alcohol wine to spritzes, by way of lighter cocktails like the white port and tonic.
Elliot Ball has been seeing this play out in real time at his bar, The Cocktail Trading Co in Brick Lane, East London.
He tells Metro: ‘We’re definitely busy a little bit earlier, and emptier a little bit later.
‘We’re not getting that last hour, which used to be absolute insanity. Which actually sucks a bit for business.’
Despite the impact on business, Elliot claims he’s all for the change, admitting: ‘I personally love the idea of going out earlier, stopping drinking earlier and going to bed a little earlier. I actually think that’s totally the way to do it.
‘It’s quite continental, and they usually have a better relationship with alcohol and drinking than Brits.’
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Elliot notes that daytime drinking used to be associated with the upper class, as there’s a ‘certain près ski overlap with that sort of behaviour’.
But while you might have previously seen people in Chelsea or Kensington spilling out of posh brasseries at 4 pm after ‘getting boozy on the rosé’, it’s no longer exclusive to the ‘Sloane ranger’ crowd.
While it might not have infiltrated everywhere just yet, he claims he’s noticed it ‘definitely becoming more popular with other demographics too’.
How do you switch from the nightcap to the daycap?
If you’re thinking of switching to the daycap, it’s useful to understand why we’ve long been attracted to the ‘one for the road’ culture in the first place, which has kept us out late drinking.
‘Most people have that next drink because they’re drunk on the dopamine, and they’re surrounded by people they love, having a wonderful time. So, what do you do in this space? You order another drink’, explains Elliot.
To break the cycle, you need to find something to interrupt the flow of that situation, triggering you to not keep doing the thing you’re doing. In this case, that’s drinking.
An event or fun activity running alongside it is a great idea, like darts or a pub quiz.
‘The whole thing about going out earlier and then intentionally coming back earlier hinges on having a friend group that is open to doing that and having events or activities that go with that,’ advises Elliot.
Eating is another activity to consider. Today’s early bird isn’t just catching the worm; it’s grabbing the best table in the house. Because there’s a direct correlation between the daycap and people making earlier restaurant reservations.
Online restaurant booking service, OpenTable, has reported a steep rise in 6pm bookings. It’s up 11% in London, and there’s a 6% national increase in early evening slots compared to the same time last year.
This is confirmed by hospitality tech service, Zonal, which revealed that the new national average dining time is 6:12pm. Not only that, but over 50% of all UK reservations fall between midday and 6pm. These stats were taken from a survey of 5,000 British adults, and found that only 2% of bookings in the UK are now for 9pm or later.
This has been attributed to younger diners valuing health, well-being and better sleep. And flexible, hybrid working has helped too, allowing people to start and end their workday earlier.
Are you in favour of the daycap or nightcap?
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Team Daycap
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Team Nightcap
Cleverly, London restaurants are clamouring to capitalise on this audience.
The likes of Spring at Somerset House, The Cinnamon Club, Portland and Popham’s have put on specific ‘early bird’ menus to encourage and capture the late-afternoon dining crowd.
But you could argue the daycap is actually closer conceptually to ‘brunching’ than it is to going out on the town, and the recent return to form of classic brunch cocktails like the Bloody Mary, seems to support this.
The Piña Colada has also been enjoying a revival, and that’s definitely a beverage that tastes even better enjoyed in the sunshine (though there’s always a risk you might end up getting caught in the rain).
So yes, the daycap is real, and not because Britain is drinking more, but because we’re drinking differently.
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