14 Easy Cocktails You Can Make in 5 Minutes After the Kids Are Finally in Bed

My partner and I have a precious ritual, when bedtime doesn’t run too long: After we close the bedroom door to our little kids’ room, we creep downstairs and he makes me a cocktail. If it’s not too late, this might be a four-ingredient Negroni or an even easier Gold Rush. If it’s past our bedtime it might just be Scotch on the rocks. We don’t drink every night — but on the nights we do, that sip of an adult drink and a few minutes of grown-up conversation are a sweet and important part of family life.

If you are also looking for a quick cocktail for your own evening ritual, allow me to offer these 12 classic, tried-and-true favorites. These are quick (under five minutes), and only take a few basic ingredients. There are no complicated drinks here, and certainly nothing involving a loud blender. (Of course, if your housemates, small or large, are especially good sleepers, by all means try a piña colada or frozen margarita). 

May I especially suggest the so-uncool-it’s-cool-again White Russian, along with this short-and-sweet piece with one mom’s love letter to post-bedtime White Russians. 

These recipes are curated by us here at Cubby, with an eye to what the caregivers of small children need in their lives, and the recipes are created and hosted by The Kitchn, our sister site, where all recipes are created and tested in home kitchens by practical people who know what it’s like to do their own dishes.