By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com Editor & Publisher
There are all kinds of trendy buzzwords in society today. Somehow it seems hip to say “drip” for cool style or “bussin’ ” for delicious. The bar and nightlife scene is no different.
It started a few years ago with dayclubbing, a term created by Las Vegas promoters to tout the weekend pool parties. It continues with terms like zebra striping, which is mixing in non-alcoholic beers with regular beers in order to stay out longer and not get too buzzed.
And here’s another new trending drinking term for you. It’s called the daycap. That is when you decide to have “one more” in the daytime before going home. Maybe you have evening plans, have get up early for work or travel the next day or need to hustle home so you don’t get into trouble with your significant other. It is a take on the term nightcap, which means having one final drink before going home at night. (A little interesting history here: the term nightcap dates back to as far as the 14th century meaning a cap worn on the head to keep warm).
According to the Bacardi 2026 Cocktail Trends report, the daycap “marks a shift toward micro-celebrations that fit modern routines.”
Gen Z, Bacardi’s Vice President for Global On-Trade Sean Kerry said, “isn’t drinking less, they’re simply drinking earlier, lighter, and with more intention.”
I’m not sure what that last part means – drinking with more intention? – but I have noticed that a number of people do seem to be out in the late afternoons and are going home way earlier than last call. Bar owners tell me the same thing. Happy Hours are one reason; heck it can be so expensive to go out these days for food and drinks that the only affordable way to do it is during a Happy Hour. So order one more round before Happy Hour expires, make it your “daycap,” and then head home.
The thing about all these trending buzzwords is that they are just different ways of saying something that has been around for years. It doesn’t reflect anything new. But that’s just life, as one generation passes the next and a few years for now different trendy buzzwords will appear in society.
As editor and publisher of PubClub.com, Kevin Wilkerson believes in daycaps, nightcaps and everything in between in his travels to bars around the world. This story was written by a human with no help from AI or Chat-GTP.
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