Yes. Drinks House 247 delivers alcohol across London 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and an order placed at 3am is handled exactly like one placed at 3pm — typically arriving within 30 to 45 minutes inside the M25. The person who takes the delivery must be 18 or over and may be asked for photo ID.
Most people discover overnight delivery at the worst possible moment: the party is still going, the shops shut hours ago, and the nearest 24-hour garage sells crisps and nothing stronger. This page explains what actually happens when you order in the middle of the night, what the law allows, and how long you should realistically expect to wait.
You order online exactly as you would at any other hour. Payment is taken at checkout — card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or PayPal — and the order goes straight to a driver working the night shift. Drivers run from our Battersea base and cover every London borough inside the M25.
There is no separate night-time process, no callback to confirm, and no minimum you have to reach before anyone will come out. The only meaningful difference between a 3am order and a 3pm one is that the roads are emptier.
It is legal where the retailer holds a licence permitting sales at that hour. Under the Licensing Act 2003, the sale is treated as concluded when the order is accepted, and a licensed retailer whose premises licence covers 24-hour sales can take and fulfil orders through the night.
This is why delivery and shops diverge after midnight. Most off-licences in London are licensed to stop selling somewhere between 11pm and 1am, so the shutters come down. A licensed delivery service operating under its own premises licence is not bound by another shop's hours, which is why delivery is often the only option available at 3am.
What does not change at any hour is the age requirement. Selling or delivering alcohol to anyone under 18 is an offence regardless of the time, and no responsible retailer will make an exception because it is late.
| Factor | Daytime | Overnight (midnight–6am) |
|---|---|---|
| Road conditions | Congested, especially 4–7pm | Clear — often the fastest driving of the day |
| Demand | Steady through the day | Peaks 11pm–1am, Friday and Saturday |
| Shops open nearby | Many | Very few, most off-licences shut |
| ID check at the door | Required | Required — no difference |
| Typical wait inside the M25 | 30–45 minutes | 30–45 minutes |
| Range available | Full catalogue | Full catalogue |
The honest summary is that the busiest window is not 3am at all — it is the hour either side of midnight, when shops are closing and everyone realises at once that they are short. Order at 3am and you are often past the rush.
We operate a Challenge 21 policy. If whoever answers the door looks under 21, the driver will ask for photo ID — a passport, a UK driving licence, or a PASS-accredited card. If nobody present can produce acceptable ID, the driver cannot hand the order over. That rule holds at 3am exactly as it does at 3pm.
Alcohol also cannot be left on a doorstep, with a neighbour, or in a safe place, because the age check has to happen in person. Put a working mobile number on the order so the driver can reach you if the buzzer is broken or the building entrance is confusing — at night, that one detail prevents most failed deliveries.
Same-day and overnight delivery covers every borough inside the M25, from Mayfair, Soho and Chelsea in the centre to Canary Wharf, Camden, Clapham, Greenwich, Ealing and Croydon further out. Central and inner London tends to sit at the shorter end of the 30 to 45 minute range; the outer edges of the M25 take longer simply because of distance. You can check your area on our delivery areas page.
Outside London, orders are sent next day to UK mainland addresses by courier, so overnight delivery is a London service rather than a national one.
The full range, not a reduced late-night selection. That includes champagne, wine, spirits, beer and mixers, along with the gift lines. Late orders skew heavily towards champagne and spirits, which makes sense — nobody is doing their weekly shop at 3am, they are topping up a celebration that has outlasted its supplies.
If you are sending to someone else at that hour, enter their address at checkout rather than your own, and be aware that whoever opens the door still has to be over 18.
Yes, where the retailer holds a licence permitting sales at that hour. The sale is concluded when the order is accepted, so a licensed delivery service can operate through the night even though most shops must stop selling between 11pm and 1am.
Typically 30 to 45 minutes inside the M25. Overnight roads are clear, so late deliveries are often quicker than daytime ones, though outer boroughs take longer than central London.
Yes. Drinks House 247 operates a Challenge 21 policy, so if whoever answers the door looks under 21 the driver will ask for photo ID. Without acceptable ID the driver cannot complete the delivery.
Yes. Add the guest name and room number to the delivery address. Many hotels ask that overnight deliveries are left with the night porter or concierge, who must be over 18 to accept them.
Browse 24-hour alcohol delivery or go straight to our best sellers. For more answers on how London delivery works, see our questions answered page. Call 0203 4883266 if you would rather speak to someone.
Deliveries are to over-18s only under our Challenge 21 policy, and ID may be requested at the door. Please drink responsibly.
