Wonder where the cocktail got its name? The answer is as riddled with hyperbole and myth as any great story told under the influence in a bar.
The first-ever reference to the “cocktail” as a drink ran in an 1803 edition of the Farmers Cabinet of Amherst, NH. The story, a humor item purporting to be a page ripped from a diary: "Drank a glass of cocktail—excellent for the head."
But what is a cocktail? The Farmer's Cabinet doesn't say. On May 13th, 1806, the editor of The Balance and Columbian Repository of Hudson, NY printed this definition:
“Cocktail is a stimulating liquor composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters — it is vulgarly called a “bittered sling” and is supposed to be an excellent electioneering potion, inasmuch as it renders the heart stout and bold, at the same time that it fuddles the head. It is said, also to be of great use to a Democratic candidate: because a person, having swallowed a glass of it, is ready to swallow anything else.”
Theories abound about where the term "cocktail" originated, but the most accepted version of the story derives the term from horse racing, where a mixed-breed horse was commonly termed a "cock-tail" horse. "Bitters" were one type of popular drink, taken by men of the day, and a "Sling" was quite another; this new "bittered sling" was thus something of a mixed breed, or "cock-tail" beverage. It was most likely sipped by gentlemen as they placed their bets on the ponies.
There are several claims about the origin of the term "cocktail," many of which are fanciful and few of which are supported by documentary evidence. Among them are:
Taverns in Colonial times kept their alcohol in casks, and as the liquid was poured out, the alcohol would lose flavor and potency, causing the tavern owner to combine the leftover alcohol from various containers into one cask. This combined cask was then sold at a discounted price. Patrons wanting to purchase these “cock tailings” or the leftovers from the stopcock of the cask would then request these leftovers by the coined phrase.
Cocktails were originally meant as a beverage to be served in the morning. The name was given as a metaphor for the rooster, or cocktail, announcing the morning light.
Some believe that the custom of placing a feather from a cock’s tail in the drink both to decorate the drink, and note to teetotalers that a drink had alcohol in it.
The drink was named after a mixed-breed horse, known at the time as a “cocktail.” This was said to be because, like the drink, the horse was also mixed.
The word was taken from the Latin word “decota” which means, “distilled water,” and was then distorted.
A tavern near Elmsford, New York was popular with the officers of the Revolutionary soldiers of Washington and Lafayette. The American troops preferred whiskey or gin, the French preferred wine or vermouth. All enjoyed a bit of brandy or rum. Sometimes late in the evenings, in a spirit of camaraderie, the spirits were mixed from one cup to another during toasts. A soldier stole a rooster from the tavern owner's neighbor, who was believed to be a Tory supporter of George III of the United Kingdom. The rooster was promptly cooked and served to the customers, with the tail feathers used to adorn the accompanying drinks. The toasts accompanying this meal were "vive le cocktail" and the mixed drinks were so called ever after.
Another theory is that the term is derived from coquetier, a French double-ended eggcup which was used to serve the beverage in New Orleans in the early 19th century.
The Oxford English Dictionary says "A slang name, of which the real origin seems to be lost"
The first publication of a bartenders' guide which included cocktail recipes was in 1862 — How to Mix Drinks; or, The Bon Vivant's Companion, by "Professor" Jerry Thomas. In addition to listings of recipes for Punches, Sours, Slings, Cobblers, Shrubs, Toddies, Flips, and a variety of other types of mixed drinks were 10 recipes for drinks referred to as "Cocktails". A key ingredient which differentiated "cocktails" from other drinks in this compendium was the use of bitters as an ingredient, although it is not used in many modern cocktail recipes.
There are hundreds of cocktail recipes today, and more being created every day. From an “Accomplice” to a “Zombie”. I will soon be bringing some of the more interesting and delicious ones to “All About Cocktails”.
