History of Cocktails

There are many definitions of what a cocktail is, for example

Apparently the first published definition of the Cocktail appeared in an editorial in The Balance and Columbian Repository in 1806. The article stated: "Cocktail is a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water and bitters."

No one actually knows when the first 'cocktail' was ever made (or what was in it), however it wasn't until the 17th/ 18th century that drinks mixed together was actually recorded in recipe books.

In the magazine Imbibe!, (the online version can be seen at: http://www.imbibemagazine.com) David Wondrich attributes the first known Cocktail recipe in print to Captain J.E. Alexander in 1831 who calls for alcohol (rum, brandy or even gin) in a mix of "…a third of the spirit to two-thirds of the water; add bitters, and enrich with sugar and nutmeg…"

Where did the name 'Cocktail' come from?

In trying to find the answer to this, I found literally dozens of wonderful (if not daft) answers or stories purporting to answer this. The fact is no one actually knows! However, I love this one...

In George Bishop's The Booze Reader: A Soggy Saga of Man in His Cups (1965) he writes, "The word itself stems from the English cock-tail which, in the middle 1800's, referred to a woman of easy virtue who was desirable but impure…and applied to the newly acquired American habit of bastardising good British Gin with foreign matter, including ice."

Now doesn't that sound good?

If you have any great theories, send them to us and we'll publish them here (crediting you is you wish)