Acupuncture | Alphorn | Astronomy | Aurora | Bamboo | Blackjack | Cannabis | Cavalier | Cellulitis | Cocktails | Didgeridoo | Earthquakes | Forex | Genealogy | Guatemala | Holidays | Isotopes | Jamaica | Mezcal | Paragliding | Penicillin | Sphinx | SwissCheese | Swooping | TrafficExchanges | Ukulele | Wakeboarding

Cocktails / Drinks

There is great controversy over the actual derivation of the term cocktail. I don't think any one will ever agree on the actual origin, but there sure are some interesting stories. Betsy, a barmaid in a tavern in Hall's Corners, NY, served Betsy's Bracers. During the Revolutionary War, American & French soldiers frequented it. American soldiers stole some male pheasants from the British & a wild party was had. While drinking they toasted to Betsy's drink "Here's to the divine liquor which is as delicious to the palate, as the cock's tails are beautiful to the eye." To which a French officer replied, "Vive le cocktail!". There is reference to a Betsy Flanagan. Who knows which Betsy, was Betsy Flanagan. One story goes something along the lines of decorating the out side of a glass with a tail feather from a rooster.

There is another tavern also In NY that claims it was the original. The tavern keeper used his witty stories, and daughter's beauty to gain favor with good patrons. The daughter, Peggy mixed a powerful concoction which recipe was held secret. She was in love with a sailor. Upon his return with a promotion, and a prized fighting cock, named Lightning, he asked for her hand. In their honeymoon bed, Lightning crowed, and shook loose a tail feather, which she put in his concoction that she had made. She said, "Lightning names this drink! Drink this cocktail, sir, to your success with my father, and as a pledge to our future happiness!" This was a sign of good fortune & they used the sign of the tail feather on their tavern emblem for many years to come. A drink called "cock's ale" was served in early colonial times during cock fights. It was a mixture of ale into which a sack of a par-boiled chicken, raisins, mace and brown sugar was placed. This was left to ferment for about nine days.

The earliest known printed use of the word cocktail was in the May 13, 1806 edition of the Balance and Columbian Repository, where the paper provided the following answer to what a cocktail was: 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.

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 to be seen in very many modern cocktail recipes. During Prohibition in the United States (1919-1933), when alcohol consumption was illegal, cocktails were still consumed in establishments known as speakeasies. Not only was the quality of the alcohol available far lower than was previously used, but the skill and knowledge of the bartenders would also decline significantly during this time.

External Links

Mixed Drinks and Cocktail Recipes
Cocktail parties are encountering a renaissance, and for a good reason. They’re easier than a dinner party, a good excuse to connect with friends, and an even better excuse to sample all those new vodkas and gins.

Good Cocktails - With Cocktails it's all good
Look for you favorite mixed drink recipes and cocktails. You can browse by the first letter of the name, category, glass, liqueur or by the number of liqueurs in a drink. There are over 1,000 mixed drink recipes in the database.

DrinkSwap - Drink Recipes
Who invented this drink we now call the Martini ? That's a fact that may never be known. History is not as clear as a Martini. I wish that I could tell you that I know the real story, but to tell you the truth, I wasn't there. So all I can do is tell you the basic legends and let you choose for yourself.

CocktailDB - The Internet Cocktail Database
Your most complete source for cocktails, cocktail ingredients, and barware knowledge on the web! Search for thousands of drinks right from this page, or click the tabs above to power search!