Originally a mixture of distilled spirits, sugar, water, and bitters,[1] the word has gradually come to mean almost any mixed drink containing alcohol. The earliest known printed use of the word “cocktail” was in The Farmer’s Cabinet, April 28, 1803.
It stated, “Drank a glass of cocktail — excellent for the head . . . Call’d at the Doct’s. found Burnham — he looked very wise — drank another glass of cocktail.”
The earliest definition of "cocktail" was in the May 13, 1806, edition of the Balance and Columbian Repository, a publication in Hudson, New York, in which an answer was provided to the question, "What is a cocktail?". It stated that: “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.” (from Wikipedia entry on Cocktails)
It is believed that the first cocktail was the “Old Fashioned”…the ingredients of both drinks are certainly very similar. The cocktail is basically a catch all word for any mixed drink containing alcohol. A cocktail today usually contains one or more types of liquor and one or more mixers, such as bitters, fruit juice, fruit, soda, ice, sugar, honey, milk, cream, or herbs. The kind of glass that is used for a cocktail depends heavily on the use. We offer a variety of cocktail glasses in our online store.
As always, if you need any help, please contact us via the contact link above or you can just message us via twitter (@stemwarestore).
It stated, “Drank a glass of cocktail — excellent for the head . . . Call’d at the Doct’s. found Burnham — he looked very wise — drank another glass of cocktail.”
The earliest definition of "cocktail" was in the May 13, 1806, edition of the Balance and Columbian Repository, a publication in Hudson, New York, in which an answer was provided to the question, "What is a cocktail?". It stated that: “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.” (from Wikipedia entry on Cocktails)
It is believed that the first cocktail was the “Old Fashioned”…the ingredients of both drinks are certainly very similar. The cocktail is basically a catch all word for any mixed drink containing alcohol. A cocktail today usually contains one or more types of liquor and one or more mixers, such as bitters, fruit juice, fruit, soda, ice, sugar, honey, milk, cream, or herbs. The kind of glass that is used for a cocktail depends heavily on the use. We offer a variety of cocktail glasses in our online store.
As always, if you need any help, please contact us via the contact link above or you can just message us via twitter (@stemwarestore).
