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where did the name cocktail come from

by Krystina Halvorson Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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Where did the word actually come from? According to the online Etymology Dictionary, the origin of the cocktail is down to a mispronunciation of the French word for eggcup coquetier (pronounced in English as cocktay).

Full Answer

Where did the term ‘cocktail’ come from?

However, as with most things in the drinks industry there is a debate about when the term ‘cocktail’ was first used and where it originates from. Most agree with the April 28, 1803 article from The Farmer’s Cabinet in Vermont, where to drink a cocktail was claimed to be “excellent for the head.”

What is the origin of the word'cocktail'?

Perhaps French and English coined it separately, then borrowed its uses from each other - English from French, as in "coq-au-vin" and French from English, as in "cocktail". Cock-tail was long used for horses whose tails are docked, giving them a fan-like shape like a rooster's tail.

What makes a cocktail a cocktail?

A cocktail more specifically may mean a beverage with at least three flavors, one of which is alcohol. More specifically still, it must contain alcohol, a sugar, and a bitter/citrus. When a mixed drink contains only a distilled spirit and a mixer, such as soda or fruit juice, it is a highball.

When was the first cocktail recipe published?

In 1862 Jerry Thomas published a bartenders’ guide called How to Mix Drinks; or, The Bon Vivant's Companion which included 10 cocktail recipes using bitters to differentiate from other drinks such as punches and cobblers.

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How did the cocktail get its name?

Coquetel was a term for a mixed drink in Bordeaux, which rapidly became 'cocktail' in America. Coquetier is French for an egg cup, the vessel in which Antoine-Amedée Peychaud of bitters fame prepared his mixes. Anglo-American pronunciation rapidly turned it into 'cocktail'.

What is the real meaning of cocktail?

The Oxford Dictionaries define cocktail as "An alcoholic drink consisting of a spirit or spirits mixed with other ingredients, such as fruit juice or cream". A cocktail can contain alcohol, a sugar, and a bitter/citrus.

Who invented the cocktail?

The drink catechism has long held that cocktails as we know them were created by “Professor” Jerry Thomas, a pioneering and flamboyant American bartender who published the first bar manual in 1862.

What does cocktail mean in slang?

(UK, slang, dated) A mean, half-hearted fellow; a coward. noun.

When did the term cocktail originate?

The Origin of the Word Cocktail The earliest mention historians have found of the word cocktail is in a citation from 1789 in the satirical newspaper The London Telegraph. One of its articles lists a range of party drinks including 'parfait amour', 'L'huile de Venus', and a 'cock-tail'.

What is the history of cocktail?

Cocktails were initially inspired by British punches, which contained spirits, fruit juices, and spices in big bowls. The term “cocktail” was first seen on March 17, 1798, as referenced from a newspaper.

What is the oldest known cocktail?

the SazeracFew cocktails feature a history as varied and intriguing as the Sazerac, widely regarded as the world's oldest cocktail. According to legend, the Sazerac was invented in 1838 by a Creole apothecary named Antoine Peychaud in his shop on Royal Street in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Where is the birthplace of the cocktail?

New OrleansAccording to legend, New Orleans is the birthplace of the cocktail. Fact or fable, this city is as shaped by the liquid in a cocktail glass as it is by the water in that big old river.

What's another word for cocktail?

cocktailaperitif.appetizer.drink.wine.mixed drink.

How do bars say no ice?

Neat is used to order a drink that is served with no ice or mixers.

What is behind the bar called?

Behind the stick: A slang term for the act of getting behind the bar and doing the work of bartending. The origins of the phrase aren't perfectly clear, but "stick" seems to refer to the tap handles used for pulling glasses of draft beer.

Where does the word cocktail come from Wikipedia?

According to the online Etymology Dictionary, the origin of the cocktail is down to a mispronunciation of the French word for eggcup coquetier (pronounced in English as cocktay).

What's another word for cocktail?

cocktailaperitif.appetizer.drink.wine.mixed drink.

What does cocktail attire mean for a man?

Cocktail Attire is traditionally associated with single-breasted suit jackets, but a double-breasted jacket is acceptable. If desired, you may wear a three-piece suit with a waistcoat, but be aware that this look is considered more formal and might, at certain events, appear a little too stuffy.

What makes a cocktail a cocktail?

A cocktail drink is any mixed drink with at least two cocktail ingredients and is usually alcohol-based. Cocktails typically have a base liquor, like vodka or gin, and come with other flavored ingredients like fruit juice. Some drinks are simple and only involve two liquid ingredients.

Does cocktail have alcohol?

cocktail drink, a key factor is the alcohol. Essentially yes, the difference is that a cocktail contains alcohol spirits and a mocktail doesn't contain any alcohol at all; however, there's a real genuine art to making a mocktail taste as delicious as an alcoholic drink.

Who invented the cocktail?

We may never know precisely when the first cocktail was made or who invented it, and for a long time, the etymology of the term used to describe it—in the words of H. L. Mencken (who did extensive research on the topic but in the end came up short)—was “quite as dark as the origin of the thing itself.”

What is the OG cocktail?

Pretty much the OG cocktail formula—spirits (in this case, whiskey, whether rye or bourbon ), sugar, bitters, and a diluting agent—but with club soda in place of regular water for a little extra lift. And a zesty orange twist for garnish. Get our Old Fashioned Cocktail recipe.

What is the name of the drink that was served in an eggcup?

Another popular story comes from New Orleans, where an apothecary by the name of Peychaud (of bitters fame) served a mixed brandy drink in a French eggcup. Eventually the drink was named coquetier, the French term for an eggcup. Peychaud’s guests shortened the name to ‘cocktay,’ and eventually it became ‘cocktail.’”

What does it mean when a horse has a cocked tail?

Turns out, the sanitized dictionary explanation for the etymology of cocktail isn’t far off the mark, but Wondrich distills the (much grosser) story thusly: A perky, cocked (or raised-up) tail on a horse is a sign of vim and vigor, so unscrupulous horse traders in the 18th century would put ginger and/or pepper in a place the horses surely didn’t want it, in order to make them look a little more frisky.

Is martini a modern cocktail?

Even more stripped- down than the original cocktail, the martini is a more modern— yet equally timeless—creation, strictly for lovers of gin and vermouth. And olives, in some cases. Get our Perfect Martini recipe.

Is a cocktail a mix of alcohol and bitters?

This is, in large part, accurate, and it’s true that “cocktail” originally referred only to a specific blend of alcohol, sugar, water, and bitters —not to a wide range of mixed drinks as it does now. (As an aside, if that blend of ingredients sounds familiar, well, it’s also the reason we call an Old Fashioned an Old Fashioned.)

Where did the word "cocktail" come from?

Perhaps French and English coined it separately, then borrowed its uses from each other - English from French, as in "coq-au-vin" and French from English, as in "cocktail".

Who could drink more rum toddy, mint julep, gin sling, and cocktail?

One of the comic Americans in Charles Dickens' The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit (1844) could "drink more rum-toddy, mint-julep, gin-sling, and cocktail" than anyone else.

Is "cocktail" a fanciful name?

Or "cocktail" may have been as fanciful as many other mixed-drink names.

When was the story of mixed drinks published?

A delightful story, published in 1936 in the Bartender, a British publication, details how English sailors of “many years ago” were served mixed drinks in a Mexican tavern.

Was the cocktail born or defined?

The cocktail had been born, it had been defined, and yet it couldn’t have been very well known by the general populace, or the newspaper wouldn’t have considered it a fit topic for elucidation.

Where did the word "cocktail" come from?

Etymology. The origin of the word cocktail is disputed. The first recorded use of cocktail not referring to a horse is found in The Morning Post and Gazetteer in London, England, March 20, 1798: Mr. Pitt, two petit vers of "L'huile de Venus". Ditto, one of "perfeit amour".

When was the first cocktail invented?

The first definition of a cocktail as an alcoholic beverage appeared three years later in The Balance and Columbian Repository ( Hudson, New York) May 13, 1806.

Why were liquor based cocktails so popular?

With wine and beer being less available during the Prohibition in the United States (1920–1933), liquor-based cocktails became more popular due to accessibility, followed by a decline in popularity during the late 1960s.

What is a martini cocktail?

A martini cocktail, served in a cocktail glass. A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink. Most commonly, cocktails are either a combination of spirits, or one or more spirits mixed with other ingredients such as fruit juice, flavored syrup, or cream. Cocktails vary widely across regions of the world, and many websites publish both original recipes ...

What is a highball cocktail?

When a mixed drink contains only a distilled spirit and a mixer, such as soda or fruit juice, it is a highball. Many of the International Bartenders Association Official Cocktails are highballs. When a mixed drink contains only a distilled spirit and a liqueur, it is a duo, and when it adds a mixer, it is a trio.

When did cocktails come back?

Traditional cocktails began to make a comeback in the 2000s, and by the mid-2000s there was a renaissance of cocktail culture in a style typically referred to as mixology that draws on traditional cocktails for inspiration but utilizes novel ingredients and often complex flavors.

What is a cocktail?

Usage and related terms. The Oxford Dictionaries define cocktail as "An alcoholic drink consisting of a spirit or spirits mixed with other ingredients, such as fruit juice or cream". A cocktail can contain alcohol, a sugar, and a bitter/citrus. When a mixed drink contains only a distilled spirit and a mixer, such as soda or fruit juice, ...

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1.Where does the word cocktail actually come from?

Url:https://tastecocktails.com/word-cocktail-come/

24 hours ago  · We do know that the term cocktail originated in America, showing up in publications around the early 19th century. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the …

2.Origin of the Word Cocktail: History and 5 Classic Recipes …

Url:https://greatist.com/eat/whats-the-origin-of-the-word-cocktail

23 hours ago  · The cocktail, which is made from whiskey, sweet vermouth, and a dash of bitters, was likely invented in the early 1800s. It is thought that the cocktail was initially called a …

3.How Did a Cocktail Come to Be Called a Cocktail? - The …

Url:https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-did-a-cocktail-come-to-be-called-a-cocktail

9 hours ago  · The drinks were stirred with “the fine, slender and smooth root of a plant which owing to its shape was called Cola de Gallo, which in English means ‘Cock’s tail.’” The story …

4.Cocktail - Wikipedia

Url:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocktail

14 hours ago  · Cocktails originated from Mexico and England. The sailors noticed that mixed drinks were stirred with the root of a plant known as cola de gallo, or in English ‘cock’s tail’: the …

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