ORIGIN OF THE WORD “COCKTAIL
There is debate about when the term was first used. According the The
London Telegraph,
the word is first found in print in a March 20, 1798 satirical newspaper article about what must
have been a hell of a party. Of particular note, was the account of drinks
imbibed by William Pitt (the younger) which included “L’huile de Venus,” “parfait amour,”
and “‘cock-tail (vulgarly called ginger.)'” Some challenge whether “cocktail”
in this article truly referred to an alcoholic drink, or something else.
Others point to an April 28, 1803 article from The Farmer’s Cabinet in Vermont,
where to drink a cocktail was claimed to be “excellent for the head.”
Regardless, certainly by 1806, the word was being used with its current meaning. In the May 13th
edition
of the newspaper,
Balance and Columbian Repository, the editor defined a cocktail as:
“a
stimulating
liquor composed of spirits of any kind – sugar, water, and bitters.”
During the early 17th century, an animal, particularly a horse, with a docked tail, was said to
have a
“cock tail.”
By the 19th century, unlike other horses, thoroughbreds did not have docked tails, so when a
regular
horse was entered into a race, its cock tail was noted – and became a term synonymous with an
adulterated horse. Since horse racing and liquor go together like peaches and cream, this
theory holds that the word “cock tail” was soon used to mean an adulterated spirit.
A second theory holds that the name is derived from the term “cock tailings,”
the result of the practice of tavern owners combining the dregs (tailings) of nearly empty
barrels
together into a single elixir that was sold at bargain prices.
This only makes sense when you know that the spigot of a barrel was
sometimes referred to as a “cock.”
What's playing at the Lounge
We're frequently asked about the music we play at the lounge, and no wonder,
it's great stuff. Just for you, we keep a list here on the site, updated weekly.
Enjoy.
- Buddha Bar, Claude Challe
- When It Falls,Zero 7
- Earth 7, L.T.J. Bukem
- Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi!, Engima
- Music for Airports, Brian Eno
