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A cocktail is a style of mixed drink. However, not all mixed drinks are cocktails. A cocktail usually contains one or more types of liquor and flavorings and one or more liqueurs, fruit juices, sauces, honey, milk, cream or spices, etc.

The cocktail became popular with Prohibition in the United States. During Prohibition the art of mixing drinks became more and more important to mask the taste of bootlegged alcohol. The bartenders at a speakeasy would mix it with other ingredients, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. After the repeal of Prohibition, the skills developed in illegal bars became widespread and heralded the golden era of the cocktail, the 1930s. One of the oldest known cocktails, the Cognac-based Sazerac, dates from 1850s New Orleans, as many as 70 years prior to Prohibition.

Until the 1970s, cocktails were made predominantly with gin, whiskey or rum, and less commonly vodka. From the 1970s on, the popularity of vodka increased dramatically, and by the 1980s it was the predominant base for mixed drinks.

Many cocktails traditionally made with gin, such as the gimlet, or the martini, may now be served by default with vodka.  

The earliest known printed use of the word "cocktail," as originally determined by David Wondrich in October 2005, was from "The Farmer's Cabinet", April 28, 1803, p [2]: "11. 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 second earliest and officially recognised known printed use of the word "cocktail" (and the most well-known) was in the May 13, 1806 edition of the Balance and Columbian Repository, a publication in Hudson, New York , where the paper provided the following answer to what a cocktail was:

The Sazerac, which is one of the oldest known cocktails, dates back as far as the 1850s

 

Preparation

The defining feature of the Sazerac is the preparation of the glass with absinthe or pastis. Absinthe is used traditionally, but is extremely difficult to obtain in the United States and other countries due to importation and production restrictions. Pernod, Ricard, Herbsaint, Absente and green Chartreuse are common substitutes. The inside of an old fashioned glass is coated with small amount of absinthe, and any excess is discarded. The coated glass is either used to prepare the cocktail or is used as the serving glass.

 

Traditionally, a sugar cube was muddled with a small amount of water in the bottom of the glass. Today, simple syrup is frequently used instead.

The original Sazerac was a grape brandy-based drink. More recent tradition defines that rye whiskey should be used. In the United States, particularly New Orleans, bourbon is typically used in place of rye whiskey.

Some combination of several drops to several dashes of either one or both of Peychaud's bitters and Angostura bitters are added.

The ingredients are added to an ice-filled glass and stirred until chilled. The mixture is then strained into chilled old fashioned glass. The serving glass is garnished with a lemon peel.

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.

The first "cocktail party" ever thrown was allegedly by Mrs. Julius S. Walsh Jr. of St. Louis, Missouri, in May 1917. Mrs. Walsh invited 50 guests to her mansion at noon on a Sunday. The party lasted one hour, until lunch was served at 1pm. The site of the first cocktail party still stands. In 1924 the Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis bought the Walsh mansion at 4510 Lindell Blvd., and it has served as the local archbishop's residence ever since.

During Prohibition in the United States (1920–1933), when the sale of alcoholic beverages was illegal, cocktails were still consumed illegally in establishments known as speakeasies. The quality of the alcohol available was far lower than was previously used, and bartenders generally put forth less effort in preparing the cocktails.

 

Cocktail glass

A cocktail glass, martini glass, or champagne glass, or stem cocktail glass, is a drinking glass with a cone-shaped bowl (the tip of the cone forming approximately a 90 degree angle in the cross section) on a stem above a flat base, used to serve a cocktail or champagne. As with other stemware, the stem allows the drinker to hold the glass without affecting the temperature of the drink.

One variation is the double martini glass which is taller and wider at the opening than a standard martini glass. Another variation is a Stub glass, which is identical to the martini glass, except that the base is attached directly to the bowl, removing the fragile stem. These glasses are used in situations where breakage and theft of regular martini glasses occurs frequently, such as a bar serving college students.

The most common cocktails that are served in bars are the folloing:

Caesar / Bloody Mary

Cosmopolitan

White Russian / Brown Cow

Dry Vodka Martini

Singapore Sling

Margarita

Manhattan

Long Island Ice Tea

Blue Lagoon

Pina Colada

And here are some recipes for the cocktails.

 

Bloody Mary  

 

Ingredients:

2 oz vodka

3 oz Tomoto Juice

1/2 oz Lemon Juice

Black Pepper & Salt

3 dashes Worcestershire

2 drops tabasco sauce

Garnish: Lemon Wedge, Celery

Glassware: Highball Glass

 

Shake all the ingredients in a shaker with ice and strain into a highball glass over crushed ice. Garnish with the lemon wedge.

History:

Bloody Mary was invented in the 1920s by an American bartender, Fernand Petiot at Harry's New York Bar in Paris. The original recipe called for equal parts of vodka and tomato juice In 1934, Petiot added black and cayenne pepper, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce and lemon juice to spice up the drink for New Yorkers when he moved back to the States and worked at the King Cole Bar, St. Regis. Petiot notes, "one of the boys suggested we call the drink Bloody Mary because it reminded him of the Bucket of Bloody Club in Chicago, and a girl there named Mary."

 

1990 - 2000: Cosmopolitan 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 oz. citrus vodka

3/4 oz. Cointreau

Juice of 1/2 lime, hand extracted

1/2 oz. cranberry juice

lemon spiral

Combine liquid ingredients in an ice-filled mixing glass and shake until well blended. Strain into a chilled 10.25 oz. Anchor Hocking Hollywood martini glass. Garnish with a lemon spiral.

 

1950 - 1960: Vodka Martini 

3 oz. vodka

NO Vermouth

lemon spiral

In an ice-filled mixing glass, add vodka and shake until well chilled. Strain into a chilled Anchor Hocking Cut Martini glass. Garnish with a spiral of lemon.

 

1910 - 1920: Singapore Sling

Ingredients:

1 1/2 oz. gin

1/2 oz. Cherry Heering

1/4 oz. Benedictine

1/4 oz. Cointreau

1 dash angostura bitters

3 oz. pineapple juice

1/2 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice

Maraschino cherry

Pineapple spear

Combine liquid ingredients in an ice-filled mixing glass and shake until well blended. Strain into an ice-filled 14 oz. Anchor Hocking Marbeya stemmed glass. Garnish with a spear of pineapple and a maraschino cherry.

 

Holiday Manhattan 

Manhattan was invented in the late 19th century when socialite Jenny Jerome asked a bartender to mix a special cocktail for elected Governor of New York, Samuel J. Tilden at the Manhattan Club in New York City. And the cocktail was named after the bar.

Manhattan has four basic ingredients:

Whiskey (2 oz)

Sweet Vermouth (1/2 oz)

Bitters

Maraschino Cherry

Pour 2 ounces of whiskey, 1/2 ounce of sweet vermouth, and ice into a shaker. Shake and strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with red and green maraschino cherries.

Infusion: In a basic tall glass jar with a tightly fitting lid, pour whiskey over red maraschino cherries, add dash of bitters and let it sit for a few days to infuse.

Whiskey: It is known that the original Manhattan was mixed with a straight rye whiskey (Some rye whiskies are still available). Today Manhattan is usually mixed with either Canadian whiskey or bourbon whiskey.

 

1970 - 80: Long Island Iced Tea 

1/2 oz. vodka

1/2 oz. gin

1/2 oz. tequila

1/2 oz. light rum

1/2 oz. triple sec

2 oz. fresh lemon juice

1 oz. simple syrup

Coca-Cola

lemon wheel

Combine above ingredients in an ice-filled mixing glass and shake until well blended. Strain into an ice-filled 16 oz. Anchor Hocking Refresher glass. Spritz with Coca Cola. Garnish with a wheel of lemon.

NOTES:

1) "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."

2) The Sazerac has its origins in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is based on a combination of Cognac and bitters created by Antoine Amédée Peychaud. There are currently many different recipes for the drink, involving some combination of Cognac, rye whiskey, absinthe, pastis, Peychaud's bitters, and Angostura bitters.The Sazerac cocktail was named by John Schiller in 1859 upon the opening of his Sazerac Coffee House in New Orleans. Both most likely derive their name from a popular brand of Cognac, Sazerac-du-Forge et fils.

3) The origin of the cocktail is a contested story whose truth may never fully come to light. For centuries, all over the western world, people have been experimenting with mixing drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. The origin of the name "cocktail" itself is not certain, but here are some of the more common (and amusing!) explanations.

The Sazerac is also reported to be the first cocktail. Antoine Amedee Peychaud, born in France and creator of Peychaud Bitters was it's inventor. Peychaud invented his bitters in Santo Domingo and brought the recipe to New Orleans with him. He opened a drugstore called Pharmacie Peychaud on Royal Street. Friends gathered frequently to sample his drinks served in a coquetier which is the French word for an egg cup. The mispronunciation of cocquetier resulted in the term cocktail.

"In the beginning of previous century there was a lot of fighting between the southern states and the young king Axolot VIII of Mexico. At the peace-resolution the american general should meet with the king in his tent, and the two warlords should enjoy a reconciling drink. A pretty young woman entered with a magnificent emerald-ornamented gold cup with a strange drink she had concocted herself. A gasp came from the assembly of dignitaries, all at the same time realizing the embarrassment in the situation: since there was only one cup, either the king or the general had to drink first whereby the other would be embarrassed. The embarrassing situation was with one stroke relieved, as the young woman with a silent smile, and a nod to the king and the general, emptied the cup herself. The situation was saved. »Who was that woman?« asked the general. »My daughter, Coctel«, the king replied. The general raised, and bowed to the king, and pronounced »Coctel shall be famous in my country and all over the world, her name shall never be forgotten«.

And so Coctel became Cocktail! This story stems back to beginning of 1800.

A doctor by name Claudius in the old Rome did according to reliable sources mix a drink consisting og wine and lemon juice and dried herbs. This drink he called "cockwine". Emperor [Lucius Ælius Aurelius, emperor 180-192] considered this drink to be an exquisite aperitif, and he had reputation of being and expert on the area.

"Betsy Flanagan, widow after a soldier who fought in the revolution and herself considered one of the heroes from the revolution, opened in 1779 an inn near Yorktown where the american and french soldiers met and had a drink that Betsy had composed, and was named »Bracer«. Nearby lived an englishman who had some excellent chickens. Betsy Flanagan could not stand the neighbors, and promised always to be able to serve her american and french guests roast chicken, with chickens coming from nightly raids to the arch-enemies farm. From time to time the officers would mock her, namely when she could not live up to her promises. One evening, where unusually many officers were gathered, she ordered them to the living room, where they were served a grand meal of “Stolen Chickens”. When the meal was over, Betsy ordered the guests to the bar, where she proudly pointed at the tail-feathers, now used for decorating the bottles with “Bracer”. This was a positive surprise, and the officers gave three cheers, for Betsy Flanagan, the colonists cause and the defeat of the englishmen. Then they began drinking, and continued until early morning. ”Lets have some more cocktail” one proclaimed, and a french officer enthusiastically shouted “Vive le Cocktail!!!”

From "The Spy" by Fenimore Cooper.

In a bar in an american harbor, the owner had a gigantic ceramic container with form as a cock. Every evening the leftovers from drinks served was poured into this cock. Less economically fortunate guests could for a cheap price get a drink from this cock, served from a tap at the tail. From this came the term cocktail. It was said, that the quality was especially high the day after english sailors had been visiting, as there was a good mixture of rum, gin and brandy in the cocktail.

The settlers in America had, in spite of the harsh life also time to enjoy sports and games. It is known that riding and shooting was popular, as well as lassoing was a popular pastime. What was most sought in the scarce hour off, was the cockfight though.

Just before the start of a cockfight, alcohol was mixed in the cocks food, the mixture kept as a secret by each team. This mixture increased the fighting spirit (which also happens for some humans when we get too much to drink), and then the fight began.

It's from these cock-fights some mixologist think the term cocktail stems.

If the men were to have a fist fight, they were beforehand agitated by a strong drink. This drink was called "cockpride", and many are of the opinion that this is the originator of the cocktail. This could be plausible, since there is a proverb from that time saying: "The cocktail blows him to a man".

The mixologists leaning toward the cockfights also refers to a proverb from the time. When the fight was over. the owner of the winner cut the tail of the dead cock, and with raised glass he proudly proclaimed: "Let us have a drink on the cock's tail".

Source: "Cocktail Bogen" af Aloisia og Hugo Jensen, 1967 (danish)