In everyday language, the word “cocktail” is often used as a catch-all term for mixed drinks of all kinds. Mojito, Caipirinha, Whiskey Sour, Piña Colada… are they all cocktails? Not in the original sense—or at least not if you look at how things began. Strictly speaking, the term “cocktail” originally referred to only a small subgroup of mixed drinks.
To understand that better, we first need to explain the idea of a “drink family” (or drink group). A drink group is essentially a basic formula: a mixing method with ingredients, quantities, and a variable base spirit.
A good example is the drink group of Sours:
- 5 cl base spirit
- 3 cl lemon juice
- 2 cl sugar syrup
All ingredients are shaken with ice and strained into a tumbler. Using this formula, you can make a Sour with almost any spirit.
It’s easy to imagine that drink groups emerged in a similar way to cooking and baking: a popular method gets adapted and varied due to regional differences, personal taste, or seasonal availability—while the core recipe remains. Even in Jerry Thomas’ Bartender’s Guide (first edition 1862), you’ll find numerous drink groups, including Sours, Punches, Juleps, and Cocktails.1
Drink families and the early cocktail definition
The word “cocktail” appears as early as 17982 in a London newspaper and again in 18033 in an American newspaper article—without a precise explanation. In 1806,4 “cock-tail” is defined in an American publication as a mixture of spirit, sugar, water, and bitters, described as a “bittered sling.” Bitters are bitter herbal and spice liqueurs that were believed to have medicinal effects, especially for stomach ailments.
“Sling” was already a known drink group at the time: mixed drinks made from spirit, water, and sugar. Adding bitters created a new drink group. In those years, cocktails were best known as an invigorating drink in the morning, or as a companion for activities like fishing or picnicking.5 That sounds more believable if you keep in mind that early versions contained a larger proportion of water and used far more bitters than is common today.
Tales about the name’s origin
There are countless stories about how the word “cocktail” came to describe an alcoholic drink. One of the most widely told tales links it to cockfighting: the winner’s trophy would be the tail feathers (cock = rooster, tail = tail) of the losing bird, and the victory would be celebrated with a drink. We, too, long considered this story plausible—although it’s difficult to prove.
While looking for sources, we came across another fascinating explanation that leads back to England. Based on the 1798 English mention found by Jared Brown and Anistatia Miller6 and research by David Wondrich,7 the following theory emerges. Here, too, the “rooster’s tail” is the key—though with a different background: among English horse breeders, “cock-tail” was used to describe non-purebred horses whose tails were docked, making them resemble a rooster’s tail.
Even more striking is a practice attributed to horse dealers: placing a piece of ginger in a horse’s anus to make the animal appear more lively. At the time, the word “cocktail” was also used as a synonym for ginger.
An English lead: horses, ginger, and bitters
It is also documented that the medicinal use of bitters—primarily for stomach complaints—reaches back to England in the 17th century, and that mixing bitters with spirits and water became common over time. In the early English version of the cocktail, ginger is said to have been a fixed component. This makes it plausible that English immigrants brought the term “cocktail” and related recipes to America, where the cocktail also remained a strengthening tonic for a long time.
Only a few traces of ginger remain in later sources, but bitters stayed an essential ingredient for a long period. Over time, both the recipes and—above all—the meaning of the word changed dramatically: from a small drink group with medicinal roots to the broad umbrella term for mixed drinks of all kinds that “cocktail” has become today.
Extensive information on cocktails (beyond just the history):
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocktail#cite_note-croswell-1
Detailed article series leading systematically to an English origin:
http://bar-vademecum.de/vom-ursprung-des-cocktails-1/
Footnotes
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https://euvs-vintage-cocktail-books.cld.bz/1862-The-bar-tenders-guide-1862-2-50 ↩
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https://newspaperarchive.com/entertainment-clipping-mar-20-1798-322581/ ↩
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https://newspaperarchive.com/entertainment-clipping-mar-20-1798-322581/ ↩
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https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/c3501340-35ba-0131-11a9-58d385a7b928 ↩
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https://euvs-vintage-cocktail-books.cld.bz/1862-The-bar-tenders-guide-1862-2-50/48 ↩
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Jared Brown, Anistatia Miller: Spirituous Journey: A History of Drink, Book Two. Mixellany, London 2009, ISBN 0-9760937-9-0, p. 15. ↩