Top 4 Fun Facts of Cocktails

Probably not long after the invention of liquor, people may have started messing around and adding things to their favorite spirit. We know that by the 1600s, people were fond of alcoholic punches. But the cocktail as we know it is a more recent invention. Here are the top 4 fun facts of cocktails: 1. The word "Cocktails" sounds a little dirty because of a reason The origins of the word "cocktail" are pretty murky — with several competing theories. But spirits historian David Wondrich says the first mention of the word "cocktail" was in a British newspaper in 1798. "Cock-tail" (as the word was styled) was used as a slang term for a ginger drink. Apparently at the time, before a horse sale, a dealer would sometimes put a ginger suppository up the animal's butt, which would cause it to lift its tail, "a raised or cocked-up tail being a sign of a spirited horse," writes Wondrich. Alrighty then. 2. Cocktails Were Invented in America. One of the earliest uses of the word "cocktail" in the way that we think of it now (as a mixed drink) was in the American periodical Balance and Columbian Repository in 1806. In response to a reader's question, the editor explained that a cocktail "is a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water and bitters." That's a definition that still works today. In fact, the editor just described a drink we would now call an old-fashioned, which could be considered the first cocktail. Others argue that Antoine Peychaud, an apothecary in New Orleans, developed the first cocktail which was the Sazerac in 1838. It originally consisted of a cognac called Sazerac, a sugar cube, bitters and a dash of absinthe. Nowadays, it's made with whiskey and the other ingredients. Sometimes the second type of bitters is substituted for the absinthe. 3. The Father of Mixology Was Jerry Thomas. Jerry Thomas (1830-1885) was not the first barkeep in America, but he was the first to write about it. In 1862, Thomas published "The Bon Vivant's Companion, also known as The Bar-Tender's Guide." In it, Thomas laid down the principles for mixing drinks and listed his own recipes. His book (which was revised several times) included the first recipes for the Tom Collins and the martini. Thomas was also quite a showman — his signature drink was the blue blazer, which involved lighting whiskey and tossing it back and forth between two mixing glasses. His bar guide is still in print. 4. Bartender 'Olympics' are a Thing. Thomas' creative spirit lives on today. Whether it's bartenders competing to show off their "flairtending" skills — like juggling liquor bottles — or in more serious competitions, like the World Class Club, where bartenders around the globe submit original cocktail recipes, there's something for everyone