Cocktail

A prefect mixture for macOS

Download Cocktail

Clean, repair and optimize.

Cocktail is a general purpose utility for macOS that lets you clean, repair and optimize your Mac. It is a powerful digital toolset that helps hundreds of thousands of Mac users around the world get the most out of their computers every day.

The application serves up a perfect mix of maintenance tools and tweaks, all accessible through a clean and easy to use interface. Cocktail's features are arranged into five categories that helps you manage various aspects of your computer. It also comes with an automatic Pilot mode that allows you to simply press a button and relax, knowing that Cocktail will take care of the rest.

Cocktail is installed at more than 250 000 computers world wide. The largest part being private individuals, but Cocktail can also be found at large international companies, educational institutions or newspapers.

• Automatically check S.M.A.R.T. status of disks
• Enable or disable journaling
• Set disk sleep (spindown) time
• Modify standby delay
• Change other disk sleep settings
• Force eject CD/DVD

• Run periodic maintenance scripts
• Purge inactive memory and optimize virtual memory usage
• Manage Spotlight indexing
• Erase Spotlight indexes
• Modify Time Machine settings
• Rebuild Launch Services and Help databases
• Rebuild Mail's Envelope Index
• Update locate and whatis databases
• Force empty the Trash
• Change startup mode or set startup delay
• Disable startup sound
• Disable Notification Center and App Nap

• Clear system caches
• Clear user caches
• Clear font caches
• Clear virtual memory swap files
• Clear temporary files
• Clear Internet caches
• Clear DNS cache
• Clear Mail downloads
• Clear cookies, download lists, form values and history files
• Clear Adobe Flash Player caches and cookies
• Clear applications caches
• Search for corrupted preference files
• Delete unnecessary localization (language resources) files
• Clear and manage (view, print and save) log files
• Delete invisible DS Store files
• Delete locked or inaccessible items

• Change speed, duplex and MTU of network cards
• Easily optimize network settings for common connection types
• Modify IP configuration parameters
• Configure File Sharing settings

• Customize look and features of Finder, Dock, login window and other system services
• Modify hidden settings of Safari, iTunes and Launchpad

• Clean, repair and optimize your system with one click of the button
• Schedule clearing of caches and log files as well as run of periodic maintenance scripts

When unregistered, Cocktail runs in demo mode and will expire after the tenth launch. If you like your Cocktail, please purchase the license from our resellers PayPro or eSellerate.

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How do I install Cocktail?

Download Cocktail from the top of this page, then double click the disk image (.dmg) file to mount it on your desktop. This disk image contains an application that you need to drag to your Applications folder. After you have installed Cocktail you can eject the disk by either dragging it to the trash or pressing the Eject icon in the Finder sidebar.

How do I uninstall Cocktail and restore the default macOS settings?

You can remove Cocktail by launching it, then selecting the Uninstall Cocktail option from the Cocktail application menu.

Is Cocktail compatible with other utilities?

Cocktail is compatible with all the major utilities for macOS, including DiskWarrior, TechTool Pro, Data Rescue and others.

What is the easiest way to run Cocktail?

Cocktail has a built in function called the Pilot, which is the easiest way to automatically clean and maintain your system. The Pilot scheduler automatically runs Cocktail’s maintenance tasks at scheduled intervals, to use it you just select the tasks you want to run, set the frequency (daily or weekly) and the time of the day you want them to run.

Where can I find more information about Cocktail?

You can find detailed information about all the tasks performed by Cocktail in the help files. To access them choose Cocktail Help from the Help menu.

Provides the greatest number of features. Cocktail is our favorite system utility for macOS MacWorld

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We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: Cocktail is simply one of the most useful utilities MacLife

Cocktail Blog

Reset forgotten Mac password

In the old days you could reset a login password via a Mac's OS X installer disc. But with no such discs, what to do?

Useful Trash keyboard shortcuts

Trash is one of those overlooked aspects of macOS that you probably don't think much about. That's fine, but there are also a handful of genuinely useful keyboard shortcuts that pertain to Trash on the Mac, and if you spend any time in the file system they're worth learning.

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Recipes

Making a great drink is easier than you think with delicious premium spirits.

• Purple Cocktails
• Classic cocktails
• Easy Cocktails
• Punch Cocktails
• Frozen Cocktails
• Mojito Cocktails

All Cocktails

If you’re looking to mix up great cocktails that you’ll want to serve again and again, you’ve come to the right place. It’s easy to find the drink you want here – whether you’re looking for your favourite brand, mixer or other ingredient of choice. There are 'Classic Cocktails' like the minty, zesty Mojito, 'Easy Cocktails' such as a Vodka Tonic, or 'Amazing Cocktails' as in the honey and bergamot-flavoured Golden Flip. You can create a delicious vodka cocktail, opt for Edible Cocktails or branch out with non-alcoholic 'Mocktails'. Choose one that fits your tastes, or pick anything that appeals – either way you can’t go wrong.

About this recipe

You can tell the Old Fashioned is a turbo-charged classic because it has a glass named after it. It’s one of the few cocktails, like the Martini and the Collins, to be so celebrated.

The Manhattan is another with the dark spirit look that fits the season, but it’s even more suited to parties than the Old Fashioned because essentially the Manhattan is a dark Martini. Like this classic drink, the Manhattan is a late 19th century combination of spirit and vermouth, and, like the Martini it’s served in an elegant v-shaped glass. The aromatics from the fortified wine escape into the nostrils as you drink, stem in hand. Most likely invented in the 1870s by a bartender on Broadway, it’s the number one New York cocktail – apart from, that is, the Cosmopolitan.

cocktail

Synonyms for cocktail

More words related to cocktail

Word Origin & History

cocktail first attested 1806; H.L. Mencken lists seven versions of its origin, perhaps the most persuasive is Fr. coquetier "egg-cup." In New Orleans, c.1795, Antoine Amédée Peychaud, an apothecary (and inventor of Peychaud bitters) held Masonic social gatherings at his pharmacy, where he mixed brandy toddies with his own bitters and served them in an egg-cup. The drink took the name of the cup, in Eng. cocktay. Cocktail party first attested 1928.

Example Sentences for cocktail

"It's all right, but I'm afraid your cocktail will be tepid," he said.

Slum lowered his cocktail and turned a disgusted look on him.

In Trumet a cocktail is a dreadful thing; but here it isn't.

The first cocktail you drink will be the signal for me to clear decks for action.

Now had she been thoroughbred, I was all right; as a cocktail, I was all wrong.'

Pheola let me get her a cocktail dress in one of the women's shops.

Dick looked at the time and found that the cocktail had given him an appetite.

I'd like to be decent to her, but I can't stand the cocktail life.

Tom tried to hide his disappointment behind the cocktail glass.

If it had been a whiskey glass, or a cocktail glass, the results might have been fatal.

cocktail

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Classic Cocktails

From a perfectly balanced daiquiri to a refreshing mint julep, here are classic cocktail recipes.

This drink was a favorite of American expats during Prohibition. Prior to then it was known as the Milano-Torino, for the cities where its two main ingredients were first made: Milan (Campari) and Turin (sweet vermouth).

The origin of this classic rum cocktail is one of the great debates in tikidom. Both Ernest Beaumont-Gantt (a.k.a. "Donn Beach," the father of tiki culture) and Trader Vic founder Victor Bergeron lay claim to its invention. This version borrows from Beaumont-Gantt's recipe, which adds dashes of Pernod and Angostura bitters for complexity.

Hidetsugo Ueno currently uses the exquisite French Dolin rouge vermouth in his Negronis, but you may want to experiment with different sweet vermouths—Martini & Rossi, Cinzano, Carpano Antica Formula—or try a bittersweet one like Punt e Mes.

Daiquiris often mean frozen drinks flavored with commercial sour mix and cheap rum. Leo Robitschek loves introducing people to the real deal: "They're shocked that three simple ingredients can create such a complex drink."

Classic Daiquiri

The daiquiri originated in Cuba, and is one of the great cocktails of the world.

The original martini, allegedly invented in the U.S. in the 1860s, was made with sweet vermouth. One of the first recipes for a dry martini, made with dry vermouth, appeared in Frank P. Newman's 1904 American Bar.

Old-Fashioned

Mixologists around the world make this fizzy, lemony drink with gin, but New Orleans bartenders opt for cognac.

The earliest known printed recipe for the Manhattan was published in O. H. Byron's 1884 Modern Bartenders' Guide, which cites two versions: one made with French vermouth, the other with Italian.

Robert Vermeire's 1922 book Cocktails: How to Mix Them attributes the sidecar to the celebrated bartender MacGarry, who worked at London's Buck's Club.

Dark 'n Stormy

According to a Gosling's Rum tale, this drink was invented more than 100 years ago when members of Bermuda's Royal Naval Officer's Club added a splash of the local rum to their spicy homemade ginger beer. They described its ominous hue as "the color of a cloud only a fool or dead man would sail under."

As the story goes, Ernest Beaumont-Gantt created this potent drink in the 1930s and named it for its mind-altering effect after a friend consumed three of them. This lower-proof version is made with Velvet Falernum, an almond-and-lime-flavored liqueur that's a key ingredient in many tiki drinks.

Cuba Libre

The best kind of cola to use in this drink is Mexican Coca-Cola or another brand made with cane sugar. Sugar-based colas have a crisper, cleaner flavor than the more readily available ones made with high-fructose corn syrup.

Limoncello Collins

The Collins was most likely named after 19th-century bartender John Collins of London's Limmer's Hotel. The Tom Collins was originally made with Old Tom, a sweet style of gin that's extremely hard to find today.

Zee Spotted Pig Bloody Mary

Bartender Anna Vanderzee suggests making the mix for this recipe one day in advance to allow the spices and horseradish to marry with the tomato juice.

According to master mixologist Dale DeGroff, a drink called the Tequila Daisy was served at Tijuana’s Agua Caliente racetrack in the 1920s. It was made with lemon juice, tequila and a sweet ingredient—the template for a Margarita.

Mint Julep

When New Orleans bartender Chris McMillian mixes mint juleps, he recites an ode, written in the 1890s by a Kentucky newspaperman, that calls the cocktail "the zenith of man's pleasure. the very dream of drinks."

Daniel Boulud's Caipirinha

Sweet, tart and strong, the caipirinha is mixed with the Brazilian spirit cachaça. Cachaça is similar to rum but made from sugarcane rather than molasses. "It's more sophisticated than rum because it's more pure," says Brazilian artist Vik Muniz, patriotically.

Hemingway Daiquiri

In his 2001 book Straight Up or On the Rocks, William Grimes claims that Ernest Hemingway "often worked his way through about a dozen of these lime slurpees, sometimes ordering doubles, which became known as Papa Dobles."

Pisco Sour

The national cocktail of Chile and Peru, this drink may have evolved from the Pisco Punch, which was all the rage in San Francisco during the 1849 gold rush.

The oldest-known recipe for the mojito appeared as the Mojo de Ron in a 1929 Cuban guide called Libro de Cocktail (The Cocktail Book).

Pimm's Iced Tea

Pimm's No. 1, a gin-based aperitif invented by London bar owner James Pimm in 1823, is the quintessential English summer-afternoon drink (and the traditional drink of Wimbledon). Here, Jamie Boudreau combines it with tea, another beloved British beverage.

Champagne Cocktail

At the revamped Merchants restaurant in a 118-year-old Nashville building, suspender-clad mixologists serve old-school drinks like this one from the mid-19th century.

Easy Cocktails: 35 Simple, 3-Ingredient Drinks to Make at Home

[Photographs: Vicky Wasik, unless otherwise noted]

It can be fun to watch a bartender carefully add a litany of ingredients to a mixing glass: layers of different spirits, unusual liqueurs, custom tinctures, bizarre bitters. A bar is a great place to get familiar with unusual bottles and sample drinks that take a more effort than just opening the cupboard and filling a few jiggers.

At home, though, most of us want a drink we can assemble with what we have on hand; nothing that takes an overnight infusion or 12 different bottles.

If your home bar is really bare (and you're up for a trip to the grocery store for produce), you may want to start with our one bottle drinks series: all of those recipes are centered around just one spirit. But if you're a little more well-stocked, or you're considering one more bottle to add to your collection, the easy cocktails below are your new house drinks. All of them are made with three ingredients or fewer, bitters included. Optional garnishes don't count in the three items; feel free to get fancy or skip 'em altogether, depending on what you have on hand.

Three-Ingredient Cocktails: The Spirits

Gin Drinks

If you make it with vodka, call it a Kangaroo. But other than that, this classic is pretty darn flexible. You can have it dry, making jokes about looking at a bottle of vermouth, or you can actually use a little vermouth (try a fresh bottle and you might be surprised how great it is). Or you can make your martini the way we—and many of our favorite bartenders—prefer: two parts gin to one part vermouth, stirred until well chilled. In case you're wondering, here are our thoughts on the best gin for the job.

Sherry Martini

Like vermouth, sherry is a fortified wine. But unlike vermouth, it draws its distinctiveness from the funky powers of yeast and oxidation—and the wine itself—rather than added herbs and spices. Here, dry sherry adds its characteristic saline and nutty, bright, downright savory flavors to a simple martini. It doesn't really need a garnish, but a slice of jamon Iberico plays up the savory aspect even more.

Green Ghost

The Last Word is one of our favorite gin cocktails, but if you don't have maraschino liqueur on hand, you can still make this three-ingredient sibling. The herbal flavors of Chartreuse marry well with the botanicals in gin, and fresh lime juice makes it lively.

Obituary Cocktail

If you're friendly with the Martini, you might want to make the acquaintance of this drink: the Obituary starts with gin and dry vermouth, but adds in a little absinthe or pastis, for an anise flavor that brings the gin and vermouth's herbal aromatics to life.

[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

If you're into cocktails at all, you've probably had a Negroni or twenty. You'll get the basic recipe clicking through, though you hardly need it: the drink is equal parts gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth. It's a cocktail that spawned a million easy variations, but you can also play around with the classic itself. Experiment with using a Navy-strength gin such as Perry's Tot: the boozier spirit has the muscle to grapple with the Campari. You may also want to try adjusting the ratios to your taste, or giving alternate amari like Gran Classico a try.

White Negroni

There's more than one way to make this sibling of the classic Negroni, and part of the fun is in the experimentation. If you can find Suze, Salers, or Bonal, those aperitifs will add a wonderful bitterness to the combo, but you can also try it with Cocchi Americano, as in this recipe. Some folks use rich, floral Lillet, while others turn to blanc/bianco vermouth. Your ratios will depend on which ingredients you choose, but tasting your way through the options is a pretty good way to spend an evening.

Frozen Negroni

Yes, it's basically a Negroni adapted for your blender. But this frozen drink is so good it's worth calling out here. For the best balance when frozen, the bittersweet Campari and sweet vermouth are dialed back a bit. The key to easy hosting and a frosty drink that doesn't immediately melt all the ice in your blender? Store a batch of the cocktail in your freezer overnight.

Auld Draper

[Photograph: Elana Lepkowski]

The hardest part of making this drink is tracking down a bottle of Byrrh, but now that most top-notch liquor stores carry it, even that shouldn't be too rough. What is Byrrh, anyway? It's a richly aromatic fortified red wine that contains quinine, making the flavor akin to a light port with a mildly bitter edge. (There's coffee and bitter orange in there too—it's delicious stuff!) Try it alone, then try it this way, with a little gin and orange bitters.

Back in the 1800s, sailors with the British Navy would treat their sea sickness with Angostura bitters. Straight bitters are kind of intense, so they'd mix it with gin to help it go down easier. And so the Pink Gin was born. This brown-hued version amps up the spice a little for a citrus- and clove-scented drink that's bitter and delicious.

Whiskey Drinks

Old Fashioned

The Old Fashioned is one of those drinks that proves that a cocktail doesn't need to be complicated to be good. Booze, sugar, and bitters are all you need: bourbon and rye are pretty standard, but you can also experiment with other spirits, especially good aged tequila or rum. Note that this recipe keeps its distance from fussy fruit and soda water. (Still, if you slip in a Luxardo cherry and an orange peel and gently press 'em with your muddler before adding the whiskey, we won't tell.)

Frisco Sour

Benedictine is sweet and herbal, and it's wonderful with whiskey. (You can stop there: just mix a few ounces of rye with a quarter ounce of Benedictine and a dash or two of bitters for a variation on the Old Fashioned: the Benedictine replaces the simple syrup and enlivens the cocktail, adding all sorts of herbal flavors.) But if you want something a little more bright and bracing, you'll need a lemon, too. In the Frisco Sour, spicy rye stars and the Benedictine adds interest, while the citrus cuts through and keeps things dry.

Boulevardier

It's probably the most well-known Negroni variation, but the Boulevardier deserves a spotlight of its own. This combo of whiskey with Campari and sweet vermouth is one of the most delicious simple drinks we know. Try it with both rye and bourbon and see which way you like it.

Man About Town

If I had to choose between a classic Negroni and a Boulevardier, I'd lean toward the brown-spirited one. If you feel the same way, I urge you to try this rye variation on the cocktail from Gramercy Tavern in New York. Instead of Campari, it calls for vegetal, bittersweet Cynar. It's a deep, rich drink, with a punch of rye spice and a lush, bitter finish.

Spicy rye meets sweet vermouth in this old-school cocktail; yeah, you can make it with bourbon, too, but in that case you'll want one with rye in the mashbill and a slightly higher proof. Angostura bitters bring each element together; you can garnish with a nice brandied cherry (no fluorescent red ones please!) or an aromatic lemon twist.

You don't need to use fancy (and pricey) single malt Scotch for this variation on the Manhattan; any decent blended Scotch will meld nicely with rich sweet vermouth and spicy Angostura. Not a big fan of vermouth? It could be that you've only tasted oxidized bottles. Grab a fresh one and be sure to keep it stored properly.

[Photograph: Jennifer Hess]

Ever had a Bee's Knees? It's a great simple gin sour made with honey. If you lean more toward bourbon than gin, though, give this a try: it's the same thing, more or less, but made rich with whiskey.

Blushing Betty

Have you ever tried slicing a juicy grapefruit in half, sprinkling it with sugar, and sliding it under the broiler? You end up with something tangy and bright, but also rich and caramelized—flavors we've captured in this simple drink. Even better there's no broiler work required: bourbon adds the toasty caramel notes that deepen the fresh grapefruit flavor nicely.

Moto Guzzi

I'm a little obsessed with Punt e Mes, an Italian vermouth that has a streak of unrelenting bitterness along with rich winey flavors. It's great stuff on its own, so it doesn't need much to make a great mixed drink. Paired with an equal measure of high-proof bourbon, it's the easiest Manhattan variation you can make, no extra bitters required.

Tequila Drinks

Knowing how to make a good margarita is an essential skill for any home drink-maker. Note: it does not start with a bottled mix. Instead, this perfectly balanced cocktail demands good blanco tequila, Cointreau, and fresh lime juice. (Some would say the salted rim is required and takes this over the three-ingredient limit, but I'd say that's up for debate.) Where's the sugar? Turns out you don't actually need any as long as you're working with good triple sec like Cointreau.

Rum and Cachaça Drinks

A little lime and sugar helps a bottle of rum shine; there's no need for any other fruit, and getting your blender involved makes an entirely different concoction. It's especially satisfying in warm weather, and can be a fabulous vehicle for exploring whatever new bottle of rum you track down.

Cuba Libre

It might seem like just a rum and Coke, but the Cuba Libre has more to offer, especially if you squeeze a lime in and then muddle the spent lime shell to get a little citrus oil in the mix. This easy drink is great with any aged rum, but it also shines with a funky, grassy rhum agricole instead.

Barbados Cocktail

[Photograph: Robyn Lee]

Gotta love a simple drink that really shines. Here, you'll bring together the deep molasses flavor of dark rum (we used Coruba) with spicy-tropical Velvet Falernum and fresh lime. It's a little boozy, a little sweet, and plenty bright thanks to the lime.

Dark & Stormy

This spicy-sweet-boozy-tart drink is a vacation classic: just be sure to pick up a bunch of limes, a bottle of rich Gosling's Black Seal Rum, and some spicy ginger beer when you roll into the beach town of your choice. This version is served in pretty layers, but you'll want to stir before serving so that you don't get a mouthful of straight lime.

Caipirinha

Turn on the samba music and break out the cachaça for this easy Brazilian drink. All you need to do is crush up some fresh lime quarters with sugar and add in the booze, then shake with ice 'til it's frosty-cold.

Vodka Drinks

Great Gatsby

Lillet Blanc is a floral and citrusy aperitif that's wonderful with grapefruit; here it gets fresh juice and a little vodka to cut through the fruity flavors. Drink it with pre-dinner snacks or pair it with biscuits and marmalade at brunch.

Moscow Mule

Even if you're not a huge fan of vodka, this classic drink is worth considering for summer parties. It's a cool and crisp combo of the vodka and fresh lime, sweetened and spiced with a long pour of ginger beer. Copper mugs are the standard serving vessel, but we won't judge if you use one half of your cocktail shaker (or a regular glass.)

Brandy Drinks

[Photograph: Carey Jones]

Why are Margaritas—just sours made with tequila, Cointreau, and lime—so much more popular than Sidecars, which are the same thing, except with cognac and lemon? We're not sure, but if you like a good Margarita, we urge you to give the brandy version a try. It's warm and mellow and delicious, especially if you use a nice cognac.

Japanese Cocktail

You may have heard that cognac is on the rise in the cocktail world today, but this drink is no newbie. (You could read about it back in 1862 when Jerry Thomas wrote his guide for bartenders.) The drink is rich and nutty, thanks to the mix of smooth cognac and orgeat (a tasty almond syrup), plus bitters. If you can't find orgeat near you, you can order it online or make your own at home.

Aperitifs, Amari, Sparkling Wine, and More.

Adriatique

[Photograph: Robyn Lee]

Sometimes it feels like every cocktail is just a tiny variation on another. But then you come across a drink like this one, from Boston bar star Jackson Cannon, and it's like having a new category of cocktail for the very first time. Amaro Montenegro and Aperol provide a bittersweet core that extends the flavors of fresh orange juice; it's the perfect pre-dinner drink to get your appetite going. Since this isn't too high in alcohol, you might want to mix up a pitcherful.

Campari Spritz

This slightly beefier version of an Aperol Spritz is meant to be served with appetizers like cured meats and olives—so it's no surprise that an olive garnish tastes delicious between sips. Warning: this drink may leave you pining for a vacation in Italy.

Courting Two Sisters Cocktail

If you're making this drink, step one starts by examining your bottles of vermouth. If they've been around since your birthday party two years ago, step two involves dumping the contents down the drain. In a three-ingredient cocktail, you want the good, fresh stuff. (Check out this piece to find out the best way to store vermouth.) Then it all comes together: juicier red and crisper blanc vermouth, plus a touch of anise from the absinthe, mingled together and stirred till refreshingly cold. This is a great pre-dinner drink.

Sparkling Suze Cocktail

[Photograph: Elana Lepkowski]

When you're trying out a new cocktail ingredient, it's nice to keep it simple so you can really get a sense of what the stuff tastes like. Suze, a bittersweet, slightly vegetal French aperitif, is practically a cocktail in a bottle, so it doesn't need much. St Germain elderflower liqueur highlights the apertif's floral side, and Cava adds a little fruity fizz.

Grapefruit and Ginger Sparkler

Hosting brunch? You could always make mimosas but this easy combo is a little more fun, doctoring up affordable bubbly (cheap-ish Prosecco, Cava, or Cremant is fine) with Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur. Fresh grapefruit juice puts its bright and bitter talents to work, preventing the balance from tipping too sweet.

Negroni Sbagliato

Maybe you've heard the story—this drink's a bungled version of the classic, made with bittersweet Campari, rich sweet vermouth, and whoops! Prosecco instead of the gin. It's perfect for a day when you're not quite ready for stiffer spirits.

Bitter Mimosa

Do you like your drinks a little bitter? Then you should probably have Cynar in your home bar. You can start by subbing it into any drink that calls for Campari, or give this easy brunch drink a try. It's bright like a classic orange juice mimosa, but instead of being sweet and fruity, grapefruit and Cynar give the cocktail brightness, bitterness, and a touch of mystery.

Maggie Hoffman served as Drinks Editor and then Managing Editor of Serious Eats from 2010 to July 2016. She is currently working on a cocktail book.

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Cocktail 1988

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A young, ambitious New York bartender becomes the toast of Manhattan's Upper East Side. But when he moves to Jamaica and finds true love, he gains a new perspective on his life.

What is a Cocktail?

Definition and History of the Cocktail

The official definition of a "cocktail" according to the modern Merriam-Webster Dictionary is "an iced drink of wine or distilled liquor mixed with flavoring ingredients." That's a pretty broad definition, but reflects the modern practice of referring to almost any mixed drink as a cocktail.

The first published definition of the Cocktail appeared in an editorial response in The Balance and Columbian Repository of 1806.

This read: "Cocktail is a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters." It is this definition of ingredients that we continue to use when referring to the 'ideal' cocktail.

When Was the Cocktail Created?

People have been mixing drinks for centuries, but it wasn't until the 17th and 18th centuries that the precursors of the cocktail (the Slings, Fizzes, Toddies, and Juleps) became popular enough to be recorded in the history books. It is unclear where, who, and what went into the creation of the original cocktail, but it seems to be a specific drink rather than a category of mixed drinks during that time.

The first published reference to the cocktail appears in the Farmer's Cabinet (Amherst, New Hampshire, April 28, 1803). The spoof editorial tells of a "lounger" who, with an 11 a.m. hangover, "…Drank a glass of cocktail - excellent for the head…" In Imbibe!, David Wondrich attributes the first known cocktail recipe in print to Captain J.E.

Alexander in 1831 who calls for brandy, gin or rum in a mix of "…a third of the spirit to two-thirds of the water; add bitters, and enrich with sugar and nutmeg…"

Where Did the Name "Cocktail" Originate?

There are as many stories behind the origin of the name cocktail as there are behind the creation of the first Margarita or the Martini.

As always, some are preposterous, some believable and who knows, one may be the truth. None the less, the stories are interesting.

• A popular story behind the cocktail name refers to a rooster's tail (or cock tail) being used as a Colonial drink garnish. There are no formal references in written recipes to such a garnish.
• In the story in The Spy (James Fenimore Cooper, 1821) the character "Betty Flanagan" invented the cocktail during the Revolution. "Betty" may have referred to a real-life innkeeper at Four Corners north of New York City by the name of Catherine "Kitty" Hustler. Betty took on another non-fiction face, that of Betsy Flanagan. Betsy was likely not a real woman, but the story says she was a tavern keeper who served French soldiers a drink in 1779 garnished with tail feathers of her neighbor's rooster. We can assume that Kitty inspired Betty and Betty inspired Betsy, but whether or not one of the three are responsible for the cocktail is a mystery.
• The rooster theory is also said to have been influenced by the colors of the mixed ingredients, which may resemble the colors of the cock's tail. This would be a good tale today given our colorful array of ingredients, but at the time spirits were visually bland.

Mocktail Recipes

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Virgin Cucumber Mojito

"This is THE PERFECT summer drink. Very refreshing, very easy…what more could you want on a hot day?" – LilSnoo

Alcohol-Free Mint Julep

"Enjoy the classic mint julep with a slight twist!" – SHOWP0NIE

cocktail 1

cocktail 2

Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2017.

The lucky recipient gets to choose from a selection of gifts ranging from cocktail kits to packages of wine and premium spirits.

The Old-Fashioned is the crème of the cocktail crop—according to Don Draper, at least.

She said that her co-star, Alfre Woodard, talked to her about it a cocktail party that night.

There was a first-class lounge with a sunken well and cocktail bar.

Or what if an ingredient in your beer or cocktail machines has gone bad without knowing it?

"It's all right, but I'm afraid your cocktail will be tepid," he said.

Slum lowered his cocktail and turned a disgusted look on him.

In Trumet a cocktail is a dreadful thing; but here it isn't.

The first cocktail you drink will be the signal for me to clear decks for action.

Now had she been thoroughbred, I was all right; as a cocktail, I was all wrong.'

cocktail 1

1. any mixed drink with a spirit base, usually drunk before meals
2. ( as modifier ): the cocktail hour

cocktail 2

© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins

Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

first attested 1806; H.L. Mencken lists seven versions of its origin, perhaps the most persuasive is French coquetier "egg-cup" (15c.; in English cocktay ). In New Orleans, c.1795, Antoine Amédée Peychaud, an apothecary (and inventor of Peychaud bitters) held Masonic social gatherings at his pharmacy, where he mixed brandy toddies with his own bitters and served them in an egg-cup. On this theory, the drink took the name of the cup. Used from 1920s of any mix of substances (e.g. fruit , Molotov ). Cocktail party first attested 1928.

cocktail cock·tail (kŏk'tāl)

A mixture of drugs, usually in solution, for the diagnosis or treatment of a condition.

A treatment regimen that includes a combination of several drugs, to enhance their individual potency.

Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

1. A cigarette of marijuana and tobacco, with marijuana put into the end of an ordinary cigarette
2. A cigarette of more than a single narcotic (1960s+ Narcotics)

Copyright (C) 2007 by HarperCollins Publishers.