Cocktail
/ˈkɒk.teɪl/noun
A mixed alcoholic drink typically consisting of a spirit and other ingredients.
Did you know?One theory suggests that 'Cocktail' comes from a 17th-century practice of serving drinks from a rooster's tail, believed to enhance the drink's potency and charm.
Etymological Timeline
Old French
Old French
coctail
“A drink made from a mixture of ingredients; literally means 'mixed'.”
17th Century
English
cock-tail
“Originally referred to a horse with a docked tail, implying a mixture of breeds.”
18th Century
English
cocktail
“Began to refer to mixed drinks, possibly due to the colorful presentation resembling a rooster's tail.”
Modern English
English
cocktail
“Widely recognized as a term for any mixed alcoholic beverage, signifying creativity and mixology.”