Most of us have no idea about the origin of the word “cocktail” or why it is so popular. Let’s change that and find out what the cocktail is.

Cocktail means “the drink consisting of a mixture of high alcohol drinks with fruit juice.” In fact, in many ancient civilizations such as South America and Mesopotamia, there is evidence of mixed drinks. Towards the 17th century during the colonial period, rum and water mixes were used to make it easier for sailors to drink water during the period spent at sea in the British Navy. In the period of Prohibition in the US, the popularity increased like crazy.

Origin of the Word “Cocktail”

But why its called a cocktail? After that, the things turn into an urban myth, I got the definition I made above from the Oxford dictionary. According to the dictionary, the origin of the word cocktail is the US. There are discussions about this subject. In fact, it is claimed that the first cocktail books are written by British bartenders and the first cocktails appeared in the UK. In the past, the remaining alcohols at the bottom of the barrels were mixed and served from taps. These remaining alcohols called “tail”, and these taps are called “cock”, thus the following beverage was called “cock-tail”

Another myth is that brandy, sugar, and bitters were served as medicine in an egg container and this container was called “cocquetier” and this name changed over by time into a “cocktay” – “cocktail”.

Apart from that, it is thought that a rooster meal cooked with ale named “Cock ale” is the parent of the word “cocktail”.

Finally, the tails of British crossbred horses cut; “cocked” so that they didn’t interfere with pureblood horses, “cocked – tail”.

As we can see, there are so many urban myths for cocktails, we can select whichever we like.

The Rise of the Cocktail

The first written recorded use was in an article in the Morning post in 1798. In the US, an article was published in the Farmer’s Cabinet in 1803. And cocktail officially defined in 1806.
The golden years of cocktails, a little bit sarcastic, are during the “prohibition”, ie the “alcohol bans”, in the US between 1920 and 1933. Alcohol consumption is prohibited, but people consume alcohol in one way or another.

In this period, secret bars, “speakeasies”, which are already becoming fashionable nowadays, were opened and people started to socialize there. On the other hand, a new hobby started to born, “bathtub”, baths produced alcoholic beverages. However, the taste of these drinks was not like the usual ones, their tastes were bad and not easy to drink. For this reason, sweeteners are added to “bathtub” alcohols in these secret bars, so they can be drunk easily. They were two important reasons for easy drinking, first of all, as I said before, the tastes were awful, and the other one was avoid to get caught because something sweet is drunk easier and faster. Because nobody wants to get caught either selling or drinking alcohol during this period.

Let me tell you now, about the story of my favourite “prohibition” cocktail: Southside. Again in the prohibition time but we are in Chicago now. As in most American cities, there are Southside and Northside in Chicago too. Northside is a place where the mafia was dominant at that time, Al Capone was the most famous and most afraid person, but on the other hand, alcohol was brought from Canada because there was close to Canada, that is, there was no “bathtub” alcohol consumption. The old quality alcohol was still consumed. But is the South so? They couldn’t consume the alcohol that comes from Canada, but the ugly alcohol they make themselves, and because the taste of this made gin was really ugly, they constantly add something to suppress this taste. That’s how Southside is born. Recipe of Southside was first written in 1935 in Old Mr. Boston DeLuxe Official Bartender’s Guide.

Would you like to learn the recipe? Here you can find;