Cocktails

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Beverages made by combining various alcoholic spirits with other ingredients, such as juices or soda
2. Alcoholic drinks created by mixing different liquors and flavoring agents to produce a balanced taste
3. A type of drink composed of multiple alcoholic components blended with mixers to create a flavorful concoction

Etymology: "Cocktails" is simply the plural of "cocktail," so the story belongs to the singular. The most surprising part is that the drink's name began with a horse. In the early 1600s, "cock-tail" described a horse whose tail was docked or stood up like a rooster's, and a related use described non-thoroughbred racehorses, whose tails were considered "cock-tailed." How a horse became a drink is not settled. One theory holds that the term referred to a stimulant, a "gingering" that gave a quick lift, much like a modern pick-me-up. Another suggests that the term came to mean an adulterated spirit, as mixed or lesser stock was looked down on in the way a docked, non-thoroughbred horse was. Neither explanation is proven, and the link between the racehorse sense and the drink remains uncertain.

Synonyms: mixed drinks, beverages, potables