You would like a what??

Cocktail - It hardly conjures up pictures of something you'd like to drink, let alone put in your mouth... All in all, it's a strange name for a drinks category! So where did it come from and why did it stick?

The origins of the name remain highly contested with each person asked having a theory of their own. People tend to settle for the story they find most interesting, however implausible! Allow me to share a few of the more popular legends with you -

• One of the most well popular stories concerning the origin of the name is that of Betsy Flannigan. According to the legends, an Irish man known only as Flannigan and his daughter Betsy ran an inn in Georgetown during the American Revolution. Flannigan was said to have a
  
  rather unsavoury relationship with his neighbour - an Englishman who owned a band of fighting cocks and both men complained incessantly about the noise emanating from each others properties. Flannigan is said to have threatened the Englishman, warning him that he would twist the cocks necks if nothing was done about the noise. When, after a period of time, the noise continued, Flannigan followed through on his threat. They served the cocks to the inns residents and, after the meal was finished, decided to treat their guests with a drink. It was then that Betsy came up with the idea of garnishing the customers fortified wine with the multi-coloured tail feathers of the recently deceased cocks. This was met with much delight from the customers who congratulated Betsy on a fine idea and started referring to the drinks as Cock-tails. The story spread and since that day, mixed or fortified have been referred to as cocktails. 

• Another popular  tale involves innkeepers in the United States who used to mix the dregs of their spirit barrels together and sold them to customers on the cheap! A "cock" was the name given to the wooden peg used to plug the barrels and the dregs were known as the "tailings"- hence customers would ask for the "cock-tailings" and this was eventually abbreviated to simply "cocktails". 

• A relatively timid explanation can be attributed to the French (quite out of character for them) - Coquetel was a term used for mixed drinks in Bordeaux (France)  and this was quickly translated to Cocktail when it reached the shores of America.

All these stories (and plenty more) can be found with the simplest search and if you are incredibly bored it makes for some interesting reading! Regardless of where the term "Cocktail" originated, its been around for ages and is recognised by thirsty patrons all over the world!

 The next few posts will deal with the fun stuff... recipes and reviews! Until then, happy drinking!