The first English usage of the word "cocktail" for a drink is
from 1806 , when it was described as "a stimulating liquor ,
composed of spirits of any kind, sugar , and bitters " and
noting that this "renders the heart stout and bold at the same
time as it fuddles the head." Throughout the 1800s, the word was
limited to this particular kind of mixture, but at that time the
world of mixed drinks was very small. The 1862 guide by
bartender Jerry Nichol says that the cocktail "is a modern
invention, and is generally used on fishing and sporting
parties, though some patients exist that it is good in the
morning as a tonic ." In other words, you would probably not
order one in a saloon Although they gradually gained acceptance
over the latter half of the 19th century, the period where
cocktails were most popular was the 1920s, during Prohibition in
the United States. Mixed drinks were necessary to cover up the
low-quality alcohol that was illegally obtained by speakeasies.
Commercial bootleggers did not bother with