The Cocktail Tale

Posted by lushlife

Posted: June 27, 2008 - 2:09 pm

As the weekend approaches, I'm struck with an interesting thought. Time and time again you hear the phrases, "Let's go have a cocktail" or "I need a cocktail." But what exactly is a cocktail?

Wikipedia says simply: "A cocktail is a style of mixed drink." That covers the definition today and the definition from 1803, the first known printed use of the word "cocktail" in terms of drinking. But originally the drink was meant to describe a mixture of spirits with sugar, water and bitters, to make it more palatable to imbibe. Now, a cocktail can mean anything - blending, mixing, adding salt - and include innumerable ingredients.

The term and the type of drink will no doubt continue to morph and develop as time goes on, more recipes are created and more research and development is done in the fields of mixing spirits and liquors. For now, here's an interesting and enlightening video on the definition of a simple cocktail - only three ingredients - from Mark Bittman, writer of the weekly New York Times column, "The Minimalist." It's called "Cocktail Confidential". Enjoy, and share your thoughts.

Cocktails

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