Redigerer Cocktail (avsnitt)

== Historie ==
Den tidligste kjente, trykte bruken av ordet cocktail var i The Farmer's Cabinet 28. april 1803:
{{sitat|Drank a glass of cocktail—excellent for the head...Call'd at the Doct's. found Burnham—he looked very wise—drank another glass of cocktail.|The Farmer's Cabinet}}

Den tidligste definisjon av hva en cocktail er, ble beskrevet 13. mai 1806 i utgaven av Balanse og Columbian Repository, en publikasjon i Hudson, New York, der et svar ble gitt på spørsmålet «Hva er en cocktail?» Svaret var:
{{sitat|Cocktail is a stimulating liquor composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters—it is vulgarly called a bittered sling and is supposed to be an excellent electioneering potion, inasmuch as it renders the heart stout and bold, at the same time that it fuddles the head. It is said, also to be of great use to a Democratic candidate: because a person, having swallowed a glass of it, is ready to swallow anything else.|Balanse og Columbian Repository}}