Cocktail is a form of liquid craftsmanship which results in art, one of the greatest expressions of human ingenuity applied to the world of distillates, spirits, and fruit juices.
The etymology of the word cocktail is still debated. One of the earliest mentions of the name "cocktail" can be found published in the American newspaper "The Balance" on May 13th, 1806.
There are dozens of interpretations and nice anecdotes about the origin of this magic word. Some suggest it comes from the cockfights which were in vogue in the taverns of the 17th century’s Europe: the winner was entitled to the feathers (the tail) of the defeated rooster, the glory, and wide libations.
According to another legend, towards the end of the nineteenth century, following some skirmishes along the border, a General of the American Army met with king Axolotl XV to resolve those border conflicts. As a welcome, and to start the meeting, a beautiful handmaid served an unknown drink into a golden cup. Immediately a protocol problem arose over who was to drink first. The girl sensed the embarrassment and tasted first the drink, thus saving the situation. The general asked who that girl was, and the king replied she was his daughter Coctel. The general, leaving aside both drink and daughter, said Coctel would forever be an honored name in the U.S. Army. So Coctel soon became Cocktail. There is not much truth about this story, even because Axolotl was not exactly a king, but rather a kind of salamander which inhabits Mexican lakes.
Today the cocktail has hundreds of aspects, from classic to molecular, from sober to multi-coloured, from smooth to on the rocks.
In the end, it takes a minimum of mystery for a drink with stimulating functions which can be drunken in company, or in solo contemplation, which helps loving others and seems to strike – in its preparation and execution – the most hidden human thoughts.
