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Question
#62851. lanfranco
asks:
The name may have come from a feather used as both a decoration and a signal; or possibly from a French term for something normally used to serve a common breakfast item; or even from the Latin for a certain type of liquid. What is it?
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TabbyTom
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Cocktail.
This was discussed recently on a BBC TV programme called "Balderdash and Piffle," in which people tried to uncover the origins and earliest usages of certain words.
"Cocktail" may refer to a cockerel's tail-feather, used to stir and decorate the drink. Others derive it from "coquetier," a French word for eggcup, the story being that a bar-owner in Louisiana or some other French-speaking area used to serve up these alcoholic mixes in eggcups. I don't know about the Latin.
Feb 24 06, 6:28 PM
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lanfranco
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Salute, TT, a toast to you! I wish I'd seen that programme.
The Latin term for distilled water, "aqua decocta," has been suggested as an origin. It does sound like a rather weak etymology to me.
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocktail
Feb 24 06, 6:41 PM
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