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CHAPTER 1
HISTORICAL NOTE
MOST of the people one meets in places where Cocktails grow have an idea that they know the origin of the word "Cocktail"; none of them. However, agree as to what that origin is, and in any case they are all wrong, as they always put that origin somewhere between sixty and seventy years ago, whereas in The Balance, an American periodical, of May 13, 1806, we read that: "Cocktail is a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters — it is vulgarly called bittered sling and is supposed to be an excellent electioneering potion." This is the earliest reference to the Cocktail that I have been able to find in print.
Historians have been misled by the word "Cocktail" into imagining that it was once in some way connected with the plumage of the domestic rooster. But this is not so. The true, authentic and incontrovertible story of the origin of the Cocktail is as follows: —
Somewhere about the beginning of the last century there had been for some time very considerable friction between the American Army of the Southern States and King Axolotl VIII of Mexico. Several skirmishes and one or two battles took place, but eventually a truce was called and the King agreed to meet the American general and to discuss terms of peace with him.
The place chosen for the meeting was the King's Pavilion, and thither the American general repaired, and was accommodated with a seat on the Bench, as it were, next to King A. himself. Before opening negotiations, however, His Majesty asked the general, as one man to another, if he would like a drink, and being an American general he of course said yes. The King gave a command and in a few moments there appeared a lady of entrancing and overwhelming beauty, bearing in her slender fingers a gold cup encrusted with rubies and containing a strange potion of her own brewing. Immediately an awed and ominous hush fell upon the assembly, for the same thought struck everyone at the same time, namely, that as there was only one cup either the King or the general would have to drink out of it first, and that the other would be bound to feel insulted. The situation was growing tense when the cup-bearer seemed also to realize its difficulty, for with a sweet smile she bowed her shapely head in reverence to the assembly and drank the drink herself. Everything was saved and the conference came to a satisfactory ending, but before leaving, the general asked if he might know the name of the lady who had shown such tact. "That," proudly said the King, who had never seen the lady before, "is my daughter Coctel."
"Right," replied the general, "I will see that her name is honoured for evermore by my Army."
Coctel, of course, became Cocktail, and there you are! There exists definite unquestionable proof of the truth of this story, but no correspondence upon the subject can in any circumstances be entertained.
So much for the early history of Cocktails. Since those days the Art of the Cocktail has developed very considerably, and in the following pages you will find the essence of the Art of Harry Craddock of the Savoy, the King of Cocktail Shakers, who has inspired, disciplined, ordered and arranged it. There arc few people in the world who can match his vast knowledge of liquids of all kinds, of how to mix them, and of how to create new cocktails for all great or state occasions, so that it is in all confidence that this book is set before you — the confidence that if anything should have been omitted it is in all probability not worth including.
At the same time, a few blank pages have been left at the end of the list of Cocktails for the addition of any new Cocktails that may be invented in the future.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "The Savoy Cocktail Book"
by .
Copyright © 2018 Harry Craddock.
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