| E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898. |
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The New York World, 1891, tells us that this is an Aztec word, and that “the liquor was discovered by a Toltec noble, who sent it to the king by the hand of his daughter Xochitl. The king fell in love with the maiden, drank the liquor, and called them xoc-tl, a name perpetuated by the word cocktail. | 1 |
 Cocktail is an iced drink made of spirits mixed with bitters, sugar, and some aromatic flavouring. Champagne cocktail is champagne flavoured with Angostura bitters; soda cocktail is soda-water, sugar, and bitters. | 2 |
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“Did ye iver try a brandy cocktail, Cornel?”—Thackeray: The Newcomes, xiii. |
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