Why cocktails are called cocktails, and what are they?

   There are hundred and hundred of different cocktails, some of which experience fleeting popularity before disappering into obscurity while othees remain popular for decades.

   Cocktails, wether served at a dedicated cocktail party or as a precursor to an elegant meal, lend an air of sophistication and glamour.

But what exactly is a cocktail? Traditionally, they are mixed drinks, consisting of one or more spirits, together whit flavourings such as fruit, fruit juice, liqueur, syrup, herbs or spices. With a few exceptions, such as Flaming Lamborghini, they are chilled, shaken or stirred whith ice, and served over ice or in chilled glasses. 

   Why 'cocktail' ?

  There are dozens of different possible sources for the word, including coquetier, a French egg-cup in which the drinks were served in a New Orleans bar in the early 19th century; a mixed-breed horse called a cock-tail; decocta, Latin for distilled; a cock's tail, either that worn by George Washington in his hat or by officers in a particular regiment or one put into drinks to indicate that they contained alcohol; the tailings(dregs) at the bottom of a cask that were drained out through the cock(tap), mixed up and sold cheaply; and 'cock's ale', an ale served at cock fights and in wgich a sack of half-cooked chiken and other ingredients had been fermented for several days.