10 Fascinating Facts About Alcohol You Didn't Know

6. No One Quite Knows Where The Word "Cocktail" Comes From

From sun-drenched beaches to hen nights around the world, the cocktail has been a popular drink for generations. While its origin is unclear, the advent of Prohibition in America and the influx of foul-tasting illegal spirits in speakeasies across the country saw its popularity skyrocket, with greater variations on the mixtures each year. The word "cocktail" might be embedded in the common vernacular, but the origin has never truly been known. There are a number of theories - some plausible, others outlandish - but no consensus on the actual one has ever been confirmed. Does it come from drunken Mississippi riverboat duels or the eighteenth century cock fighting crowd's drink of choice the cock-ale, or perhaps the French word coquetier, a drink served by a New Orleans apothecary which was bastardised into "cocktail" by his American friends? We'll never know for sure, but the doubt and uncertainty won't get in the way of enjoying another one next time we're lounging by the poolside bar.