What is a Cocktail? Definition, Types & Examples

Meaning 1：mixed drink (Cocktail)

Cocktail 🔊

/ˈkɒk.teɪl/

A drink made by mixing different kinds of drinks, especially alcoholic ones, and other ingredients.

Cocktail in fancy glass with fruit rim garnish

mixed drink 🔊

➕

/mɪkst drɪŋk/

A drink made by combining different types of alcoholic beverages with other ingredients such as fruit juice, syrup, or ice.

📁 Category：Diet & Health 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From 'cock' (rooster) + 'tail', first referring to a horse's tail, later a mixed drink.

💡 Mnemonic

Think of a rooster's colorful tail feathers representing a mix of different colors – like a cocktail combines various drinks.

📖 Example

At the party, she ordered a cocktail made with pineapple juice and a little rum, and it tasted amazing. 🔊 At the party, she ordered a cocktail made with pineapple juice and a little rum, and it tasted amazing.

🔗 Collocations

cocktail party – a party where cocktails are served

cocktail dress – a formal dress worn to cocktail events

cocktail hour – the time before dinner when cocktails are traditionally served

🔄 Synonyms

mixed drink (n.) – a drink made by mixing ingredients

concoction (n.) – a mixture of different ingredients, especially drinks

🚫 Antonyms

straight liquor (n.) – an undiluted alcoholic drink

📖 Cultural Story

First recorded in 1803 in the U.S. as a term for a mixed drink. A popular theory links it to a tavern where drinks were stirred with a rooster feather, but exact origin is uncertain.