A cocktail's a style of mixed drink. Originally a mixture of distilled spirits, sugar, water, and bitters, the word has gradually come to mean almost any mixed drink containing alcohol. A cocktail today usually contains one or more types of liquor and one or more mixers, such as bitters, fruit juice, fruit, soda, ice, sugar, honey, milk, cream, or herbs. History The earliest known printed use of the word "cocktail" was from The Farmer's Cabinet, April 28, 1803: "11. Drank a glass of cocktail &… (More on Cocktail)