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dash or so of the marvelous bitters compounded by M.
Peychaud.
In his own place of business Peychaud had a imique
way of serving his spiced drink of brandy. He poured
portions into what we now call an "egg-cup"—the old-
fashioned double-end egg-cup. This particular piece of
crockery, known to the French-speaking population as
a coquetier (pronounced ko-k-tay), was, in all proba
bility, forerunner of the present jigger—the name given
the double-end metal contraption holding a jigger
ounces) in the big end, and a pony (1 ounce) in the
little end, which we now use to measure portions for
mixed drinks.
It is not surprising that those whose French pronuncia
tion was imperfect were soon calling the spiced drink
they quaffed from the big end of the crockery cup a
"cock-tay." Possibly through sampling too many of M.
Peychaud's spiced brandies, the thickened tongues of
the imbibers slurred the word into "cocktail."
Presently all New Orleans was drinking brandy-cock
tails, quite dissimilar indeed from the usual brandy-tod
dies heretofore served exclusively in most of the coffee
houses of old New Orleans. The bitters made the
difference.
In such fashion did Peychaud's original San Domingo
bitters give an otherwise simple brandy-toddy new life
and zest. In such fashion did the inconspicuous little
crockery coquetier or egg-cup become the christening
font of the cocktail.
Many have been the yarns setting forth the correct
etymology of the word "cocktail." Some of these legends
are picturesque, some old, some modern, many fantas
tic, and most of them far-fetched and meaningless.
Eleven