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HISTORY OF THE COCKTAIL
deep arches of the main square. In those times wine,
liqueurs, and strong alcohohc drinks were drunk
without mixing. But in this particular part of the
world drinks were sometimes ordered which were
called"dracs",of brandy,rum or some other alcoholic
in^edients. These were mixed drinks, prepared in a
thick coarse glass, slowly stirred with a spoon. Metal
spoons were not always used as they often lent an
unpleasant flavour to the drink, and wooden spoons,
or even sticks, were more often employed. The word
'drac' was probably a corruption of'DraJce' the
British hero adventurer of the seas.
"In one of these tavernsin the picturesque Mexican port,
shaded by graceful palms and perfumed by the sea-
breeze and the scent of sandal-wood from the forests,
the boy who served the drinks,instead of a spoon used
the fine,slender and smooth root of a plant which owing
to its pecuhar shape was called'Cola de Gallo'which
in Enghsh means * Cock's tail'. The Enghsh sailors,
who became accustomed to drink'Dracs ', upon seeing
the boy mix their drinks with this root which to them
must have seemed very strange,asked what it was,and
the reply was'Cola de Gallo ', or in Enghsh'Cock's
Tail', and soon the word with which they had baptised
the drinks of that port, mixed with the famous root,
becamecommon among the sailorslandingin Campeche,
and nobody ordered'Dracs', but only'Cock Tails '.
"The English sailor soon made the new name very
popular in the taverns in the ports of the British Isles
from where it passed on to the bars along the piers ofthe
ports in the United States, and later on to the whole
world. Then came the fever for mixed drinks—the
'Cock Tails' became numerous and the'Cocktail'
shaker was born".
That is one story—others, probably better known,
include that of"Xoc-tl",daughter of a Mexican King,who
served drinks to visiting American officers during a
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