Cocktails are compounds very much used by "early birds" to fortify the inner man, and by those who like their consolations hot and strong: Terrington (1869)p. 180
I have myself invented eleven, and had nine named after me ... employed a mathematician to figure out how many could be fashioned of the materia bibulica ordinarily available in a first-rate bar ... the number was 17,864,391,788. We tried 273 at random, and found them all good, though some, of course, were better than others.Mencken (1945)p. 256H. L. Mencken, The American Language: supplement 1 (Novi Eboraci: Knopf, 1945) pp. 256-260
At each end of the table was a large earthenware jug. "One’s rum. The other's gin. Which'll you have?" they asked. I opted for rum. Jamaican rum had been blended with Rose's lime juice and sharpened with Angostura. Large nuggets of ice kept the mixture cool. It was very potent ... In front ... were two dishes of cream crackers and a large cheddar cheese. I cut myself a slice ... The cheddar brought out the flavor of the rum ... "It looks," said Richard, "as though you’ll have more than your ration of liquor to consume": Waugh (1974)Alec Waugh, "They laughed when I invented the cocktail party" in Esquire (Iulio 1974)
Positively the newest stunt in society is the giving of "cocktail parties" ... Mrs. Julius S. Walsh, Jr., a leader in society activities ... responsible for the innovation ... interregnum preceding 1 o'clock dinner [etc.]: St. Paul Pioneer Press (Maio 1917) fide Felten (2007)Eric Felten, "St. Louis -- Party Central" in Wall Street Journal (6 Octobris 2007)
