1938 Famous New Orleans Drinks and how to mix'em (3rd printing) by Stanley Clisby Arthur

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