First mention of the Cocktail?

[ThinkingBartender]

Here is the excerpt, but I haven't able to verify it:

The Gentleman's Magazine, 1790, page 109:

"We all three went into the dining-room (having first partaken of a cocktail together, as a sort of preliminary appetiser)..."

Does anyone have access to this particular volume of the Gentleman's Magazine, numbered 60?

I will continue looking.

Cheers!

George

[JerseyRED]

"We all three went into the dining-room (having first partaken of a cocktail together, as a sort of preliminary appetiser)..."

Where did you initially read or come across this excerpt?

Using Google's Book Search (cocktail gentlemans magazine) I came across a scan of the entire magazine that includes page 109. The phrase is contained in an article entitled "The Unsophisticated Traveler” by Lynn C Doyle, dated August 1889.

(Edit to add the following)

It is odd that within Google it says it was published in 1790 but I'm sure it's a typo as the magazine (and article) is dated 1889.

Rich

[thirtyoneknots]

I was under the impression that there were several, if not many, instances of the use of the word in print prior to 1806, but that the significance of it's appearance in The Balance was that it was defined.

-Andy

PS: Interesting that it is described here as an appetiser, when most scholars consider it to have been a morning drink or hangover remedy in it's earliest form.

[ThinkingBartender]

Prior to the 1806 citation there is only one other reference to the Cocktail as a drink; and that is from 1803.

The cocktail was an appetiser for breakfast, in most references; and was the same as "taking ones bitters".

Cheers!

George

[ThinkingBartender]

According to the e-mail I got from Google, the magazine was actually from 1854.

This is what the e-mail said:

"I have checked the magazine's bibliographic information that we provide and found that the publication date for this specific issue is listed as 1854, which is the same date that appears on the cover of the volume. However, some information provided in the metadata section on Google Book Search may be incorrect. Google receives these data from a variety of sources, including third party metadata providers, which may not have the most accurate and up-to-date information."

Oh well, 1803 is still the earliest citation for Cocktail then.

Cheers!

George

[slkinsey]

Why, if the publication date of Volume CCLXVII (aka 267) of The Gentleman's Magazine was actually 1854 would it say "July to December 1889" on the cover? Or are you saying that The Unsophisticated Travellers originally appeared elsewhere in 1854?

[ThinkingBartender]

Why, if the publication date of Volume CCLXVII (aka 267) of The Gentleman's Magazine was actually 1854 would it say "July to December 1889" on the cover?  Or are you saying that The Unsophisticated Travellers originally appeared elsewhere in 1854?

←

"According to the e-mail I got from Google".

[slkinsey]

Those shysters!

[ThinkingBartender]

Those shysters! 

←

Yeah, guess so. They blamed it on their suppliers.

"Google receives these data from a variety of sources, including third party metadata providers, which may not have the most accurate and up-to-date information."