The term "cocktail" was invented in Elmsford, New York. A barmaid named Betsy Flanagan decorated her establishment with the tail feathers of cocks. On October 18th 1776 a patron asked for "one of those cock tails." She served him a drink with a feather in it. 

Additions?
Variations?
Questions?
Opinions?
Visit the  Drinks Forum

Mixing orange juice with gin was very popular during prohibition, when most gin was made in bathtubs (Bathtub Gin). In order to cover up the harsh flavor of bathtub made gin, orange juice was added to make it much more palatable.  

In 1740 Admiral Vernon of the British Navy watered down the rum of his men. The sailors weren't happy and called Admiral Vernon "Old Grog", after the stiff wool grogram coats he wore (Grogram: A coarse, often stiffened fabric made of silk, mohair, wool, or a blend of them.). The term "grog" soon began to mean the watered down drink itself. People who are drunk on grog, are known as being "groggy". 

The moderate consumption of alcohol does not destroy brain cells. In fact it is often associated with improved cognitive (mental) functioning.  Furthermore, according to research at  the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2012, subjects with a blood alcohol level of 0.07 were worse at working memory tasks, but better at creative-solving tasks.

All drinks that begin with "The" are alphabetized by the next word ("The" is dropped).