Cocktails can be crafted by a single or combination of spirits, mixed (or shaken, or stirred) with a variety of other ingredients such as flavored syrups, bitters, juices, tonic water, etc. The earliest definition for the term “cocktail” hails from a 1806 newspaper article from Hudson, NY: “a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters.” Though cocktails today have far more variation and range, this centuries-old definition is surprisingly still fairly accurate for modern-day cocktails!