The April 28, 1803 issue of The Farmer's Cabinet in Amherst, New Hampshire, contains an anonymous satirical journal in which the narrator drinks a glass of cocktail in the morning and calls it “excellent for the head.” Specialist historian David Wondrich identifies this as the earliest known surviving U.S. printed use.
The complete four-page April 28, 1803 issue and high-resolution page-2 scan were independently obtained and visually verified. The primary wording and morning-restorative context are now confirmed; Wondrich supplies the qualified priority assessment.
This is an earliest-known surviving print claim, not proof of the drink’s invention date, place, or inventor. The newspaper does not define cocktail, list ingredients, or explicitly state the drink’s alcoholic content. The priority characterization remains attributed to Wondrich and should be revised if earlier evidence emerges.
Used and link-verified on the public history page “Revolution and the Early Republic — Rum, Whiskey, Taxation, and Federal Power” on 2026-09-02. Retain the recorded qualifications in future revisions.