May 13, 1806
Hudson, New York
Supplies a contemporaneous American formula—spirits, sugar, water, and bitters—for the named drink and links the early cocktail directly to distilled-spirit consumption, including whiskey-based descendants.
Verified September 1, 2026 against a preserved 1,677 × 1,674 public-domain masthead-and-passage image. The Source is correctly classified Sample or Extract: the complete May 13, 1806 issue was not obtained or processed. Use the primary extract for exact wording and date; use the fully processed Oxford Companion entry for broader interpretation. Do not convert this event into a claim about invention or first-ever priority.
A Hudson newspaper defined Cock-tail as a stimulating liquor made from spirits, sugar, water, and bitters and called it a bittered sling.
Verified documentary foundation
A full-resolution public-domain image preserves the May 13, 1806 masthead and the editorial passage defining Cock-tail through its four-part formula: spirits, sugar, water, and bitters. The passage also identifies it as a bittered sling.
Source boundary
The preserved source is a one-image extract, not the complete newspaper issue. It verifies the displayed wording, publication identity, place, date, issue number, and volume. It does not establish the drink's inventor, invention date, geographic origin, or first-ever priority.
Evidence chain
This event is connected to a Verified definitional Claim, a verified primary-source Excerpt, a Ready Citation, and a Source explicitly marked Sample or Extract. The complete Oxford Companion already in the library provides secondary corroboration without duplicating the Source record.