According to legends and lore, the history of the cocktail dates back to 1821 when it was first created at the Hustler’s Tavern in Lewiston, New York. Hustler’s Tavern was reportedly the only building left unscathed when the British invaded during the War of 1812.  Some say it was because the British officers remembered too many good times they had in the saloon sipping a cocktail–the drink that owner Catherine Hustler is credited with inventing when she stirred a mix of gin with the tail feather of a stuffed cockerel.  The rest they say…is history.

See this cocktail history reenacted in the video below. Catherine Hustler is portrayed by: Kathryn Serianni

Tags: Cocktail, Cocktail History, First Cocktail