history of the cocktail

as the holiday season rolls around so do the parties, which inevitably involve cocktails. so, i was wondering where in the world the term "cocktail" came from. i did a bit of research and found that there are tons of supposed origins, but one of my favorites was from TheStraightDope.com, which listed a recipe dating back the the 1500s that involved actually using an elderly rooster as an ingredient in the swill. goodness. thankfully we mainly stick to gin and juice these days.