There are older cocktails - e.g. the Sazerac, the Gin fizz, and related drinks which were refined in the late 1800s. The Mint Julep (which you may not accept as

There are older cocktails - e.g. the Sazerac, the Gin fizz, and related drinks which were refined in the late 1800s. The Mint Julep (which you may not accept as a cocktail) goes way back further. It is probably true that fussier drinks are more recent, but there are probably plenty of specialty drinks that have simply been forgotten. If you are researching names you know, you will probably come up with a newer pedigree. Also it is unfair to be lumping cocktails together with "branded alcohol", though it is true the brands have had a hand in pushing cocktails, they didn't invent the idea. [edit: 1862 bartender's guide to mixed drinks] https://books.google.com/books?id=QDUEAAAAYAAJ&dq=Bar-Tender's%20Guide%3A%20How%20to%20Mix%20Drinks%20or%20The%20Bon%20Vivant's%20Companion&pg=PA1#v=onepage&q=Bar-Tender's%20Guide:%20How%20to%20Mix%20Drinks%20or%20The%20Bon%20Vivant's%20Companion&f=false https://books.google.com/books?id=QDUEAAAAYAAJ&dq=Bar-Tender...