cocktail
An alcoholic drink made by mixing strong alcohol with juice, soda, or other liquids.
An alcoholic drink made by mixing one or more spirits with other ingredients such as juice, soda, syrup, or bitters, usually served in a small glass.
A mix of different things, often chemicals, drugs, or ideas, that work together in some way.
A combination of different elements, especially chemicals, drugs, or influences, that have a combined effect.
A small dish of seafood or fruit, often with sauce or sweet liquid, usually eaten before a meal or as a light dessert.
A small dish of seafood or fruit, usually cut into pieces and served cold as a starter or dessert, often with a sauce or syrup and sometimes in a stemmed glass.
Describing clothes, events, or food that are made for semi-formal parties where people drink mixed alcoholic drinks.
Relating to or suitable for social events where alcoholic mixed drinks are served, especially semi-formal occasions in the late afternoon or early evening.
- Base: cocktail
- Plural: cocktail, cocktails
a cocktail of
1mixture of several things
Used before a list of things to mean that they are mixed together and have a combined effect.
- The city’s problems come from a cocktail of crime, poverty, and poor education.
- She felt a cocktail of fear, anger, and sadness.
- The project failed because of a cocktail of bad planning and bad luck.
cocktail bar
1bar specializing in cocktails
A bar where the main drinks are cocktails and other mixed alcoholic drinks.
- We met at a rooftop cocktail bar overlooking the city.
- This hotel has a small cocktail bar next to the lobby.
- He works as a bartender in a trendy cocktail bar.
cocktail dress
1short semi-formal evening dress
An elegant dress for women, usually knee-length, worn to semi-formal evening parties where people drink cocktails.
- She wore a simple black cocktail dress to the reception.
- The invitation says the dress code is cocktail dress for women and suits for men.
- She bought a new red cocktail dress for the holiday party.
cocktail glass
1stemmed glass for cocktails
A glass with a stem and a wide open top, used for serving some kinds of cocktails.
- The martini was served in a chilled cocktail glass.
- She carefully placed a cherry in each cocktail glass.
- He bought a set of cocktail glasses for home parties.
cocktail hour
1time before dinner for drinks
The time before a meal or event, usually in the late afternoon or early evening, when people drink cocktails and talk.
- Guests are invited to join us for cocktail hour at six.
- During cocktail hour, waiters walked around with trays of drinks and snacks.
- We met in the lobby bar for cocktail hour before dinner.
cocktail lounge
1hotel or club bar area
A comfortable bar area, often in a hotel or club, where people sit, relax, and drink cocktails.
- They listened to live piano music in the cocktail lounge.
- The hotel’s cocktail lounge was busy every evening.
- We met in the cocktail lounge before going out to dinner.
cocktail menu
1list of cocktails available
The part of a bar or restaurant menu that shows the different cocktails you can order.
- The cocktail menu includes both classic and modern drinks.
- She spent a long time reading the cocktail menu before choosing.
- They updated their cocktail menu for the summer season.
cocktail party
1social event with cocktails
A social event where people stand, talk, and drink cocktails, often before a main meal or another event.
- The firm is holding a cocktail party to celebrate its tenth anniversary.
- They met at a cocktail party hosted by mutual friends.
- The conference begins with a cocktail party on Wednesday evening.
cocktail reception
1standing reception with drinks
A formal or semi-formal event where guests stand, talk, and drink cocktails, usually before a dinner or ceremony.
- The awards ceremony will be preceded by a cocktail reception.
- Delegates are invited to a cocktail reception on the first evening of the conference.
- The couple held a cocktail reception after the wedding ceremony.
cocktail sauce
1sauce served with shrimp cocktail
A cold red sauce, usually made from ketchup and horseradish, served with shrimp cocktail and other seafood.
- She dipped the shrimp in cocktail sauce.
- The restaurant makes its own spicy cocktail sauce.
- We served the prawns on ice with a side of cocktail sauce.
cocktail sausage
1small sausage served as snack
A very small sausage that is eaten as a snack at parties, often on a cocktail stick.
- They served hot cocktail sausages with mustard.
- The children ate most of the cocktail sausages before the guests arrived.
- We put the cocktail sausages on sticks for the buffet.
cocktail shaker
1device for shaking cocktails
A metal or glass container with a lid that you use to shake and mix cocktails with ice.
- He poured the ingredients into the cocktail shaker and added ice.
- You need a good cocktail shaker to make this drink properly.
- The bartender shook the cocktail shaker and then strained the drink into a glass.
cocktail stick
1small stick for party snacks
A very small, thin stick used to hold small pieces of food, like cheese or olives, usually served with drinks at a party.
- The olives were served on little cocktail sticks.
- He used a cocktail stick to pick up the cheese cubes.
- They decorated the drinks with cherries on cocktail sticks.
drug cocktail
1mixture of several drugs
A mix of different medicines or illegal drugs that are taken together or given at the same time.
- The patient was treated with a drug cocktail to control the infection.
- He collapsed after taking a dangerous drug cocktail at the party.
- Doctors are testing a new drug cocktail for the disease.
fruit cocktail
1mixed fruit pieces in syrup
Small pieces of different fruits mixed together, often in sweet liquid, sometimes sold in cans and eaten as dessert.
- We had fruit cocktail with whipped cream for dessert.
- She opened a can of fruit cocktail for the children.
- The café serves yogurt with fruit cocktail on top.
Molotov cocktail
1improvised firebomb in a bottle
A simple weapon made from a glass bottle filled with something that burns easily, with a cloth at the top that is set on fire and then thrown.
- The protesters threw Molotov cocktails at the armored vehicles.
- Police found several Molotov cocktails hidden near the building.
- Using a Molotov cocktail is extremely dangerous and illegal.
shrimp cocktail
1cold shrimp appetizer with sauce
A cold dish of cooked shrimp served with a spicy tomato or cocktail sauce, usually as a starter before a meal.
- We ordered shrimp cocktail as an appetizer.
- He ordered a shrimp cocktail as his appetizer.
- The party started with shrimp cocktail and sparkling wine.
- The restaurant is famous for its large shrimp cocktail.
- She made individual shrimp cocktails in small glasses for her guests.
- They served shrimp cocktail at the beginning of the wedding dinner.