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Jun 19, 2009 10:59 pm US/Central
Good Question: 'Reply All' To Alcohol Questions
(WCCO)
When it comes to pouring down an adult beverage, WCCO-TV viewers have a lot of Good Questions.
• Why do we call drinks "cocktails?"
There are as many different theories about this as there are cocktails.
"In New Orleans, they were making drinks called coquotiers," said Nick Kosevich, front of house manager at Town Talk Diner in Minneapolis.
Kosevich has been named "Best Bartender" by City Pages, and is well known for his mastery of the cocktail.
"From that word coquotier evolved cocktail," he said. "The other story that I find to be true is that they used to use the tail feather of roosters or cocks as swizzle sticks in your drink then so you'd have cocktails."
The first definition of the term cocktail appeared in a New York newspaper in the late 1800's. It defined a cocktail as including spirits, sugar, water, and bitters. That's why a martini is not technically a cocktail.
• How did the concept of Happy Hour get started?
In the 1920s, the U.S. Navy sailors would celebrate on board the ships with an hour of entertainment. For some of those sailors, being "happy" also meant being slightly intoxicated. In 1959, the Saturday Evening Post published an article on life in the Navy, which talked about the popular "Happy Hour."
Soon after, happy hour spread to the civilian world, becoming a popular way for bar owners to drum up business.
• Does drinking alcohol really kill brain cells?
"Alcohol does not kill brain cells in and of itself," said Dr. Dave Moen, Fairview Health Services.
According to Dr. Moen, excessive drinking does cause problems, like increased liver disease and cancer rates.
On the flip side, abstinence after chronic alcohol abuse enables brains to repair themselves, according to new research involving rats.
Some of the original research looking into this argument was conducted by pouring alcohol directly on brain cells. That did kill cells. But most people don't drink alcohol that way, according to Moen. So there is no evidence that drinking alcohol kills brain cells.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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