A cocktail is a style of mixed drink. A cocktail usually contains one or more types of liquor and flavorings, usually one or more of a liqueur, fruit, sauce, honey, milk or cream, spices, etc. The cocktail became popular during Prohibition in the United States primarily to mask the taste of bootlegged alcohol. The bartenders at a speakeasy would mix it with other ingredients, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic.

Until the 1970s, cocktails were made predominantly with gin, whiskey or rum, and less commonly vodka. From the 1970s on, the popularity of vodka increased dramatically. By the 1980s it was the predominant base for mixed drinks. Many cocktails traditionally made with gin, such as the gimlet, or the martini, may now be served by default with vodka.

Non-alcoholic carbonated beverages that are used nearly exclusively in cocktails, or in non-alcoholic soda fountain drinks, such as the egg cream, include soda water, tonic water and seltzer. Liqueurs are also common cocktail ingredients.