Originating in the early 1800s, the cocktail was first documented as a drink composed of spirits, sugar, water, and bitters. But how did this drink get its name? There are a few proposed explanations.

One story claims that the cocktail got its name from a New Orleans innkeeper named Antoine Amedie Peychaud. Supposedly, Peychaud added a dash of his own Peychaud’s Bitters to his cocktails and the drink caught on.

Another explanation is that the cocktail got its name from …