(n.) A precursor to the original “cock-tail” (the Old Fashioned), the slings of the 18th century were nearly interchangeable with toddies, and could be served either hot or cold. Essentially a spirit mixed with water, a little sugar and perhaps a dash of ground nutmeg, the name most likely is a nod to how easy the drink was to “sling back.” By the 1830s, the sling was almost uniformly served cold, nutmeg optional. And a funny historical sidenote: the most famous drink to bear the sling name, the Singapore Sling, is not technically a sling, but rather a tikified punch.