R5 How Elmsford, NY, May Have Been the Birthplace of Cocktails

According to some sources, during the Revolutionary War, Patriot soldiers often stole the tail feathers of Tory-owned chickens before storming O’Brien’s Château in Elmsford’s central square for a few hard-earned drinks. Betsy, the tavern’s barmaid, decorated their moonshine with the plumage; and thus, Elmsford may have birthed “the cocktail.”