cocktail hour

noun

1. the interval before the evening meal during which cocktails and other alcoholic beverages are often served.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cocktail hour¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

The prohibition means no line dancing, no father-daughter dance and no mingling at cocktail hour, leaving a conga line of brides, grooms and assorted guests of honor in limbo.

From Washington Post

They found a table at the rear of the room, out of the worst of the cocktail-hour uproar.

From Project Gutenberg