When someone says cocktail, I think of a drink served in a stemmed glass, a cocktail glass, which ain't necessarily so.

When I was in college, I used to ruin good sour mash bourbon by mixing it in a whiskey sour-
Put cracked ice (about 6 cubes worth) in shaker
Add 2 jiggers (or measures) whiskey
Add 1 jigger (measure) lemon juice
Shake and strain into chilled cocktail glass
Garnish with a cherry

(Put here to show how ignorant I was then)