Mickey Finn

An American colloquial expression from the 19th century for strong alcohol, or a mixture of strong alcohol, designed to make unsuspecting people very drunk and incapacitated. It is very doubtful that there ever was a real Mickey Finn. Mickey Finn was simply a generic Irish name used to describe the practice that was no doubt rife in the days of early Irish immigration. There is some evidence to suggest that the first Mickey Finns were laxative powders used by bartenders to make targets run outside rather than fall down drunk, which makes much more sense from a business point of view.