The Stinger originated around 1890. The cocktail may have been derived from The Judge, a cocktail made with brandy, crème de menthe, and simple syrup found in William Schmidt’s 1892 cocktail book The Flowing Bowl. It was immediately popular in New York, and quickly became known as a “society” drink (e.g., only for the upper-classes).
According to bartender Jere Sullivan in his 1930 volume The Drinks of Yesteryear: A Mixology, the Stinger remained a critical component of every bartender’s repertoire until Prohibition. The drink remained popular among the upper classes right up until the 1970s.