badminton, n. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

badminton n.

[the iced cup, made of claret, sugar, spice and cucumber peel, was invented at Badminton, the country seat of the Duke of Beaufort; the term was extended to boxing jargon where it meant blood, as does claret n.]

1. claret cup.

1845		Disraeli Sybil Bk I 4: Waiter, bring me a tumbler of Badminton.
1853		G.J. Whyte-Melville Digby Grand (1890) 137: An enormous measure of ‘Badminton,’ that grateful compound of mingled claret, sugar, and soda-water.
1859		G.A. Sala Gaslight and Daylight 41: Coming from Greenwich or Blackwall, radiant with ‘Badminton,’ or ‘Cider cup.’.
1869		‘Ouida’ Under Two Flags 128: A great silver flagon of Badminton, with which he was ending his breakfast.
1870		Disraeli Lothair I 295: He fell into a profound slumber: it was the inevitable result of the Badminton.
1876		Dublin Eve. Mail 17 Aug. 4/7: The king of cooling drinks is undoubtedly claret cup, or rather Badminton.
1895		Kent & Sussex Courier 14 Aug. 2/7: There were champapagne and claret cup, Badminton, and the old English sherry cobbler.

2. blood.

1864, 1867, 1870

Hotten Sl. Dict.