Some alcoholic drinks more acceptable than others

[Wellhellotherelove]

Why is it more acceptable to talk about having a ‘cheeky glass of wine’ or to have things around the house talking about how great gin is, but you wouldn’t really see the same for cider, vodka, a rum and Coke?

Thinking about the days pre covid when I’d quite often be at ‘work drinks’ most weeks and without fail, despite a whole pub’s worth of drinks, everyone would either be drinking beer (mostly the men), wine or gin and tonic.

I cannot ever think of or imagine someone saying ‘a vodka and coke please’ - but why??

You’re just as likely to get smashed on wine or gin as you are on rum, cider etc.

I see women on social media who for the most part try and demonstrate a healthy lifestyle yet quite often will have a photo of them with a large glass of wine. It’s never seen as a problem.

I’m not tee total by any means, so this isn’t a judgey post (i love a g&t!) I am genuinely interested as to how certain drinks have become more acceptable and how someone posting about having a cheek wine every evening is not seen as anything unusual!

And flavoured vodka was "the thing" 25 years ago when I worked in London, not sure when it went out of favour or why

@MoiraNotRuby

We always have a bottle (well Aldi knock off version) as I have young adults, they mix it with knock off Malibu and j2o.

I can't remember where i read it, but it was a survey around social class and alcohol and it concluded that working-class women and middle-class men have the widest range of drinks available to them.

For working-class men (beer, some dark spirits) and middle-class women (wine, some clear spirits) the range of socially acceptable drinks is far narrower.

@babbi

I work in the drinks industry .. This is largely due to us spending lots in marketing . If we make brands apparently “classy “ consumers will pay more ! Obviously people like the taste of some things too ... but advertising is a major influence .

Currently due to lockdown...sales are booming..

Absolutely right. People drink the brand, not the product.

Case in point : Peroni Nastro Azzuro. Bog-standard lager produced in that well known hotbed of traditional brewing excellence, Italy.

Clever marketers like @babbi have persuaded people that it’s the “classy” brand to be seen drinking, so they happily pay six quid a pint for the stuff. 🤷🏻‍♀️

You get fancy version of everything now really

"Unacceptable" is more to do with brands (K cider, white lightning) rather than style

btw I love k cider

When I was in my 20s, no one drank prosecco. Any sort of sparkling wine was special occasions only really wasn't it, the thought of ordering a prosecco in the pub, or having a bottle at home just wasn't a thing at all!

I thought rum was going to be the next big thing, but it never really materialised did it?

@Jetatyeovilaerodrome
They would still like to make rum a big thing

!
It’s challenging to mix the spices etc to nail a good flavour that’s a bit different to what’s out there (some of the vile tasting I have had to do 😩)
Also strict regulations required what you can legally label as rum (% of particular ingredients required to comply) means it’s more expensive to produce than believed by those not in the know .,,
Hence many brands out there are “rum spirit drinks “
Check the labels!
It’s not the same thing 😉

Not forgetting Chianti falling out of favour due to Mr Lecter.

When I go out wether with dh or workmates etc I always start on pints then move onto vodka and diet coke. Same if I'm drinking in the house.

I hate wine, prosecco, gin etc

Can’t wait for the resurgence of vodka, I love it. I’m obviously behind the times cos I can’t stand him.

If you're my age (mid 40s) then when you were younger it's likely that loads of people drank vodka. I remember in my early 20s people ordering vodka and coke. It would have been viewed pretty strangely to order wine on a night out. Wine was an older person's drink. I never liked vodka though so usually drank beer (and then of course some people thought I was doing that to be 'one of the lads ).

I don't drink much, if I'm out with my friends I'll have a couple of mojitos but any other occasion I'll have malibu and coke. It really wouldnt bother me what others were drinking. I generally hate wine, I recently found a super sweet red that I really like but I'd never order wine when out and about and I only drink at home at xmas time

@evilharpy,
I worked in student bars around the same time and remember the promo staff antics well .
One week they were pushing tequila gold shots , so all the staff wore a gun holster carrying a bottle of tequila , and a ammo belt carring the shot glasses the idea was that they walked around and asked bullied people into buying a shot , took the empty glass out of the ammo belt filled it and handed it to the customer all well and good , excep one bright spark decied to fill all the glasses while they were in the belt and then walk round selling them , not only did she spill loads but got mugged for all of them.

Another promo we had was when cider over ice became the thing to drink , half a dozen staff were selling cans of kopperberg , they filled a pint glass with ice and added the cider but you only ever got about a third of a can , customers walked away with a pint of ice and a bit of very watered down cider and were happy !
The rest of the can went to the next customer and so on , madness I tell you sheer madness

The marketing re Gin is remarkable really! I never used to drink it, now I love it. I'd never heard of Prosecco until 7 or 8years ago, now I'm quite partial like everyone I know.

20 + years ago in my you get days I used to go for all the fads. Smirnoff Ice, Moscow Mule and a few Aftershocks 😬. I actually love a pint of lager and it does kiss me off when people laugh and take the piss.

Apparently there were some really strict restrictions on the production of gin until a few years ago, so not a lot of companies made it. When they eased, or took away those restrictions everyone and their granny started producing it.
I could be ring about that, but sure I heard it a while ago.
Think it's just what ever is "trendy" at the time. Prosecco was big for a while, but I haven't heard it mentioned so much recently.
DP and I oy ever used to drink vodka, then I went right off it so switched to flavoured gin. DP is still a vodka loyalist. Never touches anything else.

The wine that was v popular, but doesn't seem to be anywhere at the moment, is my prediction for the next 'big' one - especially as it's fabulous for summer outdoors is frascati

That or vinho verde

To be fair, i find drinking in pubs quite difficult! Ive not been on nights out to get drunk since uni when my go to was vodka and cranberry just to get pissed. Now, i like nice fruity gins with nice tonics or prosecco or fruity ciders or cocktails.
When i go out with work it can be hard to know what to get though. Fine if were going somewhere a bit modern where they have a good selection of drinks. A bit harder when we go to an old pub type place where the wine isnt kept chilled , they do 2 types (red or white), cider is strongbow or similar and the most exotic thing you get is a strongbow dark fruits. I usually put up with a white wine with ice but i dont really like that and would much rather a prosecco instead. Things like vodka and coke etc hold no appeal to me. It doesnt taste nice, and if you want the taste of coke then just have coke.

Im 25 and at the age now where im fussy over my alcohol. If ive not.got any ice then id rather go without a glass of prosecco, thank drink it without ice. I went theough a period of drinking gin but tbh i found it got me tiddlier sooner and have gone off spirits really.

There is a definite social acceptance of wine and prosecco or scotch though. Loom at all the police dramas where detective has had hard day snd either has a scotch from their desk drawer (both genders) at home if male or if female a glass if wine, usually wine. It is seen as normal particularly with parents which is worrying, wine o clock etc. If i said 'the kids have pissed me off today i cant wait to take 4 cocodamol / a few vallies / smoke some heroin to relax' rhere would be uproar. But with alcohol its ok. If a mum was drinking vodka and coke of an evening its wrong hut an evening g and t or half a bottle of wine is completely fine. Alcohol is so nprmalised in society and it is worrying

Funny I've gone right off wine in my middle age. Love a good margarita though! 🍸 so much lime in there. It's like one of your 5 a day 🤷‍♀️🍸🍋💚

I know loads of people who's Friday at home drink of choice is vodka/whisky/rum etc.
I'm assuming it's just the people you know.

When I first went to pubs everyone drank beer, or lager if female, or cider. Wine wasn't available and no-one I knew drank spirits. I remember going on a date and he ordered a G&T and I had a pint. The barman gave us the wrong drinks. Then the mid 80s happened and cocktails became popular, with many bars offering happy hours. Then came chardonnay, then pinot grigio etc.
I know mainly drink cider dry enough to remove paint, but that's OK because I love in Somerset, or red or white wine. I rarely drink spirits although I do own about half a dozen gins.

Vodka and diet coke is my favourite. I have been faithful to it for decades.

It's just fashion isn't it? Gin is trendy. Prosecco might have been and gone. Craft beers are trendy.

What could be revived as ironic yah? Brandy and lovage?

I agree.

I am, hands up , a functioning alcohol dependent. I work, get up on a morning , operate my house . You'd never know to meet me. People buy me gin and wine as actively encourage me

But nobody would buy me vodka .

It's a weird one.

Different drinks go in and out of fashion. Gin has been riding high for a while now, helped by new small batch distilleries opening. Rum is shaping up to be the next 'trendy' drink by all accounts. One of the highest rising drink categories at the moment though is adult soft drinks. I think about 1 in 5, 20 somethings don't drink alcohol.

One of the highest rising drink categories at the moment though is adult soft drinks.

That alcohol free faux gin that they sell for £30 a bottle even though there's no tax on it? If they can get folk to buy that. Some folk would set fire to a 50 quid note and shove it up their arses, if it had artisan or small batch attached to it.