Again the Times is my source of inspiration for this post.
One of yesterday's comments was about the revival of sticky drinks (Baileys/Tia Maria etc) thanks to programmes like Sex in the City.
Anyway the article commented on the statement "You are what you eat", but when it comes to what we drink it's more a case of declaring what we want to be. The approach to the bar is a nuanced negotiation between taste on the palate and social-perception.
I judge someone by what they drink, I wouldn't trust a man who drinks alcho-pops. Although I don't drink whisky/whiskey I cringe when someone orders a black bush and coke. I wouldn't want to have a relationship beyond a friendship, with a girl who drinks pints. When drinking back home in Portadown I would choose different drinks depending on who I am drinking with.
I reckon everyone must do it, as drinks are often associated with particular social groups, winos like Mundies, rockers like Jack Daniels, pipe smokers like Real Ale. We all have a social perception of a particular drink, unless we are one of these very secure people, who could walk into the Docker's Club and order a babycham with a peach schnapps chaser.