History Main / LuxuriousLiquor

* in ''ComicStrip/MadamAndEve'', gin and tonic is Mother Anderson's TrademarkFavoriteDrink. ''Slightly'' subverted, as the [[IdleRich family's wealth]] is only ever implied.

* ''Series/WeOwnThicCity'': Wayne Jenkins is initially confused by the bottle of [[AccentUponTheWrongSyllable Pat-RON]] Tequila at the police barbeque. At that point, Wayne hadn't yet learned that most of the police supplement their income by stealing from people they arrest, and showed up with a paltry offering of oysters and beer whereas the more senior officers had steak, lobsters and fancy liquor.

[[caption-width-right:350:What all the rich people did during Prohibition]]

* ''Theatre/CesareIlCreatoreCheHaDistrutto'' - when TheBully Henri tries to pick a fight with Florentine NaiveNewcomer Angelo, the Florentine students' leader Giovanni de'Medici tries to diffuse the situation by offering Henri the restaurant's most expensive wine as an apology for Angelo's perceived slight against Henri (read: pretext). Henri turns on Giovanni and derides him for being NouveauRiche and not from a noble family that earned their title on the battlefield -- in a time when that really did mean something.

For the affluent villains taking evil sips of expensive alcohol, see AGlassOfChianti, and for when a classy character is denoted by their knowledge of wine, see WineIsClassy (though this trope does cover wine examples, as having wealth and having class snobbery are not the same thing). A wine lover who boasts about their refined palate as they sip a 1955 Chateau Lafitte likely also shows off on regards to other elements of SnootyHauteCuisine.

* Parodied on ''Series/ABitOfFryAndLaurie'' with the John and Peter sketches. John and Peter are "high powered executives", and as such are constantly drinking whiskey or brandy at work from a fancy cruet. The joke is that they run a small health club in the small town of Yutoxeter, but act like Fortune 500 [=CEOs=] and treat everything like SeriousBusiness despite the low stakes. There was also a physical comedy element, as [[MilkingTheGiantCow their ridiculously dramatic gestures]] could send liquor flying everywhere -- and there was a subtle absurdity in the sheer number of decanters and cruets available for them to tap for refills.
* In ''Series/BostonLegal'', Alan and Denny [[OnceAnEpisode always]] finish off the day with [[FriendshipMoment bonding]] over cigars and scotch on their office balcony.

* Series/{{Frasier}} and his brother Niles are both wealthy psychiatrists who collect [[WineIsClassy wine]] and frequently drink sherry. When Niles' divorce from Maris puts a strain on his finances, he has to stop buying cases of expensive wine. In another episode, Frasier's accountant tells him he had to hire an assistant specifically to keep track of his sherry purchases. The brothers' tastes are contrasted with their blue-collar, ex-cop father whose choice of drink is beer.

In bars, the expensive liquors are usually diplayed on the top shelves, hence the term, "top-shelf liquor," in contrast to the "bottom shelf" or "well" liquors, the latter term coming from the fact that bartenders have speed wells of lower-quality liquor below the counter for making mixed drinks quickly. Top shelf liquors include single-malt whiskeys, aged scotches (in the 18 to 25 year age range), liquors with rare ingredients or costly distillation methods, and brands with limited edition bottle designs.

They have power, wealth, and style. Alice prefers champagne, martinis, liqueur, and fine wine and port. Bob leans in the direction of aged whisk(e)y or brandy. Alice can typically be seen lounging around in long luxurious gowns and sipping absentmindedly at her drink while Bob pours himself a glass, typically "neat" or "on the rocks," after a hard day at the law office and sits down to dwell in his thoughts.

In short, having an expensive taste in alcohol and the ability to sip it whenever you please is a good visual representation of wealth, an example of ConspicuousConsumption.

In bars, the expensive liquors are usually diplayed on the top shelves, hence the term, "top-shelf liquor," in contrast to the "bottom shelf" or "well" liquors, the latter term coming from the fact that bartenders have speed wells of lower-quality liquor below the counter for making mixed drinks quickly. Top shelf liquors include single-malt whiskeys, aged scotches, liquors with rare ingredients or costly distillation methods, and brands with limited edition bottle designs.

In bars, the expensive liquors are usually diplayed on the top shelves, hence the term, "top-shelf liquor," in contrast to the "bottom shelf" or "well" liquors, the latter term coming from the fact that bartenders have speed wells of lower-quality liquor below the counter for making mixed drinks quickly.

For the affluent villains taking evil sips of expensive alcohol, see AGlassOfChianti, and for when a classy character is denoted by their knowledge of wine, see WineIsClassy (though this trope does cover wine examples, as having wealth and having class snobbery are not the same thing). A wine lover who boasts about his/her refined palate as they sip a 1955 Chateau Lafitte likely also shows off on regards to other elements of SnootyHauteCuisine.

* In ''Literature/NeroWolfe'', this is part of the titular investigator's BunnyEarsLawyer life: as a [[TheHedonist hedonistic]] [[TheShutIn shut-in]], he conducts his business from a well-appointed brownstone while knocking back six quarts of his preferred beer every day. When he vows to go dry until a particular killer is caught, it's seen as very SeriousBusiness.

* Singer Music/{{C W McCall}} recorded the country song ''I Like Beer'', about his preference for the common man's beverage. In the song, his wife, however, clearly likes martinis, and frowns upon her husband's tastes.

They have power, wealth, and style. Alice prefers champagne, martinis, liqueur, and fine wines. Bob leans in the direction of whisk(e)y or brandy. Alice can typically be seen lounging around in long luxurious gowns and sipping absentmindedly at her drink while Bob pours himself a glass, typically "neat" or "on the rocks," after a hard day and sits down to dwell in his thoughts.

The character is not depicted as an alcoholic of any degree -- they do not need to drink, they merely find it pleasant. They can also afford liquor that's good enough to drink without a mixer and is meant to be savored rather than gulped. Combined with tranquil indoors imagery of a wealthy home, comforting silence, and solitude, the drinking scene will have the audience know that the character lacks nothing in this world.

The trope most likely comes from Britain; starting in the Middle Ages, wine was the drink of the rich nobles (as it had to be imported from the Continent, usually from France), while beer was a common drink (made locally with local ingredients). Similarly, distilled liquor was initially always imported to Britain, as distilling technology didn't make it to the British Isles until the late 14th to early 15th century. Even after that, distillation technology was initially quite expensive (requiring you to burn a lot of fuel to make a fairly small amount of liquor), and the technology needed to make anything actually good was enough to keep it well out of the hands of the common man. In bars, the expensive liquors are usually diplayed on the top shelves, hence the term, "top-shelf liquor," in contrast to the "bottom shelf" or "well" liquors, the latter term coming from the fact that bartenders have speed wells of lower-quality liquor below the counter for making mixed drinks quickly.

For the affluent villains taking evil sips of expensive alcohol, see AGlassOfChianti, and for when a classy character is denoted by their knowledge of wine, see WineIsClassy (though this trope does cover wine examples, as having wealth and having class snobbery are not the same thing). This character may wear a tuxedo and order a martini, but [[TuxedoAndMartini that trope]] is about Bond expies. SisterTrope to DrinkBasedCharacterization.

In short, having an expensive taste in alcohol and the ability to sip it whenever you please is a good visual representation of wealth.

* ''Film/TheHobbit'': Thranduil loves fine wine and keeps a well-stocked wine cellar. One of his servants observes, "Say what you like about our ill-tempered king, he has excellent taste in wine."

* The post-game revelers from 1975's ''Film/{{Rollerball}}'' wear ball gowns and dinner jackets, and sip champagne from proper flutes, before spilling onto the lawn to obliterate a stand of trees with an incendiary pistol. Ah, how elegantly decadent.

* ''Film/LostInTranslation'' involves Bill Murray's character shooting a [[https://youtu.be/qG6GaQl6wwA?t=135 commercial]] for the expensive Whiskey brand "Suntory" in which he has to convey the "Liquor is Luxury" trope. Unfortunately, he doesn't understand the director's instructions due to an [[TranslationYes inept interpreter]] so the whole shoot is a strenuous endeavor. However, the [[https://youtu.be/4gjiQwh1p6M?t=118 photo shoot]] works out much better.

The character is not depicted as an alcoholic of any degree -- they do not need to drink, they merely find it pleasant. They can also afford liquor that's good enough to drink without a mixer. Combined with tranquil indoors imagery of a wealthy home, comforting silence, and solitude, the drinking scene will have the audience know that the character lacks nothing in this world.