History Main / DiscreetDrinkDisposal

** Barnaby does this with a cup of acorn coffee in "Death in Disguise". Leads to a ThatPoorPlant moment.
** In "The Axeman Cometh", Jack 'Axeman' [=McKinley=], who is TheAlcoholic, avoids falling OffTheWagon when pressed into sharing a bottle of vodka to commemorate a fallen band mate by secretly pouring each glass into the plant beside him.

* ''Literature/{{Ringworld}}''. Triggered by the sight of an unusual creature. The plant doesn't complain; the alien lifeform living there does, loudly.
* In the ''Literature/RiversOfLondon'' novel ''False Value'', Peter's narration while having a friendly chat over drinks with a potential suspect is that he's glad he's not being offered the ''really'' good stuff, because it would be a shame to waste it on a bonsai tree.
* In ''Literature/SavingMax'', Danielle tells Max to hide his meds under his tongue and spit them out when no one's looking, as she suspects that experimental medication is being tested on him.
* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' - ''Literature/YoungJediKnights'': In ''Shadow Academy'', Tenel Ka does this with her drink while her mentor [[TheCape Luke Skywalker]] (who'd warned her how strong it was) is digging for information in the resident BadGuyBar. She [[ThatPoorPlant dumps it in a plant]], [[HilarityEnsues which turns out to be an alien]].

Often happens because a particular culture or subculture has a ritual that revolves around the drink in question and thus refusing the drink would be very impolite (or even dangerous). This is very much TruthInTelevision, particularly at very formal events such as weddings, funerals, and star-studded fundraisers, which usually involve a different drink for every course and a lot of toasting. Toasting with a glass that isn't full is generally considered very impolite, but actually drinking all of those drinks would generally be dangerous to one's health.

Can also be used by a snobbish BigBad to express disdain for the drink ([[AGlassOfChianti the vintage isn't good enough for their refined palate]]), the heroes, or both. As such, it can function as a KickTheDog moment for a villain. Often associated with TheVamp.

* ''Anime/GrimmsFairyTaleClassics'': In "The Worn Out Shoes", the young soldier watching the princesses almost drinks the cup of wine the eldest princess offers him, but then realizes what could happen and only pretends to drink, before dumping the content in a nearby plant pot. He then goes the extra mile and pretends to fall asleep to find out what's going on.