History Main / DrinkBasedCharacterization

* WineIsClassy is a SubTrope indicating the drinker is a sophisticated intellectual or OfficerAndAGentleman. Does not apply for cheap wines (especially boxed wine), which instead indicates low economic class/upbringing. A further SubTrope is AGlassOfChianti, where drinking red wine is used to indicate a villainous personality that is rich/well-bred. Either version may appear as an InvokedTrope where the character is attempting to appear high-class but doesn't actually know how to "properly" enjoy the wine.

* WineIsClassy is a SubTrope indicating the drinker is a sophisticated intellectual. Does not apply for cheap wines (especially boxed wine), which instead indicates low economic class/upbringing. A further SubTrope is AGlassOfChianti, where drinking red wine is used to indicate a villainous personality that is rich/well-bred. Either version may appear as an InvokedTrope where the character is attempting to appear high-class but doesn't actually know how to "properly" enjoy the wine.
* TeaIsClassy is another SubTrope which demonstrates the drinker is of a wealthy background. Tea times are typically the favorite activity of the IdleRich {{ojou}}, ProperLady, or ManOfWealthAndTaste, who would often sip their tea from an expensive tea set.

* Creator/PGWodehouse's Gussie Fink-Nottle has an addiction to orange juice which he drinks the same way as his friend [[Literature/JeevesAndWooster Bertie Wooster]] drinks alcohol (whenever he has received bad news to strengthen himself for example).

** Stannis Baratheon is a hard and bitter man, and to reflect this, he drinks plain water with a pinch of salt.
*** It probably doesn't hurt that his older brother is a massive alcoholic and he's spent his entire life trying to get out of his shadow.

In certain moments, attention is drawn to what a character is drinking because it emphasizes their personality in some way. "Harder/grittier" drinks, such as black coffee or strong alcohol, contrast against "softer/weaker" drinks, such as mocha cappuccino latte or milk. Sometimes these characterizations are temporary, such as when a teetotaler decides INeedAFreakingDrink. Other cases may be examples of TrademarkFavouriteFood, where it implies an urge of consistency in their personality, but rarely anything else. The examples below should indicate both a drink and a trait.

* Used regularly in ''Series/{{Forever|2014}}. Henry recognizes a wine's vintage by scent, orders whiskey by name and year, and asks for cognac "the older, the better." He also frequently [[BritsLoveTea drinks tea]] and coffee made by sophisticated processes rather than drip or a tea bag. Jo, meanwhile, orders "double whiskey, whatever's well" and drinks police station or carry-out coffee.

* Neither do the Igors of Pratchett's Discworld... which is the cue to extract the ubiquitous canteen from its hiding place on your person and offer them a slug.

* Naivete can also be conveyed by the circumstances surrounding the order. Asking for [[LactoseOverLiquor milk]] or tea in a bar is considered "inappropriate" because people are there to get drunk. Water and soda are often exceptions to indicate designated drivers or TheTeetotaler ([[OOCIsSeriousBusiness marking a dramatic shift]] if [[INeedAFreakingDrink they suddenly change to alcohol]]). Milk is also used as a set-up for a vulgar joke, or a reversal of said joke. With the right tone, however, milk can also signify a stone-cold badass who doesn't give a damn about what people think; they might even be baiting others into [[UnderestimatingBadassery drawing the wrong conclusion]].

Contrast YourFavorite and TrademarkFavoriteDrink, where the drink doesn't represent anything about the character's personality, it's just a character is expressing a fondness. These tropes can overlap, and drink orders themselves are likely to be delivered in the form of TheTriple.

* Bubbly and upbeat feminine/effeminate personalities are often indicated by especially sweet/fruity cocktails or wines. If they order tea or coffee, this would be indicated by having some milk and lots of syrup/honey/sugar (or sugar substitute).
* Tough/dangerous is indicated by drinking something with a very strong and usually bitter taste. RealMenTakeItBlack is a SubTrope in this category and is specific for coffee. The GargleBlaster is usually a "hard" liquor that shows how high a character's pain tolerance is.

* [[BritsLoveTea British culture/affectations can be indicated by characters having tea in unusual situations.]]

* In ''Series/KungFu'', Caine, being a Shaolin monk with appropriately simple tastes, usually just asks for plain water when at a bar.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Sinfest}}'', [[http://www.sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=4365 a stripper succubus orders the "usual"]]: a flaming witch's brew. Containing EyeOfNewt and toe of frog.

* This trope backfires badly in ''Film/AttackOfTheKillerTomatoes'' when an undercover agent [[TooDumbToLive asks for a Bloody Mary]].

* ''Film/KingsmanTheSecretService'': Every alcoholic beverage in the film is named down to its vintage. For instance, the Kingsmen toast with an 1815 Napoleonic brandy whenever they lose one of their own. The most memorable is perhaps Eggsy's (taught to him by Harry):
-->'''Eggsy:''' Martini. Gin, not vodka, obviously. Stirred for 10 seconds while glancing at an unopened bottle of vermouth.