Many works of fiction have incorporated into their world the existence of beverages or drinksliquids made for popular consumptionwhich may create a sense of the world in which the story takes place, and in some cases may serve to advance the plot of the story. These products may be fictional brands which serve as a stand in for brand names, and in that capacity may be a vessel for mockery of the marketing culture associated with brand name products (e.g., Duff Beer from The Simpsons; Buzz Beer from The Drew Carey Show). In science fiction, beverages from alien races may enhance the sense of a futuristic society (e.g. Romulan Ale in Star Trek).Robin Andersen, Jonathan Gray, Battleground: The Media (2008), p. 386.
While there are many fictional liquids that can be consumed, fictional liquid medicines and magical potions (such as the liquid that causes Alice to shrink in Alice in Wonderland) may not be widely available for common consumption, or may simply not be described as being used for that purpose, and thus would not be considered "beverages" at all.
Alcoholic or intoxicating beverages In literature and print BeverageSourceDate offirst mentionDescription and significanceMoloko Plus (Nadsat for "Milk Plus")A Clockwork Orange1962Aka "milk with knives in it"; drunk by the protagonist to get him in the mood for "a bit of the old ultraviolence".Toxic substances, semiotic forms: Towards a socio- and textual analysis of altered senses - Semiotica. Volume 2007, Issue 166, Pages 409–426, ISSN (Online) 1613-3692, ISSN (Print) 0037-1998, , August 2007 In the film, Moloko Plus is milk laced with one of three, possibly illegal, drugs: Vellocet, Synthemesc and Drencrom. Alex and his droogs prefer the version containing Drencrom.Herzwesten beerThe Drawing of the Dark1979A dark beer, produced only every seven hundred years, that has supernatural properties.100 Must-read Fantasy Novels by Nick Rennison, Stephen E. AndrewsPan-Galactic Gargle BlasterThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy1978A legendary cocktail invented by Zaphod Beeblebrox, based on "Old Janx Spirit." The effect of drinking it is "like having your brains smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped round a large gold brick."Eater, The Cocktail at the End of the Universe Many real-life recipes for the drink exist.Victory GinNineteen Eighty-Four1949A cheap, low-quality drink supplied by the government. It has a "sickly, oily smell" and tastes like nitric acid;Extra Crispy, What '1984' Tells Us About Eating Under a Totalitarian Regime swallowing it gives "the sensation of being hit on the back of the head with a rubber club."Michael Rademacher, Orwell and Hitler: Mein Kampf as a source for Nineteen Eighty-Four Winston Smith, the protagonist, frequently drinks it despite its disagreeable taste and smell. Only party members have access to Victory Gin; beer (which is of much better quality than Victory Gin) is the drink of the proles, while wine (which Winston finds disappointingly bland) is only available to the Inner Party. Old SockThe last Gold Diggers, The Last Polar Bears1998, 1993A drink consumed by Wolves in the Arctic whilst Roo and Grandfather are trying to find polar bears and by Kangaroos and koalas in Australia. Reportedly alcoholic as the Wolves were reported to have been acting in a drunk and disorderly manner.Austershalin BrandyThe Lies of Locke Lamora2006A brandy made by the House of bel Auster in Emberlain. It is a famous mercantile export of Emberlain, and plays a key role in an elaborate confidence trick in the book.Butterscotch and ButterginCharlie and the Chocolate Factory(1964)Products marketed by Willy Wonka, the first used to make butterscotch and soda, the second used for buttergin and tonic. The Oompa-Loompas are very fond of both.Pinot Grand FenwickThe Mouse That Roared1955A wine made in the fictional Duchy of Grand Fenwick, an independent microstate from Leonard Wibberley's Grand Fenwick series. The wine is the Duchy's primary export, and is described as a favourite of wine connoisseurs. Particularly popular in the US, the wine inspired the cheap, Californian, imitation Pinot Grand Enwick, an issue which prompted the events of the novel. In the sequel novel The Mouse on the Moon, a variant of the wine is discovered to have nuclear properties, such that a simple reaction with iron-filings creates enough energy to propel a space ship. This also applies to the 1959 film adaptation of The Mouse That Roared and the 1963 film adaptation of The Mouse on the Moon."(A) double standard measure of staol and chilled Shungusteriaung warp-wing liver wine bottoming a mouth of white Eflyre-Spin cruchen-spirit in a slush of medium cascalo, topped with roasted weirdberries and served in a number three strength Tipprawlic osmosis-bowl"Banks, Iain M., The Player Of Games, Macmillan, 1988. ISBN 0-333-47110-5 The Player Of Games1988An elaborate, potent cocktail ordered by Shohobohaum Za, the Culture's louche ambassador to the Empire of Azad, to celebrate his part in foiling an assassination attempt against the story's protagonist Jernau Morat Gurgeh.
In film BeverageSourceDate offirst mentionDescription and significance Black Pony ScotchLauraEugene McNamara, "Laura" as Novel, Film, and Myth (1992), p. 10.1944A bottle of the brand is found in the apartment of the title character after her murder, leading the detective investigating the crime to develop suspicions based on his belief that she would not drink so cheap a brand. In the stage play of the film, the product is called Four Horses Scotch.Elsinore beerStrange Brew1985The plot was loosely based on Shakespeare's Hamlet, but the key characters were either stakeholders or employees of the company that made this beer, which was contaminated by an evil mastermind in a plot to control the world.Duane Swierczynski, The Big Book O' Beer: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Greatest Beverage on Earth (2004), p. 182-83.Loob BeerMorons from Outer Space1982 Jimmy Nail's alien character Desmond becomes a celebrity and ends up as the billboard advertising face for "Loob Beer".Romulan AleStar Trek1982A intoxicating beverage which is outlawed within the Federation but nonetheless occasionally shown aboard Federation ships, typically with some commentary as to its prohibited / bootleg status. Generally light to medium-blue in color. Despite the use of the term "ale" in its name, Romulan Ale is depicted on-screen as an uncarbonated liquid poured from a flask or decanter which, along with its high potency, suggests a distilled spirit. Tenafly ViperStreet Trash1987An alcoholic wine that causes anyone who drinks it to melt.Hice Pale AleFinal Destination2003A beer brand that is seen in every film.
In television