Ever wondered why whiskey is seen as a “man’s drink” and a cosmopolitan as a “woman’s”? These ideas didn’t come out of nowhere — they were brewed over decades through tradition, advertising, and cultural reinforcement. But today, things are changing. More and more people are ditching the label and choosing drinks based on taste, not stereotypes. Let’s dive into how gendered drink norms began, how they’ve shaped our choices, and why we’re finally moving beyond them.
Where It Started: Gender Norms in Drinking Culture
In the past, men and women were expected to drink differently. Public spaces like pubs and bars were largely male territories. Women, when they drank, were often nudged toward lighter, sweeter options like wine spritzers or cordials, meant to reflect delicacy and restraint.
Meanwhile, men gravitated toward strong, bold spirits like whiskey, rum, and beer, associated with masculinity, ruggedness, and status. These roles weren’t just social — they were reinforced by everything from bartenders’ expectations to societal norms about how women and men should behave.
Marketing and Glassware: Subtle Messages That Stuck
The alcohol industry played a major role in turning drinks into gender signals. Ads featured women delicately holding flutes filled with colorful cocktails, while men were shown gripping tumblers of dark liquor or cracking open a beer in gritty, masculine settings.
Even glassware became gender-coded: coupes, flutes, and martini glasses for women; beer mugs and lowball glasses for men. Visual cues trained us to associate femininity with elegance and sweetness, and masculinity with strength and stoicism, even in what we drink.
Pop Culture’s Power Over the Menu
TV shows, movies, and celebrities took these associations mainstream. Carrie Bradshaw and her cosmopolitans became a symbol of stylish, urban femininity. James Bond made the martini, especially “shaken, not stirred”, a marker of refined masculinity. Even casual sitcoms and rom-coms reinforced the idea: pink drinks for girls, whiskey for guys.
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These portrayals didn’t just reflect what people were drinking — they shaped it. Viewers began to choose drinks based on how they wanted to be seen, not just what they liked.
What’s Happening Now: The Lines Are Blurring
Today, things are shifting fast. More people are rejecting the idea that drinks have genders. It’s not unusual to see a woman order a peaty single malt or a man enjoy a fruity rosé or lychee martini, and no one bats an eye (well, almost no one).
The new generation of drinkers, especially in urban areas, cares more about flavor than outdated labels. Bartenders are also crafting drinks that celebrate complexity, not gender expectations, bringing in herbal infusions, floral notes, smoky finishes, and seasonal ingredients to appeal to diverse palates, not binary identities.
Drink What You Like, That’s the New Rule
Taste has no gender. You don’t need to justify why you love a Negroni or a strawberry daiquiri. Whether it’s bitter, smoky, floral, or sweet, your drink is about you. Not your gender, or the glass it’s in. Not its color. And not the calories in it.
Even within the industry, the focus is shifting. Modern brands and bars are more inclusive in their marketing and menu design, highlighting individuality, sustainability, and flavor over stereotypes. Drinking culture is moving toward self-expression, not self-policing.
Summing Up
The era of labeling drinks as “for men” or “for women” is fading. And good riddance. The only thing that should guide your drink order is what you’re in the mood for, not what society thinks you should have based on your gender.
So go ahead. Order the pink cocktail. Sip that smoky whiskey. Try something new.
Because gender doesn’t pour the glass — you do.
