The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 plus 3 letter word TRIPLE SEC
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
T
R
I
P
L
E
S
E
C
More clues leading to the result TRIPLE SEC
- Doctor left receipts for alcohol
- . I respect drunk quaffing large liqueur
- Drink in a twentieth of a minute?
- Liqueur got from the French city after tour
- Spelt and rice brewed for alcoholic drink
- Assorted receipts, about fifty for drink
- 3 becomes 9? Then the magic ends
- Liqueur price list outrageous – expensive, ultimately, for one
- Stumble on the Parisian ‘instant’ liqueur
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "3" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case 3 = triple sec.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.