The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word SEAFARING
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
S
E
A
F
A
R
I
N
G
More clues leading to the result SEAFARING
- Like the Ancient Mariner, say, burning to embrace a female?
- Intense when welcoming a female on a ship?
- Marine‘s brutal, taking area with force
- Phoney gains fare for ocean travel
- Marine worrying as if angler will lose line
- Marine‘s a force in extreme environment
- Marine‘s intense embracing a female
- Marine is a force in extreme environment
- On the drink, as a finger is drunk
- Fearing as it’s rough navigating
Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "On the drink," is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case on the drink, = seafaring.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.
What does SEAFARING mean?
SEAFARING adjective- Living one's life at sea.
- Fit to travel on the sea; seagoing.
- The act, process, or practice of travelling the seas
- The work, or calling of a sailor.