The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word MARTINI
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
M
A
R
T
I
N
I
More clues leading to the result MARTINI
- Trading centre in island provides drink
- Skill put into small cocktail
- Drink in vermouth, stuff from the South
- Drink can ruin one's clothing
- Caribbean island bans that Parisian cocktail
- Swallow one strong drink
- Drink: boy needs one
- Skill evident in small cocktail
- Damage can come with one cocktail
- Cocktail party at centre held by midget
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "strong drink" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case strong drink = martini.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 MARTINI mean?
MARTINI noun- A cocktail made with gin or vodka and vermouth.
- (sometimes proscribed) Any cocktail served in a cocktail glass, often sweet or fruity and aimed at women.