“Vertical drinking” in the night-time economy: alcohol licencing and proxies for “uncivilised” drinking bodies

‘Vertical drinking’ is a longstanding concept in alcohol licencing decision-making and the literature on night-time leisure. As the term implies, it concerns drinking alcohol standing up. The proposition is simple: establishments where people stand to drink are associated with less desirable clientele, more drunkenness and a greater likelihood of crime and disorder. Existing research has explored how the concept of ‘Vertical drinking’ – known historically as ‘perpendicular drinking’ – can form part of heavily classed distinctions between ‘civilised’ and ‘uncivilised’ drinking practices. By examining 40 licencing hearings in England under the Licencing Act 2003, this paper demonstrates how vertical drinking serves as a: (i) proxy for ‘uncivilised’ drinking establishments, (ii) a proxy for problematic (working class) drinking bodies, and (iii) how the legal tool of the licence targets problematic drinkers by shaping the establishment in which they drink. Assumptions about problematic drinking bodies – this ‘vertical drinker’ – inform the regulatory distinction between ‘civilised’ and ‘uncivilised’ establishments.