What You Drink on a First Date Might be More Important Than the Clothes You Wear

When getting ready for a first date everyone, be they male or female, spend time preening for their first date. A recent survey suggests that the average Briton is spending up to £90 on everything from haircuts to manicures and fake tan and a further £42 on their outfit but how many of you have thought about what you drink when you’re on the first date? It might be time to start as

The Right Drink Can Make All the Difference

A recent survey suggests that 74% of men and women place more emphasis on what their date is drinking than the first few minutes of small chat, order the wrong drink and that important first impression might not be the one you were hoping for. Sipping at a glass of champagne for example is likely to land you in the conceited camp, while a martini can make you look suave. If this holds up across the population you might be in trouble as 42% said a drink can make you seem less attractive!

Control the message you want to send

Of course it’s important that you show your best side on the first date, but that’s not to say you should pretend to be something you’re not, after all if it goes well you’re going to have to maintain the pretense a long time. Still it’s important you present your best possible side so if you’re a far of wine and want to avoid being seen as a pretentious (57%) or worse an awkward loner (32%) you might want to avoid the red and opt for a glass of white which is synonymous with intelligence.

For men looking to present a charming and old-fashioned air you might want to opt for a whisky, the same drink in the hand of a woman makes her seem confident and even dominating. A woman gripping a cosmopolitan is generally viewed as a flirt (68%) whereas three-quarters of women will assume a man is secretly gay if he opts for the same.

Think about the associated stereotypes

There are no hard and fast rules, some women want a more intelligent man, while others are after a more artistic extrovert. Conversely some men are on the lookout for an independent girl who knows how to flirt, others want that strong-minded whisky drinker. Regardless all drinks carry connotations, some have been carefully cultivated by marketers while others are perpetuated by film and press.

Whisky has long been viewed as an old-fashioned drink and this has been helped along its way by the Don Draper effect, champagne is as often as not associated with big spenders trying to draw in the young ladies in night clubs and the relationship between footballs fans and cheap lager is well established. Spend a little time thinking about the message you want to spend or all that hard work might go to waste.

If you want to make it to date number 2

When you’re meeting someone for the first time first impressions count, you might be perfect for each other but dating isn't easy and people look for shortcuts to determine personality, compatibility and prospects. That’s not to say that you can’t fight your way back from a bad impression but you shouldn't have to, take a little care in your appearance because one tenth of a second is all it takes to make a judgement. Make the effort and find an interesting venue for your first date so they've got something to talk about later and be careful what you drink!

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John W Fegan

John is a digital marketing geek with a fondness for Malt Whisky, ubuntu, Google android and all things tech who runs Uisce Beatha