The alcoholic drinks that expose you as ‘new money’
Favouring some beers, wines and spirits single you out as “nouveau riche”, according to one prominent etiquette expert. Is your favourite drink on the list?
Etiquette and manners expert, Laura Windsor, has served as a “trusted advisor to numerous international Royal Families, high-profile celebrities, private households, and global businesses”, offering guidance on matters of dining protocol and personal presentation, particularly how to convey elegance, poise and confidence at all times.
Windsor, who founded the Laura Windsor Etiquette Academy in 2017, stresses the importance of deportment, and according to her website believes there is a distinction “between looking elegant and being elegant.”
“If you can combine these two elements,” she says, “then you have a winning formula for success.”
That winning formula might extend to one’s choice of drinks with Windsor telling the Daily Mail that some alcoholic beverages signal a “nouveau riche drinker”. The Oxford dictionary defines ‘noveau riche’ as “a person who has recently acquired wealth and displays it in an, often disparagingly, vulgar or ostentatious manner, typically lacking the social grace or background associated with inherited (‘old’) money”.
Windsor has detailed the drinks categories and brands that apparently scream “new money”, listed below. This does not reflect the opinion of the drinks business.
Mid-range wine
According to Windsor, if a person buys a mid-range wine – “not the cheap £6 wine (even though it may be better) or the slightly too steep £20” it lights a 10-foot tall beacon indicating to the world your “new money status. This is because, she claims, it shows that “you don’t actually know anything about wine”.
Consumers buying mid-priced wines often know there is a wine app “ready to rescue them” which makes them feel “suddenly confident enough to discuss the grape variety, the wine’s minerality, and which flavoured crisps your wine pairs best with,” Windsor added.
The etiquette expert further revealed that if your mid-range wine is organic it suggests that you automatically reach for organic “because you’re convinced it’s healthier. End of discussion” as opposed to as the result of an informed decision about the viticulture and resulting quality of the wine.
Prosecco
The Italian sparkling wine also came under fire from the etiquette expert. “It’s always a Prosecco with brunch because you want to show that you are always drinking ‘bubbly’, letting the word linger just long enough for people to assume it’s Champagne,” Windsor sneered.
“The upper classes may raise an eyebrow, but for your fellow nouveaux, sparkling is sparkling, served in a flute, which adequately highlights your new social status.”
Flavoured vodka and gin
Windsor believes that opting for anything other than plain spirits signals your social class. “Good old-fashioned vodka isn’t good enough [for the nouveau riche] unless it’s vanilla or lychee-flavoured. You categorically turn your nose up at the plain, cheap stuff,” she said.
“After all, why opt for something that tastes of… vodka, when it could taste of social standing and something botanical or tropical?”
The etiquette expert added that “being nouveau is all about keeping up with your nouveau neighbour and never losing face. That often means splurging on fancy designer alcohol brands like Ciroc, even if you aren’t crazy about it.”
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This apparently extends to pink gin, too. “A pink Gordon’s gin and lemonade signals your new status, letting others wonder what it is you possess that they don’t. After all, it’s all about projecting your personality through your associations,” she added.
And don’t get her started on spirits containing gold flakes. “Life in the fast lane deserves a touch of glam,” she said sardonically. “What better way to celebrate than with spirits that sparkle with glitter or glisten with gold flakes? When everything is looking up, your glass needs to reflect it.”
IPAs
When it comes to beer, the etiquette guru revealed that “new money” consumers “don’t touch the more traditional ales or stouts – it’s all about IPAs that set you back at least £5 a pint. Anything involving the word ‘traditional’ simply doesn’t feature in your vocabulary.
“If it doesn’t sound trendy, artisanal, limited-edition, or come with a deliberately obscure name, you simply aren’t interested.”
Dirty Martinis and Aperol Spritzes
Ordering a martini containing olives at a cocktail bar indicates that “you want to be seen as if you know what you are talking about, even if you haven’t got a clue and really just picked it up from some obscure reality show,” said Windsor. “You want to cause a stir because being conspicuous, bold and edgy looks great on social media…
“After all, now that you have gained your new status, it’s all about being seen against the right backdrop, with the right light, under the right filter.”
The cheerful Aperol Spritz also drew Windsor’s disdain. According to the Queen of deportment, if you order such a spritz you’re unlikely to be “a huge fan of bitter Aperol, but you must get a photo of it on the ‘gram’. It’s not the taste that’s important; what matters is being seen with the right-looking drink. Sometimes looking ‘high status’ is all about sacrifice,” she claimed.
Tequila shots
Agave spirits did not escape judgement either.
“If you’re over the age of 21, getting a round of Tequila shots is ‘new money’, unlike our American counterparts, who always seem to look cool when they do it,” she claimed.
Holly Ramsay and Adam Peaty clearly disagree, having gifted their wedding guests bottles of a £190 Tequila following their December ceremony, which was exclusively covered in Hello magazine. Hollywood stars Matthew McConaughey and Eva Longoria might also have something to say about Windsor’s views, with McConaughey having launched his Pantalones Tequila into the UK market via Waitrose late last year, and Longoria awarded the ‘Eagle in Flight’ award from the Tequila Regulatory Council for the work she has done to “honour Mexican culture”.
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