I very rarely sing or play without a drink - that includes Opera and Choral singing. I will drink ordinary draught bitter - the lower the alcohol the better. The pub where we run our monthly session sells an excellent pint of Larkins which is 3.4% abv, and if I drink it at the rate it goes down naturally it does not seem to unduly affect my performance. I definitely don't need it for courage (although I often drink Courage) - I need it to keep my throat moist.

I am willing to bet that most of those singers who believe in zero alcohol when they're performing, probably use a PA most of the time. I have never used a PA to sing classical music, and only use one when I'm singing folk songs if I'm in a large or noisy venue or outdoors. How many of the non-drinkers could survive the sessions of a festival like Sidmouth, Whitby, or Towesey without drinking. True I could drink water, but I find it completely unsatisfying compared to a pint of real ale - and as I won't drink fizzy beer, I'm damned if I'll drink fizzy water. As for fruit juice, it's the quickest way to dry up your throat that there is. At many classical recitals that I've been involved in we would get offered tea, coffee, and squash during the interval - if there was a nearby pub, most of us would rather pop over for a swift half.

Most of our folk tradition in the British Isles came from pubs and gatherings where alcohol was available - just look at how many songs in the DT refer to drink. Surely if we want to sing them authentically the odd pint doesn't hurt.