# name one's poison

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/name-ones-poison
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To indicate what type of alcoholic beverage one wishes to be served.

## Examples

- The bartender asked me to name my poison.
- I have every bottle ready, so please name your poison.
- The pub is quiet tonight, so name your poison and I will pour it.
- After a long week at the office, my friend told me to name my poison so he could buy the first round.
- When we finally reached the hotel lounge, the waiter handed us the drink menu and told us to name our poison.
- She opened the cabinet full of expensive whiskey and gin, asking her brother to name his poison for the evening.
- Since you are celebrating your new job, I will pay for the drinks at the club tonight, so go ahead and name your poison.
- The host gestured toward the well-stocked bar and invited his guests to name their poison before the dinner party officially commenced.

## Origin

From the US prohibition era, when the government required that the base ingredients for many products have poisons added to them to make it harder for them to be distilled into alcohol. As a result, much of the prohibition alcohol was actually poison when not distilled completely or properly.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.