Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. to ply with drink, to supply with alcohol; thus liquoring up [SE mid-16C–18C].

[1600		Dekker Shoemakers’ Holiday IV i: My organe pipe squeaks this morning for want of licoring].
1855		L. Oliphant Minnesota and the Far West 165: The purchase of these articles involved an immense amount of liquoring up. [...] It is one of the most ancient and sacred institutions of the country, whenever you are introduced to a man at the bar of a hotel to ‘liquor him right away’.
1890		Sporting Times 18 Jan. 1: Well, the Germans liquored me up, and so did the English, and so that’s enough of the subject.
1898		A.J. Boyd Shellback 108: The captain asked him to ‘liquor up’.
1999		J. Ridley Love Is a Racket 73: Wesker had her liquored up.
2000		P. Beatty Tuff 30: He didn’t want to at first [...] but I liquored that nigger up and guilted him into it.

2. to drink alcohol, to get drunk; thus liquorer, a hard drinker; liquoring (up)/likkering up, drinking.

1819		Kentucky Almanac 1820 30: Behind him was a Mister McBeth, who seemed to have been liquoring [DA].
1834		Ely’s Hawk & Buzzard (NY) Mar. 22 2/1: I was [...] indulging occasionally in a liquorating at the different temperance halls.
1836		D. Crockett Exploits and Adventures (1934) 157: Having liquored, we proceeded on our journey.
1839		C.F. Briggs Adventures of Harry Franco I 22: What! you don’t liquorate? [...] Don’t drink, hey?
1840		Southern Literary Messenger VI 510/2: Friends, you liquorize too freely — its a bad thing [DA].
1849		W.C. Hall ‘Mike Hooter’s Fight with the “Bar”’ Spirit of the Times 10 Nov. (N.Y.) 452: Come, boys, let’s liquor.
1855		N. Devon Jrnl 6 Sept. 8/3: Two ‘sporting characters’ who [...] had pretty well ‘liquored up’.
1859		G.A. Sala Twice Round the Clock 202: They [i.e. Americans] are a people who drink standing, delighting to ‘liquor up’ in crowded barrooms.
1866		Western Times 3 Apr. 3/2: A Drunkard’s Death — Samuel Rendle [...] ‘liquored up’ on Monday evening [...] and afterwards fell from the front of his cart.
1867		‘Artemus Ward’ ‘Mr Ward Attends a Graffick’ in Complete Works (1922) 167: ‘Bring-up a quart of brandy,’ sez the Squire, ‘and a bilin o’ lemons and sugar. Mr. W.,’ sez he, [...] ‘Let’s liquor up! Let’s have a smoke and a cocktail.’.
1876		C. Hindley Life and Adventures of a Cheap Jack 157: Ring the bell and let’s liquor up.
1880		Caldwell Post 9 Sept. in Miller & Snell Why the West was Wild 243: W.F. Smith, a herder – had liquored up pretty freely.
1881		N.Z. Observer (Auckland) 15 Jan. 171/1: He went down to the Nevada hotel and liquored up with Harry Richmond.
1883		E.J. Milliken Childe Chappie’s Pilgrimage 21: ‘Let’s liquor!’ There isn’t much harm done so far.
1884		Sporting Times 16 Aug. 2/4: Go to the Alhambra saloon and liquor up with Bill Holland.
1890		Bird o’ Freedom 15 Jan. 3/1: Plentiful supply of tea, coffee, and cakes ad lib., but not much variety for liquoring up, a parting glass being restricted to spirits or sherry.
1895		C. Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 45: Liquor Up, to drink.
1900		Bulletin (Sydney) 11 Aug. 31/1: There was but one other occupant, a stout, middle-aged selector, sleeping off several days’ liquoring, in an armchair.
1902		W.T. Goodge ‘Tugs of Simpsonville’ in Bulletin Reciter 1880–1901 193: He shouted for the jackeroos a-standing in the bar / And he introduced the subject when he’d liquored up.
1908		‘Doss Chiderdoss’ ‘The Censor’ Sporting Times 29 Aug. 1/3: So they liquored.
1917		Sun (NY) 11 Feb. 11/2: ‘Let’s liquor,’ he said, and entering the saloon they liquored.
1919		‘Sax Rohmer’ Dope 235: He’s been liquoring up pretty freely, and I shouldn’t be surprised to find that he’s got a job on tonight.
1922		M.E. Smith Adventures of a Boomer Op. 52: As Mr. Phillips says, I am O.W.W. (On The Water Wagon) and don’t approve of this ‘Likkerin up’ a-tall.
1926		(con. 1870s) F.J. Wilstach Wild Bill Hickok 237: Let’s go down to the Gold Room an’ licker.
1930		K.S. Prichard Haxby’s Circus 291: They tell me she liquors-up and has a temper.
1940		O. Strange Sudden Takes the Trail 9: Reckon it’s just an excuse to liquor – you men never miss a chance for that.
a.1948		(con. early 1930s) C. McKay Harlem Glory (1990) 24: We just sat there liquoring up ourselves.
1966		G. Fletcher Down Among the Meths Men 87: He often went away on his own [...] when he was really liquoring up.