Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (US) a drink; thus what’s your liquor?, what will you have to drink?

1838		W.N. Glascock Land Sharks and Sea Gulls II 110: Now, my covey [...] you’re a rum sort of chap as ever I see. You don’t seem to be over well off in regard o’ licker.
1845		W.T. Thompson Chronicles of Pineville 109: Come, let’s take some liquor.
1851		Manchester Spy (NH) 4 Oct. n.p.: ’We’ll open with a licker all round’.
1874		Jeffersonian (Stroudsberg, PA) 8 Jan. n.p.: Instid uv payin cash for their likker I heard [...] the disgustin words ‘Chalk it down’.
1875		Wagga Wagga Advertiser (NSW) 23 Oct. 4/1: Charley and Bob were sitting in the latter’s quarters, combining the three enjoyments of a quiet smoke, a ‘liquor,’ and a friendly chat.
1879		G.R. Sims Dagonet Ballads 31: Drink up your liquor, she hears us!
1882		Punch LXXXII, 193, 2: These nips and pegs and liquors at all hours of the day were unknown to us.
1890		E. Field ‘Mr. Dana, of the NY Sun’ Little Bk of Western Verse 98: He wuz very long on likker and all-fired short on work.
1894		Truth (Sydney) 11 Feb. 7/1: ‘Take a liquor?’ ‘Yes,’ we answered, ‘Guess we all can swamp a beer’.
1922		Joyce Ulysses 562: We had a liquor together.
1925		Du Bose Heyward Porgy (1945) 6: Frien’ and licker an’ dice ain’t meant tuh ’sociate.
1931		(con. 1918) E.W. Springs Rise and Fall of Carol Banks 49: Has one of them been drinking up all your squadron’s likker?

2. the water used by unscrupulous publicans to adulterate beer.

1909

J. Ware Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era.