When done well, it’s hard to deny the appeal of the flavour combinations. But we need to look beyond the product itself to the message that it carries. The majority of gin, prosecco, cocktail or beer-flavoured snacks seem to fall into two camps: trying to imbue the everyday with luxury (like a packet of crisps flavoured with prosecco and dusted in edible gold stars ) or taking something that was a childish treat and making it, as Smith & Sinclair says, more grown-up. Beyond the flavour novelty, the draw to new, relatively cheap snacks is hardly surprising given the state of stress and anxiety in which so many of us live. When wages are stagnating while house prices rise , why wouldn’t we want to find small, cheaper ways to bring ourselves some luxury? Or end a stressful work week with something playful that also gets us, or reminds us of getting, tipsy? When thought of as just that – a treat, a fun flavour that you already enjoy brought into a new experience – it’s for no one to condemn or criticise. But that positioning doesn’t account for the larger trend of how we talk about and consume alcohol more generally.