Be sick, alcoholic drink being spoken of (3)
I believe the answer is:
ail
'be sick' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'alcoholic drink being spoken of' is the wordplay.
'alcoholic drink' becomes 'ale' (type of beer).
'being spoken of' shows a homophone (sound like).
'ale' sounds like 'AIL'.
(Other definitions for ail that I've seen before include "Sicken" , "Be ill or unwell" , "Afflict -- feel unwell" , "Worry" , "Afflict; suffer" .)