Cutting through it, if first given a drink (8)
I believe the answer is:
aperitif
'drink' is the definition.
(I know that aperitif is a type of drink)
'cutting through it if first given a' is the wordplay.
'cutting through' indicates putting letters inside.
'first' becomes 'a' (first letter of the alphabet).
'given' says to put letters next to each other.
'a' becomes 'per' (eg 'one a day' means 'one per day').
'it'+'if'='itif'
'itif' after 'a' is 'aitif'.
'aitif' going around 'per' is 'APERITIF'.
(Other definitions for aperitif that I've seen before include "Alcoholic drink to whet the appetite" , "whistle-whetting drink" , "it's served before dinner" , "An alcoholic drink before dinner, an appetiser" , "Alcoholic drink to stimulate appetite" .)