One then drinks different forms from table (8)
I believe the answer is:
isotopes
'different forms from table' is the definition.
(different forms of Periodic Table elements)
'one then drinks' is the wordplay.
'one' becomes 'i' (Roman numeral).
'then' becomes 'so' (both can mean 'therefore' or 'in that case').
'drinks' becomes 'topes' ('tope' can be a synonym of 'drink'**).
'i'+'so'+'topes'='ISOTOPES'
(Other definitions for isotopes that I've seen before include "Stoops, i.e. to become odd types of atoms" , "Variant forms of element" , "atomic elements" , "what may be used for diagnostic purposes" , "Different forms of elements" .)