Rejected, tries to drown trouble in drink (4,3)
I believe the answer is:
soda pop
'drink' is the definition.
(I know that soda pop is a type of soft drink)
'rejected tries to drown trouble' is the wordplay.
'rejected' says the letters should be written in reverse.
'tries' becomes 'pops' (pop can mean an attempt).
'to drown' is an insertion indicator (inserted letters are swallowed up or drowned).
'trouble' becomes 'ado' (both can mean bother or commotion).
'pops' going around 'ado' is 'popados'.
'popados' reversed gives 'SODA POP'.
'in' is the link.
(Another definition for soda pop that I've seen is " Fizzy drink".)