Served up the unfinished alcohol late in the day (5)
I believe the answer is:
dealt
'served up' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'unfinished alcohol late in the day' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
an anagram of 'late' is 'ealt' which is within the answer.
'day' could be 'd' (abbreviation for day) and 'd' is present in the answer.
This accounts for all the letters.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
'the' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for dealt that I've seen before include "Handed out (cards)" , "Delta (anag.)" , "Doled out" , "Gave out playing cards" , "Delivered" .)