Sluggish characters lauding cocktail (7)

I believe the answer is:

languid

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'sluggish' is the definition.
(synonyms)

'characters lauding cocktail' is the wordplay.
'lauding' can be anagrammed to 'LANGUID'.
But, I am not clear how this is indicated.

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(Other definitions for languid that I've seen before include "Lacking spirit or liveliness" , "Indolent, lacking vigour" , "Lethargic" , "Slow-moving" , "Feeble; listless" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish Times.

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