Strong drink made publican go cracking up a bit (6)
I believe the answer is:
cognac
'strong drink' is the definition.
(I know that Cognac is a type of brandy)
'publican go cracking up a bit' is the wordplay.
'a bit' indicates a hidden word (the answer is formed by a bit of the clue).
'up' says the letters should be written in reverse (in down clue: letters go upwards).
'cangoc' can be found hidden inside 'publican go cracking'.
'cangoc' back-to-front is 'COGNAC'.
'made' is the link.
(Other definitions for cognac that I've seen before include "French town - French brandy" , "Type of brandy" , "strong drink" , "High quality brandy" , "High-quality brandy" .)