Crossword Genius

Take a long time consuming a lot of pretty drinks (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

beverages

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'drinks' is the definition.
(I know this)

'take a long time consuming' is the wordplay.
'take' becomes 'bevers' (I can't justify this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'a long time' becomes 'age' (an age is a period of time).
'consuming' indicates putting letters inside.
'bevers' enclosing 'age' is 'BEVERAGES'.

'a lot of pretty' is the link.
This may not be right. Some or all of it may be part of another bit of the clue.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for beverages that I've seen before include "Vegas beer (anag) - beer etc" , "Drinks" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app