Writer with great deal drinking like crazy (7)
I believe the answer is:
tolkien
'writer' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'great deal drinking like crazy' is the wordplay.
'great deal' becomes 'ton' (both can mean a large amount).
'drinking' indicates putting letters inside (inserted letters are consumed or drunk).
'crazy' indicates anagramming the letters.
'like' is an anagram of 'lkie'.
'ton' going around 'lkie' is 'TOLKIEN'.
'with' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for tolkien that I've seen before include "Writer of The Hobbit" , "British writer, d. 1973, known for fantasy adventures" , "British author of 'The Lord of the Rings'" , "professor of Anglo-Saxon" , "Hobbit deviser" .)