<PARAGRAPH_BODY><PARAGRAPH_BODY>Think business and booze don't mix? You can enjoy a drink with a client, says Anderson C. Toney, director of the Anderson Research Center for Image and Etiquette, an image consultancy based in New York. "Just don't drain the bar dry." Toney advises avoiding alcohol during business hours, knowing your limits, and being aware of the consequences of overindulgence. Although your environment and the people you are with should dictate your drink, Toney says wine is always the safest bet. But if you want to branch out from sauvignon blanc, here's her take on other beverages:

SHIRLEY TEMPLE

Not everyone drinks alcohol, and if your client doesn't order alcohol at a bar, then you shouldn't either. Rather, Toney recommends trying a Shirley Temple, or a seltzer water with cranberry juice. You can keep your wits about you and keep your clients from feeling comfortable.

MARTINI

This classy cocktail says, "I'm sophisticated and cosmopolitan." But make sure the people around you are sophisticated and cosmopolitan, too, or else your martinis will make you seem snooty. And Toney says to only order it straight up with an olive, because "a chocolate martini isn't a drink you discuss business over."

BEER

Despite the current low-carb craze, feel free to consume this beverage with clients. And score points with an out-of-towner by ordering a brew from his homeland. But remember: Only frat boys chug beer from a bottle; businesspeople imbibe beer from a flute glass.

SEX ON THE BEACH

Although the mix of cranberry juice, peach schnapps, orange juice, and vodka may taste delightful, ordering this drink by name is a definite no-no. "When doing business you don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable," Toney says. And telling a waiter, 'I want 'Sex on the Beach'" can be awfully embarrassing.

SCOTCH ON THE ROCKS

This macho drink may not literally "grow hair on your chest," as the old adage proclaims, but it will help you come across as powerful. According to Toney, your clients will be thinking, "If she can handle that, then she can handle me." But sip it slowly, because you can't convey your professionalism if you're passed out on the floor.

MARGARITA

Unless it is so hot outside that you need to have the ice, avoid this slushy drink. "When you think margaritas, you think fiesta, fun, and a whole bunch of people standing around," Toney says. "It's not a quiet-entertainment kind of drink." Moreover, the wide salt-covered rim makes for a potential mess. </PARAGRAPH_BODY></PARAGRAPH_BODY>