A recurrent theme throughout the production of both editions of this book has been a sense of the emergence of new discourses, methodologies and terminologies which expand our understanding of young adult drinking practices. A starting point in the inception and development of this collection—carried through to communication and discussion with collaborators—was the need to bring together disparate strands of research from different disciplines and different methodological traditions which each were grappling with a sense of change. What we had not anticipated upon complete of the first edition was quite how much the world, the hospitality and events industries and alcohol consumption itself would change in just a few months’ time. We hope that this second edition of the book helps contribute towards reflecting on how drinking practices changed in pandemic and post-pandemic times and steering the trajectory of future research but clearly there is much work still to be done.