Did you know there is a difference between Champagne and champagne? Well, honestly, there never was in my house growing up. My parents called Asti Spumante, Lancer’s Rose, and cold duck, “Champagne,” because they thought they all were the same. (And I can still remember the oohs and aahs over pink champagne! It was pink!) Honestly our whole neighborhood thought the exact same thing. But they were sadly misinformed. So, what’s so wrong about that? Well, if the characters in your short story are a blue-collar couple from Ridley Park, nothing; in fact, it may make them more real to your readers. But, depending on how and when you’re using it, “Champagne” could make you look like you don’t know what you’re doing. Creative writing in the USA is usually published according to the style guide The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS), and the guide would want you to use it correctly, unless the incorrect use was driven by character development or world-building. However buying a copy of CMOS or buying online access is pricey. Why not subscribe to our newsletter, The Line Edit, where twice each month I’m giving an editing tip or two to help you polish your own work?

This week’s issue: How to hold your liquor! Ya lush!

Well, not really. It’s really how to correctly format the names of drinks that contain alcohol so that your creative writing aligns with the guidance of CMOS.

Check out The Line Edit, and subscribe to get the next one in your email!

Whether your New Year’s Eve tipple comes from the sink tap or the beer tap, may your 2026 be a year of celebration, and correctly formatted libations!

Happy New Year~