'drinking-friendly' originates from Modern English, specifically the combination of the present participle 'drinking' (from the verb 'drink') and the adjective 'friendly', where 'drink' ultimately derives from Old English 'drincan' meaning 'to drink' and 'friendly' comes from Old English 'freondlic' (from 'freond') meaning 'friend'.

'drink' changed from Old English 'drincan' (to drink) and 'friendly' changed from Old English 'freondlic' (friend-like); the compound 'X-friendly' is a relatively recent productive pattern in Modern English (modeled by forms like 'user-friendly'), and 'drinking-friendly' formed by combining 'drinking' + 'friendly'.

Initially, 'friendly' meant 'kind' or 'amiable'; over time the suffixal use '-friendly' developed to mean 'suitable for or favorable to X', so 'drinking-friendly' evolved to mean 'suitable for or welcoming of drinking'.