noun
drinker; drinking companion
A somewhat literary or old-fashioned word for a person who drinks alcohol, often in a social setting. Not an everyday term; 飲み手 or 酒飲み are more common in modern casual speech.
彼は無類の酒客で、毎晩のように杯を傾けている。
He is an inveterate drinker, raising a glass almost every night.
その居酒屋は昔ながらの酒客でにぎわっていた。
The izakaya was bustling with old-fashioned drinking folk.