How strict are age ratings regarding alcohol references?

I am making an action game, and upgrades in my game take the form of drinks. Now, I'd like to use some alcoholic drinks (wine, beer, cider, etc) for some of these but I'm afraid that this could affect the game's age rating. There is never any direct consumption directly shown, the drinks are just sort of consumed in a puff of smoke. Does anyone else have experience with these things?