Palatability attributed to alcohol and alcohol-paired flavors.

The orosensory features of alcoholic drinks are potent relapse triggers because they acquire incentive properties during consumption, including enhanced palatability. Whether mice similarly perceive alcoholic drinks to be more palatable after repeated consumption is complicated by reports showing that alcohol elicits aversive taste reactivity responses and conditions flavor avoidance. Here, by analyzing the microstructure of alcohol consumption, we report a gradual increase in lick bout duration relative to water that is partially maintained by an alcohol-paired flavor in extinction.