Astrophysicists and absinthe! Another data point toward the "if only I had pursued my undergraduate degree further" timeline.
I can see how the weight limits would move the social needle: you would want the maximum bang for your buck, the most dram (of alcohol) to the gram, so reasonably people would go for the high-proof stuff, then find ways to cut it down with more innocuous items available on base, leading to various cocktails, and from there, a bar.
Doing the math[1], I don't -think- they were bringing much in personal allowance. The other source was "buying from station stores" and I imagine the bulk came from there.
Equally since absinthe is unlikely to be in the official station stores, that was likely just "a couple bottles" shared one night, not sll year round.
[1] they had 125 lbs (circa 57kg) of luggage or the -year-. I'm not sure if that includes clothing. But even if it's only "incidentals" that's not much at all. Sure you might include a bottle or two for special occasions, but nothing like the volume to drink every night for a year.
I can see how the weight limits would move the social needle: you would want the maximum bang for your buck, the most dram (of alcohol) to the gram, so reasonably people would go for the high-proof stuff, then find ways to cut it down with more innocuous items available on base, leading to various cocktails, and from there, a bar.