Over recent weekends in China, hundreds of thousands of music fans have tuned in from their living rooms to livestreamed DJ sets sponsored by Budweiser, with order buttons for immediate beer deliveries.

The “e-clubbing” events are one way drinks manufacturers are adjusting to the abrupt closure of bars, pubs and restaurants in many countries, an event unprecedented even during the world wars.

International brewers and distillers are rapidly cutting costs and moving to bolster their cash reserves as they brace themselves for the loss of up to a third of sales in countries enforcing lockdowns. But they have also raced to adapt to a world in which consumers drink at home and conduct much of their lives online.