1:22pm UK, Tuesday July 20, 2004

Britney Spears has hit back at newspaper reports which claimed she had been caught boozing in the street.

The story surfaced in the New York Post, but was quickly syndicated to other papers around the world.

Britney left fuming over booze slur

The Post splashed a photo of Spears drinking from a miniature bottle with the headline: "Britney hits the bottle."

A story inside, under the headline "Boozer Britney" said the drink "appeared to be" Scotch whisky.

But the 22-year-old was drinking ginseng, a non-alcoholic herbal tonic designed to boost energy.

Britney has said she will sue unless she gets an apology - and a financial settlement from the paper.

The Post said it published the photograph after being assured by the agency that took the picture that Britney had been drinking a mini-bottle of Glenlivet.

But the assistant in the store in Venice, California, where Britney bought the drink, confirmed it was a bottle of Panax Red Ginseng Extractum.