drink vs soak up

drink is a noun but soak up is not a noun.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
drink	Yes	No	Yes	No
soak up	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, soak up is a hypernym of drink; that is, soak up is a word with a broader meaning than drink:

Other hypernyms of drink include absorb, engross, engulf, immerse, plunge, steep.

drink (noun)	soak up (noun)
the act of drinking alcoholic beverages to excess
the act of swallowing
any liquid suitable for drinking
a single serving of a beverage
any large deep body of water

drink (verb)	soak up (verb)
be fascinated or spell-bound by; pay close attention to	devote (oneself) fully to
take in liquids	take in, also metaphorically
consume alcohol
drink excessive amounts of alcohol; be an alcoholic
propose a toast to