I've never enjoyed history. Names and dates are lost on me, and I struggle to keep everything straight when I'm reading about it. Not so with this book. Standage does a fantastic job of weaving six drinks - beer, wine, run (spirits), coffee, tea, and Coca-Cola - into the major times of human development. Sure, there is a lot of speculation, but the discussion of how each drink impacted culture and habits was enough to keep me turning the pages. ( )

The effect of liquor, tea and other liquids on various aspects of society over time. ( )

Full disclosure: I skipped the chapters about spirits and tea because I had fairly recently read books that covered these topics, and I had no interest in rehashing those histories. Also, I skipped the chapter on soft drinks because I have zero interest in that type of beverage.

So I read about beer, wine, coffee, and of course the epilogue. And it was great! Every part was short and snappy, drawing clear lines between the beverages and the historical events; nothing seemed forced in from left field, and none of it was so detailed that I lost the narrative. It's the type of non-fiction book that you can read at the end of a long day and still find it relaxing. My favorite chapter was about coffee because the coffeehouses sound like a lot of fun. I'm going to try to track down "Penny Universities" to read more on these establishments, per the author's suggestion in the notes. ( )

Lots of great information on the origins of the six beverages: beer, wine, whisky, coffee, tea, and Coca-Cola (with a nod to Pepsi). Modest explanations of how the beverages were distributed throughout the world. Would have enjoyed more detail, and while not offered here, could probably be found in the listed source material.
Recommended. ( )

A short, fascinating read. It’s an intriguing framework to put the history of civilization alongside the development of humankind’s most significant drinks. ( )