Beer in Mesopotamia and Egypt. A stone-age brew -- Civilized beer -- Wine in Greece and Rome. The delight of wine -- The imperial vine -- Spirits in the colonial period. High spirits, high seas -- The drinks that built America -- Coffee in the age of reason. The great soberer -- The coffeehouse internet -- Tea and the British Empire. Empires of tea -- Tea power -- Coca-cola and the rise of America. From soda to cola -- Globalization in a bottle -- Epilogue. Back to the sources -- Appendix. In search of ancient drinks.