Structure

“A History of the World in Six Glasses” by Tom Standage is separated into six main parts which correlate with the “six glasses” referenced in the title. The first part is Beer in Mesopotamia and Egypt; the second part is Wine in Greece and Rome; the third part is Spirits in the Colonial Period; the fourth part is Coffee in the Age of Reason; the fifth part is Tea and the British Empire; and the sixth part is Coca-Cola and the Rise of America.

This historical work is told in a mainly chronological order. Within each part, the discovery and evolution of the drink in question is laid out chronologically. However, the discovery and popularity of the six drinks at times overlap one another because they were emerging at the same or near the same time. The impacts that the drinks have on the various cultures is...