Literant.(Book Talk)("A History of the World in 6 Glasses")(Book review)

Is there an equivalent of the word "foodie" to describe those of us who are passionate about beverages, who love everything from gourmet sodas (Sioux City Sarsaparilla, anyone?) to exquisite high-end bourbon (Van Winkle, aged 20 years) and all that lies in between, hard and soft alike?

The indescribable fans of liquid refreshments will no doubt be interested in Tom Standage's book A History of the World in 6 Glasses. Standage, technology editor at The Economist, examines how six beverages--beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and cola--serve as "fluid testaments to the forces that shaped the modern world."

Standage excels in the earliest chapters, detailing the links between agriculture, beer, and the beginning of civilization. Interestingly, Mesopotamia played a major role in the early history of beer (though Mesopotamians drank their beer through straws, which bothers me more than it should). I hope Iraqis will keep this in mind as they rebuild their country. Baghdad Brew has a nice ring to it.

The scope of Standage's project is so large (his narrative begins around 10,000 years before Christ) that some details get lost in the shuffle. Still, interesting factoids abound. For example, we learn another reason to be suspicious of French-lovin' Thomas Jefferson: "He denounced 'the poison of whiskey,'" and tried hard to make America a land of wine drinkers. I love wine, too, but where would we be without bourbon? (More sober, I guess.)

Speaking of bourbon, this book's shortcoming is the spirits chapter. Little is said about what makes bourbon bourbon. And the other great Dixie spirit, Tennessee whiskey (no, Jack Daniel's is NOT bourbon) isn't even mentioned. Neither is vodka, which surely will annoy some Polish and Russian readers. Gin is curiously absent.

A similar problem afflicts ...