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A History of the World in 6 Glasses

Book by Tom Standage · 6 quotes · Beer, Coca Cola, Age Of Reason

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All Beer Coca Cola Age Of Reason Britain China Civilization Cocaine Coffee Coffee House Culture Grog Home Medicine Mesopotamia Military Morale Naval Crews Opium Opium Wars Quack Remedies

A History of the World in 6 Glasses Quotes

“But [Coca-Cola] was also genuinely welcomed by the servicemen in far-flung military bases: Coca-Cola reminded them of home and helped to maintain morale.”

Home Military Morale Coca Cola

Book:A History of the World in 6 Glasses

Source: A History of the World in 6 Glasses

“This original version of Coca-Cola contained a small amount of coca extract and therefore a trace of cocaine. (It was eliminated early in the twentieth century, though other extracts derived from coca leaves remain part of the drink to this day.) Its creation was not the accidental concoction of an amateur experimenting in his garden, but the deliberate and painstaking culmination of months of work by an experienced maker of quack remedies.”

Medicine Cocaine Coca Cola Quack Remedies

Book:A History of the World in 6 Glasses

Source: A History of the World in 6 Glasses

“Coffeehouses were centers of self-education, literary and philosophical speculation, commercial innovation, and, in some cases, political fermentation. But above all they were clearinghouses for news and gossip, linked by the circulation of customers, publications, and information from one establishment to the next. Collectively, Europe's coffeehouses functioned as the Internet of the Age of Reason.”

Coffee Age Of Reason Coffee House

Book:A History of the World in 6 Glasses

Source: A History of the World in 6 Glasses

“During the first millennium BCE, even the beer-loving Mesopotamians turned their backs on beer, which was dethroned as the most cultured and civilized of drinks, and the age of wine began.”

Culture Civilization Wine Beer Mesopotamia

Book:A History of the World in 6 Glasses

Source: A History of the World in 6 Glasses

“An enormous semiofficial drug-smuggling operation was established in order to improve Britain's unfavorable balance of payments with China—the direct result of the British love of tea.”

China Tea Britain Opium Opium Wars

Book:A History of the World in 6 Glasses

Source: A History of the World in 6 Glasses

“The inclusion of lemon or lime juice in grog, made compulsory in 1795, therefore reduced the incidence of scurvy dramatically. And since beer contains no vitamin C, switching from beer to grog made British crews far healthier overall.”

Beer Scurvy Grog Naval Crews

Book:A History of the World in 6 Glasses

Source: A History of the World in 6 Glasses