These essays cover the representation and practice of drinking a variety of beverages across eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Britain and North America. A crucial period for the development of modern drinking culture, this period saw the emergence of urban public places connecting drinking and sociability. Divisions across class were particularly stark, with the London coffeehouse at one end and the low tavern or inn at the other. Similarly, certain drinks - chocolate and tea, for instance - had strong gender connotations, which became fixed over time. The case studies in this volume cover drinking culture from a variety of perspectives, including literature, history, anthropology and the history of medicine.