Andrew Barr's first book, Wine Snobbery, sent shock waves through the wine trade when it was published in 1988. Now Barr turns his attention to our drinking habits in general, and to the cultural, social and political influences that determine what we chose to drink, and with whom. Drink is at the base of social history, which touches on subjects as diverse as the medical prescription of alchohol from biblical times on, the origins of the custom of toasting, and the reasons why the British became a nation of tea-drinkers. But it is also a polemic, which uses history to offer views on issues of current political or medical controversy, such as liberalization of the licensing laws, the opening of borders within the European Community and the possible healthy or unhealthy effects of moderate alchohol consumption.