The story of modern coffee starts in the Arabian Peninsula, where roasted beans were first brewed around A.D. 1000. Sometime around the 15th century, coffee spread throughout the Arab world.

　　"In the Arab world, coffee rose as an alternative to alcohol, and coffeehouses as alternatives to taverns(酒馆)—both of which are banned by Islam," Standage said.

　　When coffee arrived in Europe it was similarly hailed as an "anti-alcohol" that was quite welcome during the Age of Reason in the 18th century.

　　"Just at the point when the Enlightenment is getting going, here’s a drink that sharpens the mind," Standage said. "The coffeehouse is the perfect venue(聚会地点)to get together and exchange ideas and information. The French Revolution started in a coffeehouse."

　　Coffee also fuelled commerce and had strong links to the rituals of business that remain to the present day. Lloyds of London and the London Stock Exchange were both originally coffeehouses.

　　Tea

　　Tea became a daily drink in China around the third century A.D.

　　Standage says tea played a leading role in the expansion of imperial and industrial might in Great Britain many centuries later. During the 19th century, the East India Company enjoyed a monopoly on tea exports from China.

　　"Englishmen around the world could drink tea, whether they were a colonial administrator in India or a London businessman," Standage said. "The sun never set on the British Empire—which meant that it was always teatime somewhere."

　　As the Industrial Revolution of 18th and 19th centuries gained steam, tea provided some of the fuel. Factory workers stayed alert during long, monotonous shifts thanks to welcome tea breaks.

　　The beverage also had unintended health benefits for rapidly growing urban areas. "When you start packing people together in cities it’s helpful to have a water-purification technology like tea," which was brewed with boiling water, Standage explained.

　　Coca-cola

　　In 1886 pharmacist John Stith Pemberton sold about nine Coca-colas a day.

　　Today his soft drink is one of the world’s most valuable brands-sold in more countries than the United Nations has members.

　　"It may be the second most widely understood phrase in the world after ’OK’," Standage said.

　　The drink has become a symbol of the United States—love it or hate it. Standage notes that East Germans quickly reached for Cokes when the Berlin Wall fell, while Thai Muslims poured it out into the streets to show disdain for the U.S. in the days leading up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

　　"Coca-cola encapsulates what happened in the 20th century: the rise of consumer capitalism and the emergence of America as a superpower," Standage said. "It’s globalization in a bottle."

　　While Coke may not always produce a smile, a survey by the Economist magazine (Standage’s employer), suggests that the soft drink’s presence is a great indicator of happy citizens. When countries were polled for happiness, as defined by a United Nations index, high scores correlated with sales of Coca-Cola.