This excerpt from Le Grand d'Aussy's classic work on the history of French private life explores the history of beer, cider and spirits in France from the Gauls to Le Grand's own time (the late eighteenth century). The history of beer since the Egyptians to its slow growth to popularity in France to what Le Grand describes as its decline in his own time; the surprisingly late appearance of cider in Normandy (later known for the drink) and a look at the numerous use of varieties used to make it and to make perry, the pear version; the start of spirits as a late medieval medical ingredient and its evolution into a colorful variety of ratafias, rissolis, populo and other liqueurs - all this and more is packed into a few brief but lively chapters.