Kava: the drink of the Pacific kings
A girl’s grave on a Tongan island, Cook handing his cup to Mai, a Samoan bowl on many legs and Australia’s long argument over the chiefs’ drink.
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Wormwood: the green fairy and the absinthe panic
A bitter herb from Pliny’s chariot races to the Paris green hour, a Swiss murder that banned a drink, and the chemistry that later cleared its name.
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Cacao: Maya cups, Aztec money and the modern ceremony
A painted Maya cup that names its own contents, beans that bought a turkey, and a circle ceremony that took shape on Lake Atitlán in the 2000s. Cacao’s long story.
Photo credits on each article.