Soft drinks are very popular. Cola drinks still lead the market. You can usually get one that is artificially sweetened.
Beer, served ice cold, is comparable to British lager. You can also find pale or brown 98 ale and many foreign beers, either imported or manufactured under licence.
New York State has some decent wines; those from California are even better, especially the white ones. You can order domestic wine by the bottle or, in many places, in carafes as the house wine. French and Italian wines, at quite reasonable prices, also appear on menus.
Since Americans discovered wine, hard liquor has gone somewhat out of fashion. But not the cocktail hour! Dry martinis (gin and a few drops of dry vermouth) are very potent. Bourbon, mellow whiskey distilled in Kentucky, is made of corn, malt and rye; drink it straight, on the rocks or with soda. Many bars have a late-afternoon happy hour when they’ll give you two drinks for the price of one or serve free snacks.
