Coffee

drink coffee

I spent much of my student life sitting around drinking coffee.

pour coffee

The waiter poured me some more coffee as we waited for the bill to arrive.

spill coffee

Sorry. I've spilt some coffee on your carpet. Have you got a wet cloth?

have a coffee

Let's have a coffee before we start the shopping.

make coffee

I'll clear the table if you make the coffee. There’s a jar beside the bread bin.

hot coffee

I burnt my mouth on some hot coffee. I should have waited until it had cooled!

fresh coffee

I'll make some fresh coffee if anyone wants some more.

white coffee

Do you take your coffee black or white?

a quick coffee

Do you think we've got time for a quick coffee before the lecture?

strong/weak coffee

I find it difficult to get to sleep if I drink strong coffee in the evening.

instant coffee

We don't have any real coffee but you'll find a jar of instant coffee in the cupboard above the sink.

a jar of coffee

We get through a whole jar of coffee every week.

the smell of coffee

I love the smell of freshly ground coffee.

a mug of coffee

Oscar handed round mugs of hot coffee.

a cup coffee

Any chance of a cup of coffee, Jill?

a sip of your coffee

I took a sip of the coffee and spat it out. It tasted like dishwater!

Notes   

Note these expressions:

• The neighbors invited us in for coffee.
• I'm dying for a cup of coffee. (I need one now.)

Note these kinds of coffee:

• Instant coffee consists of coffee granules. Real coffee is made with coffee beans.
• You grind coffee beans to make (filter coffee or an expresso.
• Decaffeinated coffee is coffee with no caffeine in it.

 

---

Tea

make tea

When the program ended, I put the kettle on to make some tea.

serve tea

Waiters in white uniform served tea and cakes to the guests at the garden party.

have tea

I'm getting tired. Let's stop at the next service station and have some tea.

bring (you) tea

My husband brought me a cup of tea in bed this morning.

drink tea

We sat down and drank our tea in silence.

iced tea

We tried to cool down by drinking lots of iced tea.

weak tea

She makes the tea too weak. You can hardly taste it!

sweet tea

Yuk! This tea's too sweet. How many spoonfuls of sugar did you put in it?

hot tea

I blew on the hot tea to cool it down.

a pot of tea

We'd like scones and a pot of tea for two, please.

a cup/mug of tea

I usually start the day with a cup of tea.

a drop of tea

Would you like a drop of tea? I've just made some.

have milk in (your) tea

I like milk in my tea but there's none in the fridge.

Notes   

Note this way of saying you really need some tea:

• I could murder a cup of tea right now!

Note how we describe drinking tea:

• He gulped his tea down and rushed back to work. (drank quickly)
• She sipped her tea slowly.
• He slurped his tea. (made a noise as he drank)

You don't need to say 'cup of' when ordering tea:

• Two teas, a doughnut, and a piece of chocolate coke, please.

You can also get green tea, herbal tea, China tea, Indian tea, etc.

You can buy tea in teabags or loose:

• Don't forget to get a pocket of tea bags. We've none left.
• Could you get some loose tea - maybe a packet of Assam and a packet of Earl Grey.
• I hate real tea - all those tea leaves! I much prefer tea made with a teabag.

 

---

Beer

brew beer

The Czech Republic is famous for the fantastic beers it brews.

order a beer

The waiter came to the table when you were at the toilet, so we ordered you another beer. Is that OK?

have a beer

Have a beer, Greg. This German lager is very good. Try it.

drink beer

I don’t drink beer, so I'll have a whisky if you've got one.

low-alcohol beer

I'll have a low-alcohol beer as I'm driving. If they don't have any, just get me a soft drink.

a cool/cold beer

There’s nothing like a cool/cold beer to satisfy your thirst after a hard game of tennis.

the beer is flat

My beer was flat. - There was no fizz in it. $0 I took it back to the bar.

draught beer

They don't have any draught beer - they only have bottles. Do you still want one?

a pint of beer

I was so thirsty, I downed two pints of beer in 5 minutes.

a bottle of beer

I had a plate of pasta, washed down with a bottle of beer.

a can of beer

After the party, the streets were littered with empty beer cans.

a six-pack of beer

I bought a six-pack of beer to take to the barbecue.

Notes   

In 'I was so thirsty, I downed two pints of beer in 5 minutes'  'down' means to drink - usually quickly. Note this other way of saying this:

• He knocked back his beer and left the bar.

A beer belly describes a large stomach:

• His beer belly hangs over his belt. It's a pretty ugly sight.

A 'six-pack' can refer to a pack of 6 bottles or cans of beer or it can refer to the muscles on a man's body.

Alcoholic drinks like vodka, whisky, and rum are called spirits. Note these expressions:

• I poured myself a glass of whisky.
• I'd like a Jorge I double whisky, please.
• I always drink whisky neat/straight (With nothing in it)

In the UK you order beer at a bar in the following ways:

• A bottle of Grolsch, please.
• A pint of Stella, please.
• A pint of bitter, please.

 

---

Wine

drink wine

I can't drink any wine tonight. I'm taking antibiotics.

spill wine (on the table)

The red wine I spilt on my best shirt has left a stain on it.

store wine

It's best to store wine in a cool dry place.

serve wine

White wine is best served chilled.

pour wine

I held up my glass and the waiter poured some wine for me.

a sweet/dry wine

I don't like sweet wines. I prefer very dry wines.

a sparkling wine

It might be a sparkling wine, but I don't think it's champagne.

a good/fine wine

Australia now produces some of the best wines in the world.

a white/red wine

I generally have white wine with fish and red with a meat dish.

a cheap wine

It's a very cheap wine, but it tastes all right. What do you think?

a bottle of wine

We stayed in last night and shared a pizza and a bottle of wine.

a glass of wine

My doctor says I should limit myself to two glasses of wine a day.

a case of wine

I liked the wine so much that I bought a whole case of it.

the taste of wine

I don't really like the taste of wine. I much prefer beer.

the effect of wine

My father believes in the beneficial effects of red wine.

Notes   

Note these wine + noun expressions:

• Can I see the wine list, please?
• I don't have a wine cellar but I keep one or two bottles in a wine rack in the dining room.
• He's a real wine connoisseur I buff. (knows a lot about wines)

 

---

Bottle

drink a bottle of (beer)

During the meal, we drank four large bottles of mineral water between the three of us.

open a bottle

I can't open this bottle. Could you have a try?

recycle bottles

I think about the environment a lot. For example, I recycle all my bottles and cans.

pass a bottle to (you)

Alena poured herself a glass of wine, then passed the bottle to me.

a plastic bottle

I think that plastic bottles are much safer to use than traditional glass ones.

shake a bottle

You're meant to shake the bottle before you open it so that the contents mix together.

the bottle is full/ half full /empty

The bottle was nearly full when I put it in the fridge last night. N ow it's almost empty! So who's been drinking my milk?

unscrew the top off a bottle

Can you unscrew the top off this bottle for me?

the label on a bottle

There's no label on the bottle, so I'm not sure what kind of wine it is.

pull a cork out of a bottle

I couldn't pull the cork out of the wine bottle. It was stuck fast.

put the cap back on a bottle

Make sure you put the cap back on the bottle of shampoo when you've finished.

Note   

Note these expressions:

• When we got to our hotel room, there was a complimentary bottle of champagne waiting for us! (a free bottle)
• It's one of those parties where you bring your own bottle. (BYOB!)

 

---

Glass

knock over a glass

I accidentally knocked over a glass of red wine as I was passing their table.

a glass smashes

The glass fell out of my hand and smashed on the floor.

hold out your glass

I held out my glass for some more wine as the waiter was passing.

fill up (your) glass

What a party! As soon as your glass was empty, a waiter filled it up!

raise (your) glasses

Let's all raise our glasses and wish George and Mary a happy anniversary!

a cracked glass

Some of these glasses are cracked. We'll need to replace them.

fill a glass to the brim

Please don't fill my glass to the brim. I don't want to spill wine on my dress.

a wine glass

You can't drink beer out of a wine glass! I'll get you a beer mug!

an empty glass

Will you collect the empty glasses from the tables, please?

raise your glass to your lips

She raised the glass to her lips and took a sip of wine.

---

Cup

hold your cup

The cup was so hot I couldn’t hold it in my hand.

fill a cup (up) with (tea)

The waiter came across and filled my cup with more coffee.

prefer a cup

Do you prefer a cup to a mug?

knock over a cup

The baby knocked over a full cup of tea at the dinner table. What a mess!

hand (you) a cup

The nurse handed me a cup of water to help me swallow the medicine.

pick up your cup

He picked up his cup and saucer and sipped his tea.

half a cup

Can I just have half a cup, please? I'm not very thirsty.

a chipped cup

The cup was chipped so we had to throw it out.

a plastic cup

The problem with plastic cups is that they aren't very good for hot drinks.

a dirty cup

Will you put all the dirty cups in the dishwasher, please?

Note   

Note that we use 'cup' to mean the contents of the cup - tea. coffee, etc:

• Would you like another cup?
• I've already had three cups!
• He drained his cup and then poured himself another. (He drank it quickly.)

---

Would you make some coffee while I wash up the dishes?

Don't leave the teabag in the cup for very long. 1 only drink weak tea.

I'm sorry, we don't have draught beer. We only have bottles.

Could you unscrew the top off this bottle for me, please?

I knocked over Peter's wine glass as I reached for the salt.

I'd like some iced tea, please.

I don't drink strong coffee late at night. It keeps me awake!

Is it a sweet or dry wine?

The government is trying to encourage us to recycle our empty bottles.

I don't like instant coffee. I much prefer filter or expresso.

In my opinion, the best beer in the world is brewed in the Czech Republic.

I raised the glass to my lips and took a sip of wine. It was quite nice.

I don't drink tea or coffee. I only drink mineral water.

When we finished having tea, I put all the dirty cups in the dishwasher.

I'll just go out and buy another jar of coffee. This one's nearly empty.

We'd like a coffee and a pot of tea for two, please.

He bought a six-pack of beer from the supermarket.

There are usually 12 bottles in a case of wine.

How much is a half pint of beer?

Have we got time for a quick coffee before the film starts?

I couldn't read the label on the bottle.

The glass was cracked so I had to throw it away.

I like sparkling wines like champagne and cava.

I'd rather have a mug of tea than a cup.