In the United States coffee is the usual drink at all hours of the day. American coffee is usually lightly roasted and often served very weak. Italian-style coffees--expresso and cappuccino--are often available, but one has to ask for them. Next after coffee, Americans are likely to drink cola drinks, such as Coke or Pepsi, or other soft drinks. These include root beer (a sweet, gassy, non-alcoholic¹ drink made from herbs), fruit juices, or iced tea (cold tea served with lemon or sugar). Beer--always served ice cold--is the most popular alcoholic drink.

在美国，咖啡是最常见的饮料，24小时随时都可以享用。美国咖啡通常经过微焙，味道十分清单。意大利式咖啡——（用蒸汽加压煮出的）浓咖啡和卡布奇诺咖啡——通常也都可以买到，但你必须说明要这一种。除咖啡外，美国人最常喝的是可乐和其他不含酒精的饮料，可乐有可口可乐和百事可乐，其他不含酒精的饮料有菜根汽水（由草本植物制成的、甜味、不含酒精的气泡饮料）、水果汁及冰茶（配有柠檬和糖的冰镇的茶）。啤酒——通常都是冰镇的——是最受欢迎的酒精饮料。

Ordering Coffee 点咖啡

When you order coffee in an American restaurant, the waiter will often inquire, "Regular?" This means with milk or cream in it. In an American home, your hostess might ask, "With or without?", meaning with or without milk or cream. The word regular may also mean non-decaffeinated to some people.

当你在美国餐馆点咖啡时，服务生会问："Regular?"（一般的吗？）这表示在咖啡里加牛奶或奶油；在美国人家里，女主人会问："With or without?"即加不加牛奶或奶油。Regular这个词对某些人还表示不脱咖啡因。

Ordering Beer 点啤酒

In an American bar, people don't order beer by asking for a pint² or half pint as is done in a British pub. When the bartender asks, "What'll you have?", Americans ask for a glass of draft beer ("I'll have a draft") or a bottle of a specific brand ("I'll have a bottle of Budweiser"), or say something like, "Two beers, please."

在美国的酒吧，人们不会像在英国酒馆里那样要一品脱或半品脱啤酒。当酒吧侍者问“来点什么？”时，美国人会要一扎生啤（I'll have a draft）或一瓶某个牌子的啤酒（I'll have a bottle of Budweiser.来瓶百威），或说来两杯啤酒："Two beers, please."。