If the French firm does indeed win, a new competitor will soon be breathing down the neck of Diageo, looking to overtake its 30% share of the world market for strong drinks.

ECONOMIST: A heady cocktail | The

The Co-Op was the first chain to sign up to the optional scheme in Ipswich to remove any cut-price extra-strong long drinks.

BBC: Street drinker

But the drinks are strong, and the locals - among them a few Long Island fishermen, known as Bonackers, or Bubbies (they once had their own dialect) - can't get enough of it.

BBC: Escape from New York

Their newer drinks also are profitable and growing strong, they say.

WSJ: Fizzy Drinks Revenue Goes From Flat to Sour

The statist urge remains strong in the Lib Dems: conference delegates passed motions supporting new levies on unhealthy drinks, opposing new airport runways and rejecting plans to make it easier to build house extensions.

ECONOMIST: The Lib Dems are having an identity crisis. Splendid

Another strong buy from Marketocracy is an Ohio-based, metal and glass container company that specializes in containers for soft drinks, wine, beer, tea, juice and pharmaceuticals.

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