The world’s biggest coffee chain introduced the beverages to a Seattle café in October 2010. It now sells beer and wine, as well as evening snacks like cheese plates, flatbread and desserts, in five Seattle-area stores and in one café in Portland, Oregon. Beer sells for $5 (£3.20) and wine prices range from $7 to $9.

The company, which is testing beer and wine sales in Spain, previously announced plans to bring the new “adult” beverages to as many as seven Chicago-area cafés by the end of 2012.

Some restaurant experts said that selling alcoholic beverages could anger community groups and complicate the company’s operations.