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Aim  To determine whether depression and family history of alcoholism are associated with heightened sweet preferences in children, before they have experienced alcohol or tobacco and at a time during the life‐span when sweets are particularly salient.

Design  Between‐ and within‐subject experimental study.

Participants  Children, 5–12 years old (n = 300), formed four groups based on family history of alcohol dependence up to second‐degree relatives [positive (FHP) versus negative (FHN)] and depressive symptoms as determined by the Pictorial Depression Scale [depressed (PDEP) versus non‐depressed (NDEP)].

Measurements  Children were tested individually to measure sucrose preferences, sweet food liking and, for a subset of the children, the analgesic properties of sucrose versus water during the cold pressor test.

Findings  The co‐occurrence of having a family history of alcoholism and self …