11 Spanish Drinks & Beverages You Must Sip On This Summer

From excellent full-bodied wines to ridiculously refreshing craft beers, Spain is a great country to quench your thirst. In this guide to the best Spanish drinks, I’ve outlined the most popular Spanish beverages you should try on your next trip to Spain.

Vino — Spanish wine

Spanish wine bottles
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Spain is the third-largest wine producer in the world, after Italy and France, so it only makes sense for it to crown the list of the best alcoholic drinks to try in Spain.

Spanish wines vary greatly throughout the country, thanks in part to the differences in the climate in which they are produced. For example, the north of Spain is known for its crisp white wines, while the center of Spain is better known for its bold red wines.

Some of the most important wine regions in Spain are La Rioja, Ribera del Duero, and La Mancha, all of which make for some fun day trips from Madrid. If you visit Valencia, you can also travel to Utiel-Requena, one of the oldest wine regions in Spain. Grapes were first cultivated here some 2,700 years ago so if you like wine, this is one of the best day trips from Valencia.

Spanish wines are classified as joven, crianza, reserva, and gran reserva, depending on how long they’ve been aged in barrels. For example, crianza means the wine went through a two-year aging process, with a minimum of 6 months in the barrel, while gran reserva means the wine went through a five-year aging process, with a minimum of 2 years in the barrel.

Some of the most common grape types grown in Spain are tempranillo, cabernet sauvignon, garnacha, merlot, ponot noir, monastrell, verdejo, and Pedro Ximénez.

That being said, it is important to know that the Spanish wine labels put more weight on the region than the grape type. So when ordering wine in Spain, you can either mention the region where it was produced or simply specify if you want a red wine (vino tinto), rosé (rosado), or white wine (vino blanco).

Sangria — the most famous Spanish pitcher drink

Out of all the Spanish drinks on this list, sangria is probably the one that gained the most popularity at an international level. It’s the perfect pitcher drink for parties. It’s the ideal refreshing drink during the hot summer months. And it’s served in bars all over Spain, often accompanied by tapas.

While there are many sangria recipe variations, the main ingredients are always the same — a good, inexpensive young red wine, sparkling soda, sugar, some kind of liquor, and cut-up fresh fruit (oranges and peaches are common choices). And of course, lots of ice.

Traditionally, sangria is made with red wine, hence the name (sangre in Spanish means blood). But in truth, it can also be prepared with other bases. For example, in Asturias, cider sangria is very common. While in other parts of Spain, you’ll find white sangria (made with white wine) and sangria de cava (made with cava).

Cava — Spanish sparkling wine

A glass of cava, the bubbly Spanish drink
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Cava is a Spanish sparkling wine produced mainly in the north and the east of Spain. It is quite similar to Champagne, but since only the sparkling wine produced in the Champagne region of France can be called that, the Spanish bubbly is called cava.

One big advantage of Spanish cava is that it tends to be more affordable than the French version. Just like the French stuff, cava is usually dry (brut). When it has a slightly higher sugar content it is labeled semi-seco. Cava can be either white or rosé.

Two of the most popular cava brands in Spain are Codorníu and Freixenet, both headquartered in Catalonia. Codorníu is the oldest cava producer in Spain and one of the oldest wineries in the world — it was founded in 1551. Freixenet on the other hand is the largest producer of sparkling wine in the world.

In Spain, cava is enjoyed either straight or as an ingredient in a number of cocktails, such as sangria de cava or agua de Valencia.

Agua de Valencia — iconic Spanish cocktail

Agua de Valencia is a delicious and refreshing cocktail made with freshly squeezed orange juice (from sweet Valencia oranges), cava, gin, vodka, and ice. This drink is usually served in a jug and drunk from a Marie Antoinette-style champagne glass.

The origins of agua de Valencia go back to the end of the 1950s when a bartender by the name of Constante Gil invented it at Cerveceria Madrid in the city center of Valencia. This place is now one of the best cocktail bars in Valencia although it underwent a slight name change and it is called Café Madrid.

Agua de Valencia is somewhat similar to the French Mimosa and the British Buck’s Fizz. However, the Spanish drink has a higher alcohol content than either of them. Since this Spanish cocktail is quite sweet, it hides the taste of the alcohol — hence the name agua (water). Together with horchata de chufa, the two are the most iconic drinks from Valencia.

Horchata

Spanish horchata in a tall glass on a wooden table
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Horchata is a typical Spanish drink made with chufa (tiger nuts), a tubercle that grows predominantly in the fields of Alboraya, north of Valencia. Spanish horchata is different from horchata you can find in Latin America which is usually made with rice.

In its pure, artisanal form, Spanish horchata is a refreshing sweet vegan drink with a silky texture served cold or granizada (frozen, similar to a slushie). However, some bottled brands of horchata sold in supermarkets can be made with milk as well as stabilizers and emulsifiers which slightly change the flavor of this drink.

In recent years, some specialized horchaterías in Spain jumped on the healthy food bandwagon and started offering sugar-free horchata. This brings out the chufa flavor as well as the subtle cinnamon and lemon aromas.

Drinking a glass of horchata is a fun pastime in Spain and locals love dunking fresh-out-of-the-oven fartons into this non-alcoholic drink. Fartons are elongated confectionery sweets glazed with sugar invented in 1960 for the sole purpose of accompanying horchata.

Tinto de verano — a popular summer drink in Spain

Tinto de verano is another proof that Spaniards love a refreshing wine cocktail. This mixer made with equal parts red wine and soda and adorned with a slice of lemon was born in the 1920s in Cordoba at the hands of Antonio Vargas del Moral, a local innkeeper. Some 40 years later, tinto de verano had gained national popularity and become a favorite summer drink among Spaniards.

One of the main characteristics of tinto de verano is that it uses a large quantity of ice. This dilutes the wine even further, resulting in a refreshing drink with low alcohol content, just perfect for the hot summer months.

The wine used for this typical Spanish drink is usually a fruity variety such as tempranillo or syrah. As for the soda, La Casera is used more often than not. La Casera is one of the most popular soda brands in Spain. It is sweet, fizzy, and has 0% calories. While it can be enjoyed on its own, it is usually mixed with wine or beer.

Also read: Fun Facts About Spain You Probably Didn’t Know

Cerveza — Spanish beer

A hand holding a bottle of beer, one of the most popular drinks in Spain
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Cerveza is Spanish for beer, the liquid gold that in recent decades has taken Spain by storm. Beer is the most popular alcoholic beverage in Spain, although Spaniards consume a fairly large quantity of alcohol-free beer (popularly called sin) — 15% of all beer drunk in Spain is alcohol-free, which is what many people order for breakfast in Spain.

The beer market in Spain is dominated by a few brands such as Mahou, San Miguel, and Cruzcampo. They mostly produce a light lager with very little character and few variations between brands. Spaniards seem to like that and when they go out usually ask for a caña (glass of beer) without giving it much thought.

But the Spanish craft beer scene is flourishing and if you like a beer with character, you have plenty of choices. Think beer made with tigernuts (a tuber that grows in the fields near Valencia) or truffles, beer aged in oak barrels, and even beer made with seawater. See the best beers in Spain.

Sidra — Spanish cider

Sidra is Spanish for cider, a traditional drink that people of northern Spain have been making for over two thousand years.

Traditional Spanish ciders are usually neither sweet nor sparkling (although some commercially produced ones are). In fact, sidra is a dry, cloudy drink, with a pronounced apple flavor and sediment at the bottom.

Spanish cider is made mainly in the Basque Country and Asturias regions, with the latest producing more than 80% of the cider in Spain.

In Asturias, sidra is more than just a drink — it’s part of the local culture and pouring cider has been elevated to an art form. Walk into any cider house here and your waiter will delight you with a cider pouring show.

The whole idea behind the traditional Asturian way of pouring cider is to pour it from a height to get the maximum distance between the bottle and the glass, allowing lots of air bubbles into the drink. This means holding the bottle above the head with one hand and the glass close to the knee with the other. The glass used is quite small and wide.

Spanish cider can be ordered in most bars and sidrerias and it pairs well with fish and chicken dishes as well as manchego cheeses and cabrales (a strong blue cheese from Asturias).

Vermut — the most popular fortified wine in Spain

A glass of vermouth on a white table
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Vermut (vermouth) is a flavorful fortified wine aromatized with macerated herbs and spices. In recent years it has made a serious comeback in Spain, especially in Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia where it has become a fashionable apéritif.

Bars and terraces packed with people socializing and having a good time between noon and 1 PM, not long before lunch, are a common sight in Spain. This is called ‘la hora del vermut‘ (vermouth time), a well-engrained habit in Spanish culture. Now, the drink of choice doesn’t have to be necessarily vermouth. But the name chosen for this time of the day, speaks volumes about the popularity this drink has garnered in Spain.

While the origins of Spanish vermouth go back to the 18th century, it is believed that la hora del vermut has its roots in the 1950s when the first middle class emerged in Spain and people started affording small luxuries such as sitting on a terrace on Sundays after mass to have an apéritif before the 2 PM lunch (Spanish mealtimes are a bit later than in other countries).

Spanish vermouth tends to be a little sweeter than the vermouths drank in other European countries, with a bitter finish and cinnamon, vanilla, cardamom, or licorice notes. Lately, many bars have started producing their own vermut in-house or offering vermut on tap with some places having an extensive menu with dozen of vermut types. In Asturias, cider vermouth has become quite popular.

In Spain, it is socially acceptable to have a glass of vermouth any time of the day. Many bars, vintage bodegas, and modern vermuterias serve it accompanied by a free snack, such as salty olives or potato chips. Vermouth also pairs well with a number of Spanish tapas such as anchovies, patatas bravas, or Galician-style octopus.

Also read: Popular Spanish Food You Should Try in Spain

Jerez — one of the oldest alcoholic drinks in the world

Jerez, one of the most traditional Spanish drinks, is a fortified wine made from white Palomino grapes. Its name comes from Jerez de la Frontera, the nearest city to the Jerez-Xérès-Sherry wine region in southern Spain. This is the first Spanish wine region to receive the status of protected designation of origin (Denominación de Origen Protegida or DOP in short) back in 1933.

The Jerez vine has been grown in this region of Andalucia for over 3,000 years and Jerez wine is believed to be one of the oldest alcoholic drinks in the world. Sherry is simply the English word for Jerez.

Although Sherry is often synonymous with ‘sweet dessert wine’, it’s worth noting that not all Jerez is sweet. In fact, all Jerez wine is initially dry and sweetness is usually added after fermentation. Another peculiarity is that Jerez wine doesn’t have a vintage year as each bottle contains a blend of wines from different years.

Sherry wines pair well with a variety of dishes, from olives, nuts, smoked sausages, blue cheeses, salted meats, and stews to vanilla ice cream and chocolate.

Crema de turrón — Spanish nougat liqueur

If you like Baileys, you’ll love crema de turrón, a sweet liqueur inspired by the traditional Spanish nougat.

Spanish turrón is a confection made with honey, sugar, egg whites, and toasted almonds and is typically eaten for Christmas. Turrón is also one of the most famous Spanish desserts.

In Spain, there are two traditional turrón types — turrón de Alicante (a compact, hard cake made with whole almonds) and turrón de Jijona (a soft, crumbly tablet made with crushed almonds). The two have completely different textures and taste quite different from one another.

Spanish supermarkets commercialize both crema de turrón liqueur inspired by turrón de Alicante and crema de turrón liqueur inspired by turrón de Jijona. The smooth texture and milky base make it really enjoyable. Crema de turrón can be either drunk straight or on the rocks.

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