What are the most popular non alcoholic drinks in Spain?
ALL THE BEST SPANISH NON ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES
Is it possible to stay sober in Spain, the land of sangria and Rioja wine? Of course it is! Spaniards don’t drink to get drunk (unless we are partying hard), and nobody expects you to order alcohol just because you are an adult. There’s plenty of valid alternatives to stay sober. Some of them work best during meals, some other as breakfast or for breaks, some are more a Summer or a Winter thing… In today’s post we’ll go over every single possibility and teach you how to order it, when and where. Cheers! (by the way, if you don’t know how to say cheers in Spanish, read this other post, too!)
Let's start with the basics: water!
1
Still water and tap water
Do you think this subject is already as clear as water? Think again! In Spain waiters won't bring you a pitcher of water by default with your meal. You need to order water. And that most of the time means it'll be bottled water and you'll be paying for it. Try to ask for a pitcher of water and you'll get an eye roll... and a bottle of water that you'll have to pay for. And why is that? Well, because in most of Spain the water is very hard and the taste isn't good. Bottled water tastes way better and doesn't ruin your meal. That's why even at home most Spaniards either use filters or buy bottled water.
However, it’s OK to ask how big the bottles are and order only one for the table, or one to share with another person. Or if you are at a cafe (not during a meal) and you are ordering something else, it’s OK to order a glass of water “for a pill” if you really only need some water to swallow your meds. But in that case you’ll get a glass of tap water.
Also, there’s a new trend at hipster and healthy restaurants of serving pitchers of filtered water. Yey? Not so fast: some restaurants also charge you for it (after all, they need to pay for the filter, lol). Don’t make it a big deal, after all, it’s cheaper than bottled waters. If that’s how they do it, go with it and don’t be a Sharon.
QUICK FAQ:
- Is tap water safe to drink? Yes, tap water is safe to drink in Spain – but the taste is usually pretty bad.
- Is the water of public fountains safe to drink? Yes (unless it’s a water spring where there’s a sign saying that it hasn’t been potabilized). But you can never be sure if someone let their dog lick the tap before you arrived…
- At bars and restaurants, does water come with ice? Only if you order it (“Con hielo, por favor”). To the max, the waiter will ask you if you want it room temperature or cold.
2
Sparkling water
When you order “water” and that’s it, your waiter will immediately assume you want still water. If you want sparkling water you need to be specific: “Agua con gas, por favor”. One of the most common sparkling waters you’ll find is Vichy Catalan (and because it’s so common, it’s not rare to hear people order “Un Vichy”. But it has a somehow salty taste that not everyone likes – so if you already know you don’t like it, you can ask what brands they carry “Qué marca de agua con gas tienes, que no sea Vichy?”. They might have some other local brand. Ordering directly a foreign brand such as Perrier or San Pellerino can sound a bit pretentious unless you are at a classy venue.
Non alcoholic Spanish fruit drinks and juices
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Orange juice
4
Bottled juices
Juice is one of the go-to drinks that families will get for their kids when they eat out, but it’s also OK to order them as an adult. The most common flavors available are orange, apple, peach and pineapple. They either come on glass bottles or tetrapack. You can find many more flavors at the local supermarkets.
5
Mosto
Mosto is grape must – grape juice, and in some areas of Spain such as the Basque Country is very common to order it to go with tapas. But in other areas of Spain it’s only found in supermarkets (or in Basque pintxo bars…). The most famous brand is Greip (which sounds like “grape” in English).
6
Limonada
It’s not unusual that in the Summer people will make lemonade at home. However, it’s not super common to find it in bars and restaurants. At least not in my part of Spain! In Barcelona I know I can only confidently order homemade lemonade at Mexican restaurants – and they might even have more than one flavor. Otherwise, the closest alternative available at bars and restaurants is Aquarius, an isotonic lemon drink also available in orange flavor. You can find several brands of lemonade at the supermarkets: Limon&Nada by Minute Maid, Font Vella, Cal Valls, Don Simon…
Spanish Summer drinks without alcohol
7
Horchata (or orxata in Catalan)
You’ll find industrial bottled horchata at the supermarkets (Chufi is the most famous brand). But for the real thing find an artisan ice cream parlor where they make it themselves!). Here is where to find horchata in Barcelona.
8
Granizados
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Leche merengada
Granjas (cafes specializing in dairy products) and horchaterías often also carry Leche Merengada, a sweet milky drink very easy to make at home, too. It’s basically milk boiled with lemon rind, a cinnamon stick and sugar, then chilled in the refrigerator. You’ll find them in ice cream parlors, orchaterías, beach bars and some cafes and restaurants.
10
Cafe con hielo
Nope, you won’t find iced coffee in Spain – Spaniards have their own alternative to such refreshing Summer drinks: café con hielo. It consists on a slightly long espresso and a separate glass with one or two ice cubs on it. Add sugar to your coffee if you need it, then pour the coffee over the ice cubs. Voilà! You are ready to enjoy your coffee with ice.
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What about iced tea?
Sorry… Iced tea is also quite rare in Spain. You may find it in American and Mexican restaurants, and some tea shops. But other than that the only closest thing you’ll be offered is Nestea (canned iced tea).
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Is Gazpacho a drink or a soup?
What was first, the egg or the chicken? Well… that depends! While in restaurants they usually serve gazpacho as a cold soup or starter, in most Spanish homes during the Summer gazpacho is a staple that is always ready in the fridge, and at home we’d serve ourselves glasses of it while we wait for the meal to be ready. I still feel a bit clumsy eating it with a spoon when I eat out… You can find gazpacho in the refrigerated section of most supermarkets during the Summer season (and sometimes they even have individual tetrapacks with their own little straw- which reinforces my point of gazpacho being a drink as much as a soup. Here is where you can learn to make gazpacho like my mom does it.
Traditional hot drinks in Spain
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Coffee
Many Spaniards order “un cortado”, which is a small cafe con leche (like an Italian macchiato but with a little bit more milk). But there’s many more Spanish coffee drinks in our coffee culture… Don’t miss our blog post about Coffee in Spain if you are a coffee lover.
One last thing: no, we don’t do cream. We do milk. And if you didn’t order milk and ask for it later, don’t be surprised to be charged for it (and also get an eye roll from the waiter).
14
Tea
Black tea is available at any cafe and restaurant, and green tea is becoming easier to find. Most average places won’t carry a much broader variety, but in large towns it’s not unusual to find cafes (most of them chains) with a nice and long tea menu. Supermarkets also usually carry a few different varieties of teas.
Please order tea for breakfast, during morning or afternoon breaks or at the end of a meal. Ordering tea to go with your entire meal is weird (unless you are Asian).
15
Herbal Teas ("Infusiones")
The most common herbal teas are chamomile (manzanilla), mint tea (menta poleo) and linden blossom (tila). Those are carried by pretty much any cafe, bar or restaurant. You can find other flavors in supermarkets and herbalist shops.
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Spanish hot chocolate (and other chocolate drinks)
Spanish hot chocolate is really really REALLY thick. So I’m not sure it should count as a drink… Even if it’s technically liquid, you’ll most likely end up using a little spoon to eat it, or will dip churros or other bakeries on it until there’s nothing left. Hot chocolate is served for breakfast and until midday, then again as an afternoon snack. Only recently some tapas bars have started to serve hot chocolate and churros for dessert… because tourists buy it, not because locals do it.
If Spanish hot chocolate is too think for you, you can order a “batido de chocolate” – chocolate shake. In Catalonia the most famous brand is Cacaolat, and we often use the brand name to order it (BTW, you can order it warm, room temperature or cold). Some bars might also have cocoa powder, and we often use a brand name to order that, too: “Tienes Colacao?” (note that Cacaolat and Colacao are different things – Colacao is the powder thing).
In supermarkets you can find powder to make your own thick hot chocolate (chocolate a la taza), or if you are lucky they might even carry a ready-made tetrapack brand. Cacaolat and other brands of chocolate shakes are also available in supermarkets, as well as Colacao and its direct competitor Nesquick (which doesn’t make lumps).
Spanish soft drinks
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Lemon and orange soda
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Coke or Pepsi?
Coke is way more popular in Spain than Pepsi, but we call it by its full name: “Una Cocacola, por favor”. Instead we don’t assume they’ll have Pepsi, we rather double check: “Tienes Pepsi?”. Other brands are rare. Diet coke is “Cocacola Light” (but they are more likely to have Cola Zero these days). While bars and restaurants carry only one brand or the other (Coke or Pepsi), supermarkets usually have both.
Also, in bars and restaurants you’ll be served a bottle or a can: glasses full of ice and refills only exist in American fast-food chains and Ikea in Spain…They do serve them with one or two ice cubes in a glass, and sometimes even a slice of lemon, though.
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Tonic water
Tonic water (“una tónica”) is a type of transparent soda with a tart flavor. People usually order it with meals or tapas, but it’s not unusual to order it when you are out and don’t feel like drinking alcohol. The most common brand is Schweppes – and that’s why many people just order “una schweppes” instead of “una tónica”.
A sweeter alternative is “una gaseosa”, carbonated water. The most famous brand is La Casera. Both things are easy to find in supermarkets, as well.
20
Bitter Kas
Bitter Kas is an alcohol-free drink made of 21 natural extracts and created in Spain in 1966. Its bubbles and its pretty reddish pink color make it a nice non-alcoholic choice when your friends order a vermouth or an aperitif. It’s usually served chilled, on a glass with ice cubes, a slice of lemon or orange and maybe an olive.
Non alcoholic versions of adult drinks
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Non-alcoholic beer
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Non-alcoholic wine and cava
Seeing that beer was becoming a huge competitor, the wine industry in Spain had to catch up somehow… And going non-alcoholic is part of the plan. Alcohol-free wine and cava (the local sparkling) are starting to be a thing. It’s still difficult to find them in bars and restaurants, but you’ll find at least a couple of references in any large supermarket. Unfortunately, unlike beer, non-alcoholic wine doesn’t taste like the real thing yet…
The ones below are quite good, and they can be purchased online (click on the pictures to shop):
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Non-alcoholic cider
Cider is actually an alcoholic drink – but it has a very low degree of alcohol. It is very popular in the North of Spain where it’s carried in most bars and restaurants. In my area, Barcelona, you can only find it Basque tapas bars, though. However, you can find one brand of Spanish cider that makes non-alcoholic cider and it’s available in large supermarket chains such as Carrefour and Mercadona: Sidra El Gaitero Sin Alcohol.
24
Mocktails
In the past, San Franciscos were the only type of virgin cocktails that you could find in Spain. But nowadays the local bars are happy to cater patrons that prefer non-alcoholic beverages and you’ll often be able to find some more exciting concoctions. And sangria bars might even have a non-alcoholic choice available!
What are your favorite non alcoholic drinks from Spain?
Marta
Marta is the founder of ForeverBarcelona. She is a passionate tour guide that loves Barcelona and loves writing too. She is the main author of our Blog, and is committed to sharing her knowledge about Barcelona and her best tips with our readers.
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