Spain has been sweating through a succession of heatwaves this summer. So a long, cold drink isn’t just a ‘nice-to-have’. It’s a recipe for survival!
Yes, of course you could just snap open a Coke or a Sprite, like thirsty folk everywhere. But how about a Spanish drink with a bit of a kick, but also with plenty of hydration?
Here’s my selection of drinks that (mostly) do just that. There’s a lot more to choose from than just sangria! If you don’t fancy alcohol, I’ve included some booze-free options at the end. Tap here to jump straight there.
Sangria
Let’s face it, sangria and paella are the two things every foreigner knows about Spain! Sangria is a mixture of red wine and lemonade (to give it some bubbles) and something more alcoholic – rum, brandy, whatever – to give it a bit of a kick.
Problem is, you never know how much of a kick, unless you’ve made the sangria yourself. Like drinking punch, it can be risky business! Sangria can vary from lightly refreshing to very boozy indeed!
Making your own sangria
Mix the wine and anything stronger you fancy in a jarra – a glass jug. Add some chopped fruit – apple, orange, banana, and peach are all good. Add a stick of cinnamon for a bit of spice.
Tip 1: leave the mixture in the fridge for an hour or two before you need it, so the juice of the fruit gets a chance to flavour the sangria.
For bubbles, use gaseosa , a kind of fizzy soda that I’ve never seen outside Spain. In the UK, I use cloudy lemonade instead.
Tip 2: don’t put the gaseosa or lemonade in until the last moment, to keep the bubbles fresh.
Add mint leaves to serve. Try this recipe. A cocktail umbrella isn’t obligatory, despite what you might see in the tourist photos!
Tinto de verano
For my money, tinto de verano is a better summer option than sangria; more refreshing and (usually) less alcoholic. It’s a simple 50:50 mixture of red wine with gaseosa (soda) or fizzy lemonade.
Chuck in plenty of ice and it’s a great long drink for a hot day. Or buy it ready-made from a bar or supermarket. We chuck some fruit in there too.
Calimocho (or kalimotxo)
Red wine as a base once again, but this time, mixed half and half with (of all things) Coca Cola! Add plenty of ice. Calimocho started life as a drink for younger people in the Basque Country (hence the kalimotxo alternative spelling). A summer party drink!
Agua de Valencia
It might be called Agua (water) de Valencia, but there’s nothing watery about this cocktail. Think Bucks Fizz with a bit of oomph.
The main ingredient is freshly squeezed orange juice – they grow an awful lot of oranges around Valencia – closely followed by cava. None of your prosecco here! Then there’s a dash of gin and vodka plus plenty of crushed ice and you’re off to the races.
Una caña
There are fewer thirst quenchers more effective on a hot day than an honest-to-goodness caña. That’s Spanish draught lager straight from the tap. It really hits the spot!
Don’t expect a choice of beers with a caña – it’s usually whatever brand the bar has on tap. And if you’re keeping a close eye on your alcohol intake, you can always try….
Cerveza sin alcohol
No or low alcohol beers used to be pretty much undrinkable. No longer! Spanish breweries have really cracked it. Great taste without the booze.
All the big brewers in Spain have a 0° option these days, usually bottled. Ask for una cerveza sin (literally ‘a beer without’).
My favourite here on the Costa Blanca is made in Altea up the road from us by local artesan brewer Cervezas Althaia – a great IPA.
Clara
The Spanish equivalent of the British shandy – a half and half mixture of beer and gaseosa, the Spanish soda we came across earlier. Called clara (clear or light in English) because the gaseosa lightens the colour of the beer. Clara con limón has (you guessed it) lemon to give it a sharper taste.
You can buy clara ready mixed in cans in supermarkets, but the version you get in a bar on a hot day tastes better!
Vermut
Vermut is big in Spain. In the UK, vermouth has – how shall I put it – a reputation of being a bit old-fashioned? Here in Spain, it’s cool. There are even bars (vermuterías) which specialise in it. Some will sell vermut del grifo (from the barrel).
Made from a red wine base, the key to a great vermut is the herbs – the botanicals – that are added to give it a distinct flavour. Each brand has its own secret formula.
My personal favourite is Vermut Ferrer, made with herbs from the Sierra Mariola mountains near Alcoy, inland from Alicante. Other well-known brands include Lustau and Yzaguirre.
Vermut is served with plenty of ice and a slice of orange. Some people like to make the drink last a little longer in summer with a splash of tonic or lemonade. Whatever your taste, do drop in a big fat olive or two (gordal for preference) on the top and you’re all set!
If you’re feeling more creative, you could mix yourself a negroni – blend your vermut with equal parts gin and Campari and serve with ice and a slice of orange peel.
Gintonic
A different animal to the rather pathetic G&T you’ll get back in the UK (the British version features a dribble of gin and a miserly bottle of tonic to go with it).
Here in Spain, you get a proper slug of gin. Think double or triple measure, poured by hand – none of your British pub optics here.
A Spanish gintonic will contain big blocks of super-cold ice – which take a long time to melt – and plenty of tonic. That way you get a drink that will last you a good while, even on a very warm summer’s evening. A great drink to order at a chiringuito (beach bar).
Here’s another thing. In the UK, a gin and tonic is usually a drink before a meal. In Spain, you’ll often find it on offer as a drink after lunch. And of course, as a long drink as the sun goes down!
Rebujito
A drink from down south in Andalucía, the home of sherry (Jerez). Take a fino or manzanilla sherry, and mix with a soft drink, typically lemonade or gaseosa soda. Add plenty of ice, plus a slice of lemon and maybe some mint leaves too.
It couldn’t be more different than the British way of drinking sherry, as a tipple, an aperitif, before lunch or dinner. But this way sounds more fun! It’s a fiesta drink!
Sidra/Cider
A speciality of the north of Spain where the weather is cooler and apple trees get a chance to grow.
Siderarías (cider bars) In Asturias have a very fancy way of pouring it into the glass, from way above head height. The aim is get some bubbles into the cider – and as little as possible on the floor! You then drink it down straight away before the sidra gets a chance to go flat. Then have some more!
Check out this video to see how it’s done.
If you fancy something tamer, you can get decent cider in most supermarkets (with bubbles already in the cider, so no need for the fancy pouring). To my mind, more refreshing than the English variety. Try Ladrón de Manzanas – literally, Apple Thief – in bottles.
Avoiding the alcohol?
Don’t fancy alcohol? Just something cold that really hits the spot? Or maybe you need to get behind the wheel later on? Try these typically Spanish soft drinks:
Granizado
A Spanish equivalent of a slush puppy, it’s my go-to refresher on a really hot day. It comes in all flavours, from coffee to lemon (my personal favourite), sometimes with some alarmingly bright colours!
Horchata
A very Spanish drink this, made from tiger nuts (chufas), a speciality of Valencia region on the east coast. Apparently brought over from North Africa by the Moors, horchata can also be made from almonds, but chufas are the main ingredient here.
Tiger nuts are not actually nuts at all – chufas are a kind of tuber. Horchata is sweetened with plenty of sugar, flavoured with cinnamon and served cold. Zero alcohol, of course. And it’s dairy-free.
You’ll find plenty of specialist places (horchaterías) along the Costa Blanca.
Agua de cebada
Agua de cebada (literally barley water, but it’s nothing like the English version) is a speciality of our town, La Vila Joiosa, in Alicante province. It’s a infusion of barley grains, sweetened and served super-cold with crushed ice and a straw.
Full disclosure – I’m not a fan! But don’t let that put you off; you can sample it in horchaterías around town. Heladerìa Alboraya is our favourite.
Eating and drinking in Spain
Feeling refreshed? Check out these posts to find more of the best Spanish food and drink:
- Exploring the wines of Alicante
- How to order the best fish in Spain
- More than just paella – my guide to Spanish rice dishes
- How to order the best Spanish seafood
- Spain’s craft beer revolution
© Guy Pelham