Your bags are packed, your tickets are booked, and yous're counting downward the days until you arrive in Kingdom of spain. Now, all that'south left to do is brush upwardly on those of import Spanish phrases—and no, we're non talking about "¿Dónde está el baño?"

Serious matters only—yous want to be certain you know how to social club drinks in Spanish!

Red wine being poured from a bottle into small chato glasses

Eating and drinking is at the heart of the Castilian cultural experience (some might even phone call it a national pastime). Get familiar with ordering drinks in Spanish also equally typical drinks in Espana by following these tips and tricks. Presently you'll exist navigating the Madrid bar scene like a pro!

Ordering Drinks in Castilian: The Basics

If the the idea of having to order a beverage in Spanish has you sweating bullets, take a deep jiff and relax. In one case you learn a few cardinal terms and phrases, it'southward much easier than you might retrieve.

To outset, the bartender makes eye contact with you or your server approaches your tabular array. Here's how the substitution will most likely begin:

  • ¿Qué quieres beber? – What do you want to drinkable?
  • ¿Qué quieres tomar? – What do you lot want to have?
  • ¿Qué te pongo? – What tin can I get for yous?

In Espana, at that place'southward no need for formalities. While it may be bones instinct to order with a polite I'll have a…, you lot can direct use a Spanish command instead. Ask and you shall receive.

  • Dame… — Give me…
  • Quiero… — I desire…
  • Ponme… — Get me…

For example: Ponme una caña — Get me a pocket-size typhoon beer (more on ordering beer in a scrap!).

If you're unable to remember any of these phrases for ordering drinks in Spanish, simply asking for the drink by name will suffice. Post-obit up with por favor is ever appreciated.

For case: Una caña, por favor — A small draft beer, delight.

Bartender pouring vermouth from a bottle into three glasses with ice.
Ordering drinks in Spanish is more no-nonsense than you may wait.

How to Club a Beer in Spanish

The majority of Spanish bars have simply i or two beers on tap. The exact brand varies by location, and in Madrid, Mahou is male monarch.

The variation (and challenge) comes in ordering your desired size or mixer. As tempting as it may be to embrace simplicity and ask for a cerveza, information technology'southward a bit more involved than that.

Here'due south a primer from Madrid good Amy on how to guild beer in Espana.

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  • Caña: A small-scale draft beer. Generally 150–200 ml (5–7 oz), but this can vary past city, or even by bar!
  • Doble: Technically double the size of a caña, but varies depending on the establishment.
  • Jarra: A mugof beer. At to the lowest degree equal to a pint. This is generally the largest typhoon beer sold.
  • Botellín: Bottled beer
  • Clara con limón: An extremely popular and refreshing mix of beer and lemonade. Spain's answer to a shandy or radler.
  • Cerveza sin: Alcohol-free beer. Typically only available in a bottle, this is the just fourth dimension you'll lodge using the word cerveza!

Most Spaniards volition opt for a caña when ordering beer. Its minor size allows for it to stay perfectly chilled in the amount of time it'll likely take you to finish i tapa.

A group of women toasting with small glasses of beer
A circular of cañas is a great way to offset whatever repast or night out.

How to Order Vino in Castilian

What would a guide to ordering drinks in Spanish be without wine?

Spanish wine has become globe famous in contempo years, and for good reason. From sparkling cavas to concentrated Riojas and the full spectrum of sherry, the globe of Spanish wine is every bit endless equally information technology is fascinating. Virtually Madrid eateries boast a decent selection of wine, and there are plenty of excellent wine bars worth exploring if you're a bona-fide enophile.

In Espana, the vast majority of wine is ordered by the region—not by the grape. There are a handful of exceptions, the most notable being albariño (a white wine from Galicia). You'll also need to specify how much wine yous want.

  • Una copa: A glass of vino
  • Una botella: A bottle of wine

For example: Quiero una copa de Rioja — I want a glass of Rioja.

Close up of a glass of red wine with the bottle behind it
Yous'll nearly always specify the region, such as Rioja, when ordering wine in Espana.

Here are a few more words and phrases that may come up in handy when ordering wine in Spain. Be certain to bank check out our full guide to Spanish wine terms for even more!

  • Vino tinto: Red vino (if you order this, they'll nearly likely give you the house scarlet)
  • Vino blanco: White vino(if you order this, they'll nearly probable give you the firm white)
  • Cava : Sparkling vino, the majority of which is fabricated in Catalonia
  • Joven:  Young wine that has no aging
  • Crianza: The 2nd-youngest wine, with at least two years of aging for reds and eighteen months for whites, with at least six months spent in oak in both cases

Insider's Tip: Spaniards rarely potable sangria. If you really want to look like a local when ordering drinks in Spanish, ask for a tinto (de verano) con limón . One of the most typical drinks in Spain, tinto de verano is scarlet vino mixed with lemon soda—a refreshing (and much more authentic) alternative to sangria.

Person's hand holding a glass of a red wine cocktail garnished with a lemon slice.
Most Spaniards will drink tinto de verano rather than sangria.

Spanish Fortified Wines

Looking for something beyond your typical reds and whites? Spanish fortified wines are excellent options, particularly for an aperitif.

One drink that has gained lots of popularity in recent years is refreshingly bittersweet Castilian vermouth. It comes in ane of two styles:

  • Vermut de grifo : Vermouth on tap
  • Vermut de botella : Vermouth from a bottle
Close up of a bartender pouring vermouth on tap into a small glass
The perfect aperitif!

So there's sherry. Hailing from the sunny southwestern corner of Spain, sherry (wine de Jerez in Spanish) comes in a whole spectrum of colors and flavors. These drinks are typically ordered by their manner.

  • Manzanilla : One of the driest sherries. Pale yellow in colour, it is produced exclusively in the seaside town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda.
  • Fino : Some other dry out sherry that is the same as manzanilla, only produced elsewhere in the region
  • Amontillado : A dry but intense topaz-colored sherry
  • Oloroso : Amber colored and nutty in flavor
  • Palo cortado : A sort of cross between amontillado and oloroso
  • Foam: A sweet, darkly colored sherry
  • Pedro Ximénez: The sweetest and darkest in color of all sherries

For example: Un amontillado, por favor — Amontillado sherry, please.

Woman's hand holding a glass of pale yellow sherry wine.
Pale and dry out manzanilla sherry.

How to Order Cocktails & Mixed Drinks in Spanish

Nosotros love beer and wine, but sometimes you need something stronger. Whether you're winding downward from a long day or in the center of a night out, a copa (mixed drink) is simply the ticket.

While the majority of Madrid's alcoholic beverages are undersized, copas are not. Consider yourself warned: ask for a copa, and you'll be getting a mixed drink in a goblet the size of your head.

I matter that'due south unique about ordering mixed drinks in Spain is that you'll need to specify what brand of alcohol you desire. For example, instead of ordering a rum and coke you lot'd guild a "Barceló con Coca Cola."

The superstar of the Madrid cocktail scene has long been the archetype gin and tonic ( gin tonic, for when you're ordering drinks in Castilian). However, bars boasting specialty cocktails can exist found throughout the city. One of our favorites is 1862 Dry Bar, which is located in the happening Malasaña neighborhood.

And of class, if you need some h2o to balance out all that alcohol, don't exist afraid to ask for united nations vaso de agua.

Gin and tonic garnished with citrus in a long-stem glass
Kingdom of spain has elevated the simple gin and tonic to new heights. Photo credit: Louis Hansel

Ordering Not-Alcoholic Drinks in Spanish

Terminal but non least in our guide to ordering drinks in Spanish, let'southward talk some non-alcoholic options.

Coffee drinks in Spain are categorized based on how much milk they accept. The nigh popular option is a café con leche, which is half coffee and half milk. If that doesn't audio like your loving cup of joe, check out our total guide to ordering coffee in Spain for more options!

About teas and infusions have straight translations, and most of the fourth dimension they're quite literal.

  • Té negro : Blackness tea
  • Té verde : Green tea
  • Earl Gray : Earl Grey tea
  • Manzanilla : Chamomile

To order fruit juice, you can simply ask for zumo de… followed past the name of the fruit in Spanish. A common instance is zumo de naranja (orange juice).

Concluding but not least, soft drinks are almost always ordered past their brand name. Ask for una Coca Cola, un 7Up, or any other soda you lot prefer. This is also true for iced tea, which Spaniards will usually order past asking for united nations Nestea.

How to Lodge Drinks in Spanish FAQs

How do you ask for a drinkable in Castilian?

Spaniards tend to exist very straight, and ordering drinks is no different. Use words similar dame (give me), ponme (get me), or quiero (I want) before specifying your drink of choice.

How do I get another drink in Spanish?

If you're seated or standing at the bar, you can simply catch the bartender's eye and ask for otro (literally "some other"). If you're at a table, particularly seated with several people who all have unlike drinks, it helps to be more specific: Otro tinto de verano, por favor.

How practise you say drink in Castilian?

The Spanish noun for beverage is una bebida, and the verb form (to drinkable) is beber. The verb tomar (literally "to have") is too usually used in the context of drinking. A bartender or server will usually inquire "¿Qué quieres tomar?" or "¿Qué quieres beber?" to ask what you want to drink.

Update Find: This post was originally published on November 2, 2016 and was republished with new text and photos on June 11, 2021.