Spanish Cuisine
Spanish drinking culture: how to order, what to try and local customs
How Spaniards drink: ordering beer and coffee in a bar, regional drinks to try, festival favourites and the rules every newcomer should know.
Updated: October 2026
In Spain, the local bar is part of daily life: people stop in for a morning coffee, a mid-morning snack, a beer with friends after work or a glass of wine with tapas. This guide explains how drinking works socially, how to order like a local, which regional drinks to try and the rules you should know as a newcomer.
Drinking the Spanish way
Alcohol in Spain is almost always linked to food and company. A drink usually comes with something to eat, people drink slowly over long conversations, and being visibly drunk in public is frowned upon. Many Spaniards drink little or nothing during the week, and non-alcoholic beer (cerveza sin) is on offer in almost every bar.
- Aperitivo: a vermouth or beer with olives or crisps before lunch, especially at weekends.
- Tapeo: moving between bars with friends, having one drink and one small plate in each.
- Sobremesa: staying at the table after a meal, often with coffee or a chupito (a small shot, sometimes offered free by the house).
- Free tapas: in cities such as Granada, Jaén and Almería, a small tapa often comes free with each drink.
How to order in a Spanish bar
Beer
- Una caña: a small draught beer, the standard order.
- Un doble or una jarra: a larger draught beer.
- Un tercio: a 33 cl bottle.
- Una clara: beer mixed with lemon soda or lemonade.
Wine and other drinks
Ask for un tinto (red), un blanco (white) or name a region, such as un Rioja or un Ribera. In summer, locals drink tinto de verano (red wine with lemon soda) far more often than sangria, which is mostly for visitors and parties. Vermut on tap, served with ice, orange and an olive, has made a big comeback.
Coffee, the Málaga way
Bars are coffee shops too. In most of Spain you order a café solo (espresso), cortado (with a dash of milk) or café con leche. Málaga has its own system, with names that describe how much milk goes in: solo, largo, semilargo, mitad, entrecorto, corto, sombra and nube, from all coffee to almost all milk. Ask for a mitad if you want half and half.
Regional drinks to try
| Region | Drink | How it is served |
|---|---|---|
| Andalusia (Jerez, Sanlúcar) | Fino and manzanilla sherry | Chilled, with ham, olives or fried fish |
| Málaga | Sweet Málaga wine and moscatel | With dessert or straight from the barrel in old bodegas |
| Asturias | Natural cider (sidra) | Poured from above the head into a wide glass to aerate it |
| Basque Country | Txakoli | A light, slightly sparkling white, poured from a height |
| Catalonia | Cava | At celebrations and with seafood |
| Galicia | Albariño and orujo | White wine with seafood; orujo as a strong after-dinner spirit |
The Spanish gin and tonic deserves a mention too: served in a large balloon glass with plenty of ice and botanicals, it is a typical after-dinner drink, known simply as a gin-tonic.
Drinks at fiestas and ferias
- Feria de Abril in Seville: the classic is rebujito, manzanilla sherry mixed with lemon-lime soda, shared by the jug.
- Feria de Málaga in August: sweet white wine is poured freely in the city-centre streets during the day.
- Noche de San Juan (23 June): beach parties with bonfires; check local rules, as many beaches restrict glass and set closing times.
- Christmas and New Year: cava for toasts, and the twelve grapes at midnight on 31 December.
Rules and etiquette to know
- Legal age: you must be 18 to buy or be served alcohol anywhere in Spain.
- Drink-driving: the general limit is 0.5 g/l in blood (0.25 mg/l in breath), and lower for new and professional drivers. Police checkpoints are common, especially around fiestas. The safest choice is not to drink at all if you drive.
- Drinking in the street: many town halls ban drinking alcohol in public spaces outside terraces and authorised events (botellón), and fines can be steep.
- Paying: you usually pay at the end. Ask for la cuenta. Rounds are common among friends, and tipping is modest: leaving small change is normal.
Useful links
- Wine regions of Spain
- The Spanish kitchen: what to eat and cook
- How to build a social life in Spain
- Unexpected cultural differences in Spain
FAQ: drinking in Spain
What is the drinking age in Spain?
18 across the whole country, both for buying alcohol and being served in bars.
Is sangria what Spaniards actually drink?
Mostly at parties or with visitors. Day to day, tinto de verano, a caña or a glass of wine is far more common.
Do I need to tip in Spanish bars?
It is not expected. Leaving some coins or rounding up is a friendly gesture, and a bit more is common for good table service in restaurants.
Can I drink on the beach?
It depends on the municipality. Many coastal towns ban glass or alcohol on beaches, especially during summer and fiestas, so check local bylaws.
Disclaimer: This article is general information only. Local bylaws, limits and fines can change – always check the current rules with your town hall or the DGT. Please drink responsibly and never drink and drive.
