Is there any somewhat typical not alcohol drink that can be ordered easily a bars? Cranberry and seltzer is my friend's "cocktail" of choice here.Something similar in Spanish?

hey everybody

karenwishart

yes i no what drink in spain is not alcoholic and can be orderd in any tapas bar. the drink is called the sidra asturiana(well to a less extent theres also sidra de galicia).actually the sidra is very popular in tapas bars and can be ordered in any of them.the zest in spain for this drink is at its greatest in the northwest of spain.i personally love this drink no less than wine
and even have it in my basement and in my house.oh and you could also drink with selzter and lemonade or any type of soda.actually thats how it is actually drunk in asturias.i think you will love that drink the sidra asturiana.

Non-alcoholic beer is very common throughout Spain so you won't have any problem (assuming you like the taste of beer, that is). I don't recall what they're called other than siimply "SIN ALCOL". Most of the bigger beer companies offer this non-alcoholic alternative. Good luck!

Saludos, MadridMan

Thanks guys. So, Mike, what is the "base" of sidra asturiana?

Sorry, but sidra (cider) has alcohol, not too much, but a little bit, like beer more or less.
A typical non-alcohol drink you can order in bars is mosto (it's grape juice). Usually you can find other juices like tomato, orange, pineapple,.. and even gazpacho in summer or caldo in winter.
A great drink you can order in summer is horchata, although it's not a drink to have with meals, very refreshing drink.

You can try Gaseosa. It's like seltzer but with a hint of Lemon/Lime. If you have a Genuardi's (or a Safeway) there in York, PA you can buy something similar: the 'key lime' flavor.

Once last year I was having dinner in el Puerto de Santa Maria and I saw the barman rolling out an empty 'Kaliber' barrel. Kaliber is a sin alcol beer. Curious, I asked if they sold enough of that to have it on draught. His reply: about 50/50. Just order a cerveza 'Sin!'

Sidra has no alcohol? Try to drink 3 or 4 bottles and then tell me

The sidra is made with apples, and it is a very typical asturian drink.

As for the non-alcohol drink, almost in every bar you may order this drinks: coke (coca-cola), fanta naranja (orange fanta?), fanta limón (lemon fanta?), batido de chocolate (chocolate milk-shake), zumo de piña (pineapple juice), etc

You may also order a San Francisco, which is made with various kinds of juices.

Horchata is GREAT (my God, I want one now...) but it is not usually sold in discos, only in bars, and not at night (as far as I know).

Fernando

Thanks again. It will be a great help to be able to ask in Spanish. Sidra...I remember now reading about the famous Asturian cider and Fernando, you are right, being from Pennsylvania, believe me, I know all about what 3 big glasses of good homemade cider can do! We're rather famous for it too. Right, Eddie?

Umm, that's true, cider (sidra) is not exclusive for Asturias, but typical for other places too. Thanks for the tip

Fernando

In the category of non-alcholic drinks, I'll cast my vote for Fanta or Schweppes limon (though I certainly imbibe my fair share of cerveza and sidra when I'm in Spain!). I haven't been able to find a US equivalent (despite the fact that I think Coca-Cola markets Fanta!)--everything here is too sweet, whereas "un limon" is very fizzy with a not-too-sweet, almost tart taste to it.

liz49,
I too enjoy Schweppes limon when in Spain.

Has anybody stateside found a good substitute?

What you want to order is a "mosto". It is non-alcoholic Spanish wine. I think every bar in Spain will have it.

Winston

Thank you, WB!!! And my friend who's asking is a Philadelphia native,too!

What is horchata?

its a very refreshing drink made from either chufa (tiger nut) or almendra (almond). try it im sure you'll love it!

Yep, I think the answer to the original question pretty much comes down to:

-a 'mosto' in the most traditional or regular bars. Mmmm!
-a San Francisco cocktail at the discotheques.
-a refreshing 'horchata' for the most unique Spanish choice.
-an even more refreshing good old 'granizado de limón' (there are many more flavors nowadays) in the 'cafeterías'. Mmmmm!
-a glass of 'sidra'(cider) if you decide you don't mind a little alcohol after all. You can find the homemade kind at certain Basque or 'asturianas' eateries. Mmmmm!
-a little 'gazpacho' if you're not only thirsty but also a little hungry (served with ice cubes). :p
-a 'café con hielo' if you need to wake up after partying the night before....
-a 'clara', which is a mix of beer(make it non-alcoholic) and 'gaseosa'. Mmmm!
-a 'tinto de verano' in the summer, or whenever really. (This is very Spanish). It's a mix of 'gaseosa' and some red wine, it could be just a little little twist in your case .

Please be aware that if you're really thirsty mosto may not help you much. It is normally served in a small glass, so you don't get a lot of it, and it's not real cold. You get a little more when you order a "refresco" like Fanta or Schweppes, and it's chilled. You get the most with horchata or granizado de limon.

Diana (who gets very thirsty in Madrid in summer!)

Fanta soda is made by Coca-Cola (It says so on the labels), and is readily available in some areas of the US. In fact I bought 12 packs of grape & orange Friday afternoon near our summer place here in Milton, Wisconsin. The store that I found having it readily available on the shelves was a Piggly Wiggly.

Since some people were having trouble finding it, they might want to find out where their nearest Pig is... and pig out ... so to speak ...

I find the orange to be real thirst quenching, whether I'm in Spain or the US. (Do I get a kick back from advertising now? )

Wolf (Who's searching high and low for Nehi on the shelves, because it's oh so good... )

I absolutely LOVE Fanta Limón, and have occasionally found similar sodas here in the US at good Italian delicatessens. Don't get fooled by the similar-sounding "Fresca," which is vile!

The thing I would most like in bars is a huge glass of water with a slice of lemon in it (my drink of choice at home!), but I feel strange ordering it plain, "sin gas," when everyone else is drinking something more interesting. I would order a Coke or a Fanta Limón instead. The sidra is nice, but does have alcohol. Many of my Spanish friends, when they weren't drinking (not often, but it's been known to happen!), would just order a Coke.


Tara

We got hooked on Fanta Limon and Fanta Naranja and had it almost every meal! (We're not into alcohol). We found Fanta different than US sodas, less sweet, more of a juice taste and more of a bite to it. We've bought Fanta brand soda here in the US but it seems to be a different formula compared to Fanta in Spain and not as good? (Or maybe everything just tastes better with the Spain atmosphere for background?) We'd like to find the real Fanta here in the US--maybe someplace in NYC?

Hello all...I too am a huge fan on Fanta Limon. Upon my return to the States in November after 4 months in Spain, I went online and wrote to the Coca-Cola Company to see if they distributed the product anywhere here. The replied back with a no. What an absolute bummer! I live in South Florida and thought with for sure I might have a better chance to find some import/export company that would have it in Miami, but not so. I will keep looking. For now the only Fanta products you will find in the US are the ones on the shelves of your local grocery store. Thank goodness I return to Spain at the end of the month. Can't wait to drink one down!

Pellegrino is the brand of lemon soda you can find in some Italian delis here in the US...and apparently Whole Foods markets carry an Italian Lemon soda as one of their store brands (the name of the brand is "365"). I haven't tried it, but will!!

FANTA LIMON! Without a doubt! LOVE the stuff! As to the other fanta poster, yes, you can get some types of fanta in the US but for some reason, not the lemon one! What else to do, but to 'encharme' when I 'm over there!

Personal opinion, its MUCH better than schwepps, I always make sure they have Fanta before they serve it, sometimes you ask for fanta and they bring you schwepps, some people think its the same, like pepsi or coke, ummmm I think NOT! :p

Crazy about Fanta!
Espe