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?