Beverages in Spain

Juice, generically, is jugo in Castilian and zumo in Catalan. But it usually means orange juice. All the other usual fruit suspects are available plus a few that you probably don't see often, you just need to ask what they've got, especially if it's freshly made -- hecho en casa, or simply casero (homestyle). A good bar or cafe will cut and squeeze oranges right there behind the counter.
Smoothies are sometimes called licuadas, and they too can be fresher than what you typically find here in the US.
In the US we say aguas frescas for fresh juices, like melon and strawberry (fresa) but also horchata --
Spanish horchata is made from slightly different ingredients, but still tasty. The best soft drink is jamaica, which is also known as red sorrel if you're actually in the Caribbean. It is what the anglo companies had in mind when they developed red zinger tea, just much better, and cold. I bet that your local carniceria, just like mine, sells whole dried hibiscus blossoms that you can use to make iced tea. Yum.
There is no good reason to buy 'typical American soft drinks' anywhere at any time, imho.
The same Italian sodas that you may have in your shops and cafes are available in southern Europe, often called sirrups.
Hot tea they are usually not as far along as us here in norcal -- you'll find black, green, and 'manzanilla'/chamomile, maybe Earl Grey if they have enough UK custom.
They are not immune to popular health trends and new-age marketing, so there are plenty of healing and energy drinks on the hypermercado shelves. If there's a big outlet of El Corte Ingles with a grocery department, it can be fun to wander the aisles and marvel at the weird package shapes and weights. Prices will be bad in comparison to smaller stores, but still a lot cheaper than what you're used to here.

I don't drink alcohol nor sodas and had zero problems in Spain finding things to drink. Water is my favorite ( la agua sin gas) and I drank a lot of fresh orange juice as well a ton of cafe con leche. Had a few hot teas here and there and some hot cocoa too. You will need that to dip your churros.

Although not all bars prepare freshly-squeezed OJ, it's usually pretty easy to spot the ones that do, because the oranges are typically piled up on top of the squeezing contraption. There are some places specializing in health-food beverages where you can get various combinations of juices. I think I ran into one near the waterfront in Barcelona and got something like mango-pineapple.

As alluded to by an earlier poster, it's important to specify "sin gas" if you want regular bottled water rather than fizzy bottled water. Even so, the server may occasionally make a mistake. Just send it back if you're sure that's not what you ordered. If you're out and about in the heat and need some cold water, you can often find bottles sold inexpensively at a little grocery store.

Cider is very popular on and near the northern coast of Spain. Be aware that it is often if not always alcoholic.

Some other options are Mosto, which reminds me a lot of Welch's grape juice. It is usually what the kids have when we go for tapas. Bitter Kas and Tonic are also popular when people don't want to drink alcohol.

As for you husband, he is in luck. Microbreweries are taking off here. There are a lot of regional craftbeers. I highly recommend Basqueland Brewing Project beers. It is a microbrewery just outside of Donostia - San Sebastian, founded by three Americans. Their beers are available in Cantabria, Asturias, Basque Country and Barcelona.

When we were in Spain our default request was "cervesa y tinto vino". The default beer and red wine was always good. Otherwise "coke lite".

michael, the OP asked about non-alcoholic drinks and preferred no soft drinks. Yet you recommend ordering beer, wine and diet coke. ???

Ms Jo, I seem to be confused because I thought I remembered a comment that talked about craft beers. I was more responding to that comment, which I don't see here now.

The following applies in Catalan-speaking territories -ie Barcelona...

JUICES and/or SMOOTHIES
Just to correct @avirosemail... in Catalan (as well as in Valencian and in Majorcan), juice is "suc" (pronounced 'sook'). Yet asking for a 'suc' will irremediably bring another question from the waiter: "a suc of what?": apple (poma), orange (taronja), pear (pera), grape (raïm), berries (fruites del bosc).... Also, in most eateries that offer fresh fruit juice (not industrially bottled), orange is probably the only option available. We have plenty of oranges! For that you'd ask for a "suc expremut de taronja" (roughly: 'sook-axe-prah-moot-duh-ta-ron-jah') and that unmistakeably points to a fresh squeezed juice, not a bottled one. Yet you'll find also a lot of eateries -and places serving food to-go- offering bottled fresh juice (solo and combinations) that are really fresh. One such examples, which I love, is Teresa's Juicery, right in the centre of the city, in Carrer dels Tallers 74, (and a few more, such in Carrer Argenteria 31 or in Carrer de Jovellanos 2) which has a monster cold-press juicer working non-stop. You can find all sorts of healthy mixes. Another popular place to get ready-made juices and smoothies is in several farmers markets (we have traditionally called them fresh food markets instead), like La Boqueria market in Les Rambles, specifically in the stalls of fresh fruit... not bad, but not my preferred choice, one can do much better.

ORXATA in Catalan, pronounced 'oor-xat-ah', this is an easy one! (or HORCHATA in Spanish)
Orxata is a product originally from the Valencia region and it's made from tiger nuts, a root vegetable that once pressed and filtered produces a sort of light milky substance that it's then mixed with sugar becomes delicious refreshing orxata. There are several brands offering packed orxata (in tetra brick) and can be bought in all supermarkets. However, there are also a few shops that produce their own homemade orxata and it's vastly superior both in quality and in taste. A couple of places that come to mind, and is worth visiting, are Tio Ché in Rambla del Poblenou 44, and Sirvent in Ronda de Sant Pau 67. Orxata immediately satiates and drinking too much it feels heavy on the stomach. Also, it has a very specific nutty taste, it's one of those things, like Marmite, that either you love or you hate... no middle ground I guess.

TEAS AND HERBAL TEAS
While they've become more popular in recent years, it's not as popular as coffee. Many bars offer a wide range of tea and herbal tea sachets but, in most others, the range is limited to Lipton's and not much more. For tea is better to head to a "teteria" (tea bar) or to a "granja". The later you'll immediately identify because it's full of mums and especially grandma's with kids having hot chocolate (in winter) and pastries or cakes. One of such worth visiting is Caelum (Latin for 'heaven) and for more info. Incidentally I believe they serve tea but no longer they have hot chocolate in their menu.

XOCOLATA (pronounced 'shoe-ko-lah-tah')
Another typical drink, but only when it's cold: hot chocolate, but only in cold months.... no one in his right mind would drink a hot chocolate (our hot chocolate!) in summer. Why's that?... note that our hot chocolate is quite different from that "runny milky mix" you call chocolate, hahaha! Our hot chocolate is thick, silky and very rich. In fact, we like to dunk things in hot chocolate, like xurros and melindros (sort of delicious soft ladyfingers very typical in Catalonia), and it's popularly said that a xurro should stand on its own when dunked in a good hot chocolate. After drinking/spoon-eating a full cup of hot chocolate, you feel such a power surge that you could go out in the cold in your jammies! Granja Viader, La Dulcinea or La Pallaresa, all of them traditional "granges" (as mentioned earlier) from the earlier 20th century located in the centre of the city, in the Old City, are great places to taste a hot chocolate with xurros, or better (and healthier too) with melindros

Finally, note that in different parts of Spain, where different languages are spoken, even if speaking in Spanish, different words are used for the same thing (ie. "licuadas" is certainly not used here in Catalonia if you want to ask for a smoothie using the Spanish language. Incidentally, if you want to ask for one in Catalan, the local language, you just say "un smoothie", LOL!)

Enjoy!

A few sidenotes:

• A "bar" is an establishment offering drinks, coffee and basic food servings. Alcohol can be also served -but only to adults! Entrance is not restricted and in fact, one can find all sorts of people, from mummies with kids, to families, OAPs, etc. Sayin' this because I know in certain parts of the US, a "bar" is something different... more sort of "adult-geared" only :))
• Health and Safety Regulations and Traceability rules here in Europe are very strict so even "homemade" beverages (which are obviously not homemade, but rather made-on-site, ha!) are totally safe to drink.
• For fizzy water please say 'aigua amb gas' ('ah-ee-goo-ah-am-gas'), for still water just say 'aigua' (or 'aigua sense gas'!)

Thank you all for the excellent recommendations and suggestions; most helpful. I very much look forward to trying some new beverages while in Spain, and enjoying all that the cities have to offer; I can't wait for our trip!

I was hoping Enric would respond to this topic and you did not disappoint, sir!
Thanks for those recommendations - I have been to only two (Granja Viader and La Boqueria) and will take your advice in future visits.

But please explain 'zumo' to us -- when I tried ordering a naranjada or a jugo, I would be corrected by saying 'you mean a zumo?' I've heard the word toronja but didn't hear it on those occasions...

Regarding hot chocolate, I think Americans might want to think of it as not a drink but as pudding that hasn't set up yet, or as cake batter that hasn't baked. If you liked to lick the spoon or the beaters when you were little and mom was baking, then you'll like Iberian hot chocolate. Regarding horchata, there is no contest -- our California version is the clear winner. We also have tamarindo, so we win again :-)

Hi avirosemail

I'm blushing :))

As per the word "zumo"... keep in mind that the local language in Catalonia is Catalan, not Spanish (albeit the later is co-official). This is not to say that you won't find plenty of Spaniards living here in Catalonia, and they speak both languages. And equally you'll find many businesses offering their products in both Catalan and Spanish. Yet there's a tendency by some to address to tourists in Spanish because if they (you) are to have some knowledge on any of the languages is likely to be Spanish rather than Catalan... that's why you possibly were told so, because you both were speaking Spanish. Yet however, the word in Catalan -which is the local language- is "suc" and since personally I always try to adapt to local customs wherever I go -which I feel are more courteous- that's why I introduced the subject with the Catalan terms. After all if you don't speak any of the languages you have no preferences in using one or the other... but many locals will appreciate if you address them in the local language. Same goes with orange, in Catalan is "taronja" and in Spanish is "naranja". Btw, this is not to say everybody in Barcelona is Catalan of course... we have a lot of people from elsewhere... Spain, South America, North Africa, Europe, US.... but this is for another discussion, LOL!

"naranjada" is a Spanish word that if used in say Madrid or Andalucía means an orange freshly squeezed juice... but if used in other areas, like in Catalonia, means an orange soda pop (Fanta-style). If you were to ask for an orange freshly squeezed juice in Catalonia using Spanish you'd have to ask for a "zumo de naranja", or even more precisely "un zumo de naranja recién exprimido" so as not to have any confusion (freshly squeezed vs bottled)

"jugo" is another Spanish word that refers to the juice of, for example, the roast... but not to the juice out of squeezing a fruit. Note that in the Spanish spoken in some parts of South America they do use the word "jugo" for "juice" out of squeezing a fruit. Funny enough, in Catalan we also use "suc" to refer to the juice of the roast (or other food)... in this case, you know the meaning according to the context.

Chocolate... is fair to warn would-be tasters... there's nothing worst than expecting one thing and finding it's a completely different one. So at least now, all those that read this might like or not our chocolate, but they know what to expect.

Orxata... we're not gonna cause a diplomatic incident here, right avirosemail?, hahahaha!

Tamarindo... there you're right, you win on this one... we don't have tamarindo here. Well, you'd find it in some supermarkets (especially Asian supermarkets) but it's not popular, in fact, I doubt most locals have ever tried tamarindo.

Reading the link that Enric shared to the menu at Teresa's flexiteria reminds me that there is something that beats California --
the skinny marcona almonds.

We don't have freshly roasted marcona almonds in paper cones being sold from carts on the street anywhere that I can recall here in CA, and they are a delicious treat to come across in Iberia -- don't pass by those carts without getting a little package!

If you want to get a little bit ambitious, try using those marconas to make a pesto sauce to go on top of filled pasta, like ravioli. Double yum.

Enric, thank you for the education! I travel to Spain in early May. Might I find hot chocolate at that time...or am I too late?

Along with my poor language skills, I expect to add hand gestures to help me along mu merry way!

Hi Becky... actually I believe you could actually get hot chocolate all year round -albeit no local I know would ask for one when it's hot... and it already "begins" to be hot (today is 72F... and it's only March).

There are a lot of bottled fruit juices easily obtained in bars e.g. pear nectar for example. I always order water fizzy because I actually once observed a restaurant filling 'bottled water' bottles from the town pump. They were no carafes; I had eaten at that restaurant the night before and paid for bottled water. I thought the bottles looked warn and told my husband they were refilled but he insisted he saw them open the cap. Well he did; they screwed the caps back on right there at the town pump. After that I just ordered water with gas.

here's a cut-and-paste from the Valencia events page that confirms Enric's lesson above. Cat first, Cast second:

T'apeteix un bon suc de taronja? T'esperem a l'esplanada de la Plaça de Bous de #València fins a les 14:00. I demà, Gran Orxatada Fallera. Apunta-ho en l'agenda!

¿Te apetece un buen zumo de naranja? Te esperamos en la explanada de la Plaza de Toros de València hasta las 14:00. Y mañana, Gran Horchatada Fallera. ¡Apúntalo en la agenda!

There is nothing wrong with drinking the water that comes from the fountains of Spain. It is better than the tap water in much of the US.
Also, just because you saw ONE place do this, why do you feel every other place is Spain is doing it?
As long as they aren't charging for it. Free water is everywhere.

... it's illegal to serve tap water in a restaurant (at least here in Catalonia). While tap water -and this applies to public fountains- it's safe to drink (except for the fountains with a clear "No potable" sign) and as Jo mentions, the water here is quite good, for Health and Safety regulations bars and restaurants must serve only bottled water. And they do, (1) fines are high and (2) from a business perspective is quite profitable (1 or 2 euros of a small bottle of water that costs cents at the supermarket!). Anyhow, this is not to say you can't find the odd small place where they serve water from the tap... but, as mentioned, if caught/reported they'll be fined.

I just noticed there's a new book out on this topic -- here's a promo about it:

http://www.7canibales.com/bibliocanibal/beber-cuando-no-bebes/

What to drink when you don't drink!

Although not all bars prepare freshly-squeezed OJ, it's usually pretty easy to spot the ones that do, because the oranges are typically piled up on top of the squeezing contraption.

Since I had never seen such a "squeezing contraption" in the US, I found them fascinating. Whole oranges, skin and all, are squeezed. One manufacturer is named Zummo.

http://www.zummoinc.com/products/food-service/z14c/z14c

Whilst I have no doubt that Enric (quite rightly) is very proud of his Catalonian heritage, the Catalan language is rarely taught in favour of Spanish (Castillian) and therefore suggestions for what to ask for in the local language when in Barcelona would be better responded with Spanish as that is what most people are familiar with. A waiter in Barcelona will understand what zumo de naranja is and those of us with a limited grasp of Spanish would be better advised to stick with that rather than hastily trying to learn what the Catalan variation is.

A similar comparison would be to recommend that visitors communicate in Welsh when visiting Wales or Cornish when in Cornwall when English is completely understood and routinely used.

Just to clarify your comment JC... I am afraid you're totally mistaken... in fact, it's the opposite, the language of instruction in all public schools in Catalonia is Catalan, not Spanish. Spanish is just taught as a subject and also used sometimes by some teachers in other subjects but it's not the main language in the school system. Yet everybody ends up proficient in both languages.

This is not to say that Catalan is the mother tongue of everybody of course, as explained above, two communities coexist in Catalonia: those whose mother tongue is Catalan and those whose is Spanish, and both languages are spoken/understood by everybody that has been schooled here. Yet, we have migrants, from Spain and elsewhere, that came as adults and some have decided to learn Catalan and others haven't.

PS: ... and this goes beyond any sense of heritage, it's simply how things are over here :))

Sorry Enric, just to clarify, I was referring to being taught as a foreign language outside of Spain. In England I was taught Castillian in my Spanish classes and as such when visiting Barcelona I spoke Castillian (or my extremely clumsy attempt of it). Everyone understood what I was trying to say and that's the point I was making.

Ah ok... if that's the case, "being taught as a foreign language outside of Spain" then you're probably correct... I seem to have misread you then.

Yet, be known that Catalan language and literature studies are available at over 150 universities around the World, including many at the UK such as Bangor, Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, Durham, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, Lancaster, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, King's College in London, also at LSE and Queen Mary, Manchester, Newcastle, Oxford and Sheffield.

In any case, this is an interesting subject which brings much debate. In the end, I think it all boils down to the sensitivity of a visitor towards the place he's visiting.... Catalan is the local language in Catalonia -has been since centuries ago-, not Spanish, albeit the later, of course, is co-official right now. So one can choose (or not) to attempt a few words in the local language when visiting and surely will warm any local. It's a thousand times better to suck at an attempt at "a" local language -be Catalan, Welsh or Swahili- even if a few words, that not to try at all. Obviously, no one expects someone to learn a completely new language when visiting for a few days on holidays, there are already a few lingua franca out there useful enough to communicate between cultures. But a 'hello' and other short sentences in the local language -whatever it is-, not only is a sign of respect towards your hosts but also will take you a long way to establishing warmer relationships... that's my experience abroad anyway.

PS: Btw, should you feel inclined, it seems you can learn Catalan in Portsmouth too, LOL! :))

"....PS: Btw, should you feel inclined, it seems you can learn Catalan in Portsmouth too, LOL! :))..."

LOL, thanks Enric!

The confusion arising from JC's post just highlights the unforgiving clumsiness of language.
Enric may also be able to explain as to how 2 people (an American and a Scot) speaking the same language (English) yet failing to understand each other.

Is it really the same language?, LOL!