Drinks in Spanish: Coffee and Cocktail Words

Spanish	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
el mezcal	mes-KAHL	mezcal	Quieren probar mezcal esta noche.	They want to try mezcal tonight.	Often associated with Mexico.
el vodka	BOD-kah	vodka	¿Tienen vodka con jugo?	Do you have vodka with juice?	Spelling often keeps the original form.
el vermut	ber-MOOT	vermouth	Tomamos vermut antes de comer.	We drink vermouth before lunch.	Very common in Spain’s aperitif culture.
el daiquiri	dah-ee-KEE-ree	daiquiri	Pidió un daiquiri de fresa.	He/She ordered a strawberry daiquiri.	Fruit-flavored versions are common.
la margarita	mar-gah-REE-tah	margarita cocktail	La margarita lleva sal en el borde.	The margarita has salt on the rim.	Useful for menus and casual conversation.
el mojito	moh-HEE-toh	mojito	Un mojito fresco siempre cae bien.	A fresh mojito always goes down well.	Very common in many Spanish-speaking countries.
el martini	mar-TEE-nee	martini	El martini está muy frío.	The martini is very cold.	Usually borrowed directly into Spanish.
la piña colada	PEE-nyah koh-LAH-dah	piña colada	La piña colada es dulce y tropical.	The piña colada is sweet and tropical.	Great example of a phrase that stays the same in English and Spanish.
el gin tonic	heen TOH-neek	gin and tonic	En muchos bares piden un gin tonic muy grande.	In many bars they order a very large gin and tonic.	Spain loves this drink. A lot. No surprise there.
sin alcohol	seen al-koh-OHL	non-alcoholic	Quiero una bebida sin alcohol.	I want a non-alcoholic drink.	Very useful if you don’t want the drama.

Menu-style illustration of common cocktail and bar vocabulary in Spanish.

15 Ordering Phrases You Can Actually Use

Spanish	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
el cóctel	KOK-tehl	cocktail	El cóctel tiene fruta y hielo.	The cocktail has fruit and ice.	Also spelled coctel without accent in some styles.
la copa	KOH-pah	glass, stemmed glass	Sirven el vino en copa.	They serve the wine in a stemmed glass.	In bars, una copa can also mean a drink/alcoholic serving.
la bebida	beh-BEE-dah	drink, beverage	¿Qué bebida prefieres?	Which drink do you prefer?	Very broad, safe word.
el vaso	BAH-soh	glass, tumbler	Me trajeron agua en un vaso grande.	They brought me water in a big glass.	Vaso is common for non-stemmed glasses.
el hielo	YEH-loh	ice	Ponle hielo a la bebida.	Add ice to the drink.	The h is silent.
agitado	ah-hee-TAH-doh	shaken	Lo quiero agitado, no mezclado.	I want it shaken, not stirred.	Very James Bond, very useful.
mezclado	MEHS-klah-doh	mixed	El cóctel va mezclado con fruta.	The cocktail is mixed with fruit.	From mezclar = to mix.
la ginebra	hee-NEH-brah	gin	Quiero una ginebra con tónica.	I want a gin and tonic.	Common bar word; pronunciation can feel tricky at first.
el ron	rohn	rum	El ron es típico en muchos cócteles caribeños.	Rum is typical in many Caribbean cocktails.	Especially common in the Caribbean and Latin America.
el tequila	teh-KEE-lah	tequila	Tomó un tequila con sal y limón.	He/she had a tequila with salt and lime.	Very international. Mexican word, global fame.

Spanish	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
el mezcal	mes-KAHL	mezcal	Quieren probar mezcal esta noche.	They want to try mezcal tonight.	Often associated with Mexico.
el vodka	BOD-kah	vodka	¿Tienen vodka con jugo?	Do you have vodka with juice?	Spelling often keeps the original form.
el vermut	ber-MOOT	vermouth	Tomamos vermut antes de comer.	We drink vermouth before lunch.	Very common in Spain’s aperitif culture.
el daiquiri	dah-ee-KEE-ree	daiquiri	Pidió un daiquiri de fresa.	He/She ordered a strawberry daiquiri.	Fruit-flavored versions are common.
la margarita	mar-gah-REE-tah	margarita cocktail	La margarita lleva sal en el borde.	The margarita has salt on the rim.	Useful for menus and casual conversation.
el mojito	moh-HEE-toh	mojito	Un mojito fresco siempre cae bien.	A fresh mojito always goes down well.	Very common in many Spanish-speaking countries.
el martini	mar-TEE-nee	martini	El martini está muy frío.	The martini is very cold.	Usually borrowed directly into Spanish.
la piña colada	PEE-nyah koh-LAH-dah	piña colada	La piña colada es dulce y tropical.	The piña colada is sweet and tropical.	Great example of a phrase that stays the same in English and Spanish.
el gin tonic	heen TOH-neek	gin and tonic	En muchos bares piden un gin tonic muy grande.	In many bars they order a very large gin and tonic.	Spain loves this drink. A lot. No surprise there.
sin alcohol	seen al-koh-OHL	non-alcoholic	Quiero una bebida sin alcohol.	I want a non-alcoholic drink.	Very useful if you don’t want the drama.

Cocktail Words In Spanish

Now for the fun stuff. Cocktail vocabulary is useful whether you drink alcohol or just need to understand the menu without pretending you already know what a mezcalita is.

Spanish	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
el cóctel	KOK-tehl	cocktail	El cóctel tiene fruta y hielo.	The cocktail has fruit and ice.	Also spelled coctel without accent in some styles.
la copa	KOH-pah	glass, stemmed glass	Sirven el vino en copa.	They serve the wine in a stemmed glass.	In bars, una copa can also mean a drink/alcoholic serving.
la bebida	beh-BEE-dah	drink, beverage	¿Qué bebida prefieres?	Which drink do you prefer?	Very broad, safe word.
el vaso	BAH-soh	glass, tumbler	Me trajeron agua en un vaso grande.	They brought me water in a big glass.	Vaso is common for non-stemmed glasses.
el hielo	YEH-loh	ice	Ponle hielo a la bebida.	Add ice to the drink.	The h is silent.
agitado	ah-hee-TAH-doh	shaken	Lo quiero agitado, no mezclado.	I want it shaken, not stirred.	Very James Bond, very useful.
mezclado	MEHS-klah-doh	mixed	El cóctel va mezclado con fruta.	The cocktail is mixed with fruit.	From mezclar = to mix.
la ginebra	hee-NEH-brah	gin	Quiero una ginebra con tónica.	I want a gin and tonic.	Common bar word; pronunciation can feel tricky at first.
el ron	rohn	rum	El ron es típico en muchos cócteles caribeños.	Rum is typical in many Caribbean cocktails.	Especially common in the Caribbean and Latin America.
el tequila	teh-KEE-lah	tequila	Tomó un tequila con sal y limón.	He/she had a tequila with salt and lime.	Very international. Mexican word, global fame.

Spanish	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
el mezcal	mes-KAHL	mezcal	Quieren probar mezcal esta noche.	They want to try mezcal tonight.	Often associated with Mexico.
el vodka	BOD-kah	vodka	¿Tienen vodka con jugo?	Do you have vodka with juice?	Spelling often keeps the original form.
el vermut	ber-MOOT	vermouth	Tomamos vermut antes de comer.	We drink vermouth before lunch.	Very common in Spain’s aperitif culture.
el daiquiri	dah-ee-KEE-ree	daiquiri	Pidió un daiquiri de fresa.	He/She ordered a strawberry daiquiri.	Fruit-flavored versions are common.
la margarita	mar-gah-REE-tah	margarita cocktail	La margarita lleva sal en el borde.	The margarita has salt on the rim.	Useful for menus and casual conversation.
el mojito	moh-HEE-toh	mojito	Un mojito fresco siempre cae bien.	A fresh mojito always goes down well.	Very common in many Spanish-speaking countries.
el martini	mar-TEE-nee	martini	El martini está muy frío.	The martini is very cold.	Usually borrowed directly into Spanish.
la piña colada	PEE-nyah koh-LAH-dah	piña colada	La piña colada es dulce y tropical.	The piña colada is sweet and tropical.	Great example of a phrase that stays the same in English and Spanish.
el gin tonic	heen TOH-neek	gin and tonic	En muchos bares piden un gin tonic muy grande.	In many bars they order a very large gin and tonic.	Spain loves this drink. A lot. No surprise there.
sin alcohol	seen al-koh-OHL	non-alcoholic	Quiero una bebida sin alcohol.	I want a non-alcoholic drink.	Very useful if you don’t want the drama.

Coffee Shop Words And Add-Ons

These are the extra words you need when the barista starts asking questions faster than your brain can load the menu.

Spanish	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
el azúcar	ah-SOO-kar	sugar	¿Quieres azúcar en el café?	Do you want sugar in the coffee?	Accent on the first part: ú.
la leche	LEH-cheh	milk	¿Me das más leche, por favor?	Can you give me more milk, please?	The ch sound is like “church.”
la crema	KREH-mah	cream	Quiero crema batida arriba.	I want whipped cream on top.	Crema batida = whipped cream.
la canela	kah-NEH-lah	cinnamon	Le pongo canela al café.	I add cinnamon to the coffee.	Common topping in Latin America and Spain.
el jarabe	hah-RAH-beh	syrup	¿Tienen jarabe de vainilla?	Do you have vanilla syrup?	The j sounds like a strong English “h.”
la vainilla	bah-ee-NEE-yah	vanilla	Quiero un latte de vainilla.	I want a vanilla latte.	The ll is usually like “y” in Latin America.
el caramelo	kah-rah-MEH-lo	caramel	Prefiero caramelo en mi café.	I prefer caramel in my coffee.	Also a good flavor word in dessert menus.
el chocolate	choh-koh-LAH-teh	chocolate	El moka lleva chocolate.	The mocha has chocolate.	Spanish ch is crisp, not mushy.
batir	bah-TEER	to whip, beat	Van a batir la crema.	They are going to whip the cream.	Useful in cooking and drinks.
la espuma	ehs-POO-mah	foam	Me gusta mucha espuma en el café.	I like a lot of foam in the coffee.	Common with cappuccinos.

Coffee Words In Spanish

Let’s start with coffee, because coffee is basically a personality trait in many places.

Spanish	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
el café	kah-FEH	coffee	Tomé un café en la mañana.	I had a coffee in the morning.	Can also mean “café” as a place in many countries.
el café con leche	kah-FEH kohn LEH-cheh	coffee with milk	Quiero un café con leche, por favor.	I want a coffee with milk, please.	Very common in Spain and Latin America.
el espresso	ehs-PREH-so	espresso	El espresso está muy fuerte.	The espresso is very strong.	Many places also say expreso or simply café solo in Spain.
el americano	ah-meh-ree-KAH-no	American-style coffee; watered-down coffee	Voy a pedir un americano.	I’m going to order an Americano.	Common in cafés; meaning can vary slightly by country.
el capuchino	kah-poo-CHEE-no	cappuccino	Me gustan los capuchinos con canela.	I like cappuccinos with cinnamon.	Watch the spelling: capuchino, not “capuccino” in standard Spanish.
el latte	LAH-teh	latte	¿Tienen latte de vainilla?	Do you have vanilla latte?	Common in modern cafés; pronunciation is usually adapted to Spanish.
el mocca / moka	MOH-kah	mocha	Pide un moka con crema.	Order a mocha with cream.	Spelling varies: moka is common in Spanish.
descafeinado	dehs-kah-feh-ee-NAH-do	decaf	Por la noche prefiero un café descafeinado.	At night I prefer a decaf coffee.	Useful adjective; agree it if needed: café descafeinado.
con leche	kohn LEH-cheh	with milk	Quiero el té con leche.	I want tea with milk.	Works with many drinks, not just coffee.
sin azúcar	seen ah-SOO-kar	without sugar	¿Me lo das sin azúcar?	Can you give it to me without sugar?	Very handy for ordering anything.

Spanish	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
la taza	TAH-sah	cup, mug	Mi taza de café está caliente.	My coffee cup is hot.	La taza is the cup itself, not the liquid.
la taza grande	TAH-sah GRAHN-deh	large cup	Prefiero una taza grande de té.	I prefer a large cup of tea.	Adjective agrees: taza is feminine, so grande stays the same.
la cápsula	KAP-soo-lah	coffee pod/capsule	Compré cápsulas para la máquina.	I bought pods for the machine.	Useful for home coffee machines.
la máquina de café	MAH-kee-nah deh kah-FEH	coffee machine	La máquina de café no funciona.	The coffee machine doesn’t work.	Good household vocabulary.
molido	moh-LEE-do	ground	Compré café molido.	I bought ground coffee.	From moler = to grind.
en grano	en GRAH-no	in beans	Prefiero café en grano.	I prefer coffee in beans.	Used in coffee shops and supermarkets.
la cafetera	kah-feh-TEH-rah	coffee maker	La cafetera está encendida.	The coffee maker is on.	Classic kitchen word.
hervir	ehr-BEER	to boil	No dejes hervir el café demasiado.	Don’t let the coffee boil too much.	The h is silent.
el aroma	ah-ROH-mah	aroma	Me encanta el aroma del café recién hecho.	I love the aroma of freshly made coffee.	Great descriptive word.
recién hecho	reh-SYEHN EH-choh	freshly made	Quiero pan recién hecho con café.	I want fresh bread with coffee.	Very useful phrase with food and drinks.