Spaniards are known for living life to the fullest, while still taking the time to truly savor their food, art, and culture. While the concept of a siesta (an afternoon nap) has largely fallen by the wayside in modern Spain, people in Spain do still take a lengthy lunch break, during which they can relax and enjoy the afternoon with a light meal and a beer or wine cocktail. Take inspiration to do the same with one of our 15 Spanish-inspired cocktails.
Perhaps the most well known Spanish drink is sangria, a cocktail made of infusing wine with fruit, spices, and other liqueurs—no two recipes are the same. Fun fact: The Spain booth at the 1964 World’s Fair featured sangria, and it’s been a well-known classic stateside ever since. We’ve got red wine sangria (the most authentic), white wine sangria, moscato sangria, and more. Try one of our twists on the classic, like our Fireball sangria or a sangria slushie too.
While sangria is well-known, there’s another great Spanish wine cocktail you may not have heard of. From the Basque region of Spain comes a refreshing soda cocktail, the kalimotxo (pronouched cal-ee-MO-cho). It’s a simple combo of Coke (preferably the Mexican, glass bottle kind without corn syrup) and red wine (some say the cheaper the better) that has sangria vibes, plus caffeine. It sounds a little crazy, but trust us, it’s delicious and refreshing.
Speaking of refreshing, if you’re looking for a light cocktail that won’t leave you feeling foggy, try a clara, a drink made of ½ lemonade and ½ beer. Similar to a shandy or radler (grapefruit + beer), it’s the perfect summer beverage. Our summer shandy punch recipe has the delicious additions of fruit and ginger beer, but even if you’ve just got the two basic ingredients, you’ll be sippin’ pretty.
Want more of a creamy cocktail? Spain’s got you too. While coquito and horchata may be better known as Puerto Rican and Mexican, respectively, both drinks originated in some form in Spain, and you can still find them on a ton of Spanish menus. Go for a coquito if you’re a fan of the flavor of eggnog and painkiller cocktails (think more creamy spiced coconut, less pineapple). Not into coconut? Try a horchata, traditionally made in Spain from tiger nuts, and in Mexico from the more easily found almonds or rice. Our recipe doesn’t include alcohol, but you could certainly add some! Maybe some rumchata, a lá our rumchata hot chocolate?
Whatever you do, be sure to pair your Spanish cocktails with some Spanish food. Tapas are classic, and you can make your entire meal out of appetizers. Yum!
Red Sangria
Sangria comes to us by way of Spain and Portugal with a long and rich history that dates back to the Middle Ages. It was originally aged wine mixed with fruit and spices, such as cinnamon, then evolved through time into regional variations. Our version of sangria is light and bubbly with an addition of seltzer water and quite a perfect ratio of wine to brandy.
Get the Red Sangria recipe.
Kalimotxo
Mixing wine with soft drinks is somewhat of an obsession all over Spain, particularly in the Basque region. One of the most popular iterations is called Kalimotxo, a combo of Coke and red wine. We know it might seem crazy but this combo truly is something special!
Get the Kalimotxo recipe.
Sangria Slushies
Save leftover red wine by freezing it and turning it into a frozen treat. More of a white wine or moscato sangria person? Either works super well with this easy ice cube tray hack!
Get the Sangria Slushies recipe.
Coquito
It's said that the Spanish brought their version of eggnog when they colonized the island of Puerto Rico, where it evolved into this creamy coconut milk and rum beverage.
Get the Coquito recipe.
Summer Shandy Punch
On a hot summer day in Spain, one of the best choices is a clara (or shandy), a mix of lemonade and Spanish beer. We've taken some liberties for ours (Belgian beer, adding ginger beer...), but if you want to keep things simple just go 1/2 beer and 1/2 lemonade!
Get the Summer Shandy Punch recipe.
Horchata
Horchata originated in Spain, where it was made from tiger nuts (horchata de chufa). It's become more popular stateside for the Mexican version made from rice (horchata de arroz), like ours here. You can easily make it vegan by sticking with water or a nut milk, or try adding rum or Kahlúa for a boozier treat.
Get the Horchata recipe.
Cold Brew Sangria
Drink this coffee black—the fruit, Cointreau and simple syrup sweeten things up, so you won't even miss milk or cream.
Get the Cold Brew Sangria recipe.
Moscato Sangria
The secret to the best white wine sangria? Moscato, of course! We added lemon-lime soda and seltzer for some bubbles, but both are optional.
Get the Moscato Sangria recipe.
Fireball Sangria
Kick your red wine sangria up a notch with some Fireball! The cinnamon whiskey is the perfect transition into fall cocktails. If you can't find blood oranges, use cara cara or more navel oranges!
Get the Fireball Sangria recipe.
Frozen Sangria Margarita
This drink alternates frozen layers of two of our favorite drinks—red wine sangria and tequila margaritas— for the the perfect boozy summer sipper.
Get the Frozen Sangria Margarita recipe.
Virgin Cranberry Basil Sangria
Spanish sangria without the wine? It's possible! The fruit is the real star here—use whatever’s in season and get creative with the combination (think mixed berries and mint for summer and cranberries, orange slices, and rosemary for the holidays).
White Sangria
While it's more common in Spain to find red wine sangria, we love this lighter (both in color and on the palette) alternative to the original. This easy white-wine sangria recipe has all of your favorite fruits (and if it doesn't, go ahead and add them). To make things even better, they get soaked in Grand Marnier (the orange liqueur often used in margaritas) too.
Get the White Sangria recipe.
Piña Colada Sangria
Piña coladas + white wine sangria? Yes please! One sip of these will transport you to the tropics.
Get the Piña Colada Sangria recipe.
Rainbow Sangria
Layering fruit in the glasses makes for the prettiest sangria presentation. If you don't want to bother with layering, that's okay, but don't skip adding fruit to the pitcher so it can help flavor the sangria.
Get the Rainbow Sangria recipe.
Watermelon Sangria
Moscato sangria can sometimes be overly sweet or be an odd mix of too many fruit flavors. We believe this refreshing watermelon version is the perfect way to simplify this summery cocktail into something truly delicious. The addition of the lime zest and juice adds the needed acid to keep the drink bright.
Get the Watermelon Sangria recipe.
