The 7 Best European Summer Drinks

It may have only been “officially” summer for a week, but here in Spain and most of Western Europe, we’re already in the middle of a bad heatwave. Temperatures of 102°F (39°C) for days on end may be normal in Missouri and other parts of the U.S., but it’s so much worse without one key American luxury: home air conditioning.

With a high of 109°F, I’ve spent the last 5 days bouncing from one air-conditioned cafe to another, chugging iced coffee by the gallon where I could find it and trying to avoid my stifling 4th-floor piso. Iced coffee isn’t a particularly Spanish drink, though. But it got me thinking about the summer drinks that are popular throughout different European countries. So if you’re visiting Europe this summer, hopefully these European summer drinks can help keep you cool — air conditioning or not.

1. Coke – everywhere

I’ve never been a big soda drinker, but my first trip to Europe eight (!) years ago taught me that there are few things as satisfying as a cold glass of Coke on a hot day – sans ice cubes, of course. Maybe it’s the lack of free refills that makes it taste like liquid gold, forcing you to savor it in a way that isn’t necessary when it’s basically unlimited. Or maybe it’s the fact that Coke in the United States is artificially sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup, but here in Europe they use good old-fashioned sucrose. Either way, European Coke has a particular magic to it. Bonus points if it comes in a glass bottle.

2. Tinto de verano – Spain

You’ve heard of sangria, right? Big fan myself. But tinto de verano — literally, red wine of summer — is kind of a game changer. Basically, sangria is for tourists. Tinto is for locals (or tourists who know what they’re talking about, which you do now!). Really, the only difference is that tinto de verano doesn’t have the little chunks of fruit. Oh, and it costs about half as much!

Typically, this refreshing summer drink is made by mixing red wine with a sweet carbonated drink called gaseosa or even Fanta Limón, and plenty of ice. And that’s about it! Some places will add a little — or a lot of — vermouth, like the bar next door to my place. This can be dangerous, especially because it only costs €2.50.

And I recently had my first experience where the bartender also added gin?? It was weird, but it always tastes good. Tinto de verano gets my award for favorite drink on the list. But if you’re more into white wine cocktails, you’ll have to look for white sangria.

3. Cerveza con limón – Spain

Here’s another popular drink in Spain, perfect for the hot temperatures. Cerveza con limón is beer with lemon. You might also hear it called a clara in some places. Either way, you’ll get either half beer/half gaseosa, or potentially a bottle of cerveza con limón.

Though it’s not served with ice — what beer would be?! — it’s always served chilled, nice and cold. And when ordering cerveza con limón (or tinto de verano) you’ll typically get some nice Spanish tapas with each round of drinks!

It’s the perfect drink for when it’s so hot that a lot of sugar doesn’t sound very appealing, and you want something light and crisp.

4. Aperol Spritz – Italy

Aperol is one of the (many) national drinks/liquors of Italy, so it only makes sense that Aperol Spritz is so popular. This bright-orange, classic Italian drink is made up of Aperol, prosecco, sparkling/soda water, and ice. However, the exact recipe can vary in different parts of the country. It’s typically served in a wine glass and garnished with an orange slice.

Aperol Spritz is an apéritif, which means an alcoholic drink that’s meant to stimulate the appetite. For this reason the Aperol Spritz isn’t super sweet, but it is cold and refreshing.

5. Pimm’s Cup – United Kingdom

This is another one of my favorite European summer drinks, which I became slightly addicted to when I was studying abroad in London. It may never get quite as hot in the UK, but it’s fun to drink a special summer cocktail anyway.

Pimm’s is a liquor that seems to only really exist in the UK, because I’ve never seen it anywhere else. But it’s supposedly kind of like a fruity gin, and sometimes even classified as a liqueur. I’ve never had it straight, so I can’t really say.

A Pimm’s Cup is a combination of Pimm’s liquor and “English” carbonated lemonade – similar to the Spanish gaseosa. The comes the chopped garnishes, such as apples, oranges, lemons, strawberries, cucumbers, and mint. It’s served over ice and shouldn’t set you back more than about £4 for a glass, though you can also order a pitcher to share with friends! Also, there’s a delicious strawberry version of this drink, but it’s not as common.

6. Colabier – Germany

You probably already know about radlers — or sometimes called shandies — which are pretty famous in the U.S. now. That’s a mixture of lemon soda and beer, generally a pilsner, similar to the cerveza con limón listed above. So let’s talk about something different. Something that you might not know about unless you’ve been to Germany already.

Germans will also mix beer with Coke! It might sound strange at first, but given the European love for beer and Coke separately, it shouldn’t be too surprising. In fact, when I first traveled to Germany and wasn’t a big fan of beer, this was a way that helped me ease into it.

Actually, I was told that the beer-mixed-with-soda trend came about as they help their young beer-drinking population adjust to the taste. (Yeah, the “public” drinking age for beer/wine in Germany is 16, and there are no age restrictions for drinking in private.) They might have been joking, but it makes sense to me!

7. Bottled water – everywhere

This is the most boring European summer drink there is, but I have to mention it. People in Europe just don’t drink tap water. It’s not because they can’t — the water is very safe to drink in the majority of European countries. They just don’t like to! And after living in Spain for 10 months, I can’t say I blame them here at least. The tap water tastes pretty bad, honestly. Not as bad as it does in Texas. And not as good as it does in Germany. But worse than it does in Independence, Missouri.

In some places in Europe, drinking sparkling water (or agua con gas) is just as popular as “still” water. Some people find the carbonation extra refreshing on a hot day. But it’s not exactly LaCroix, my long-lost love from the U.S. It doesn’t have any special flavors. Luckily, no matter the type of bottled water, it’s not very expensive — especially since tap water is free.

And yeah, it can end up being a lot of plastic. In my experience, though, Europe is much better at recycling all this plastic than we are in the U.S., at least.

 

Do you have any favorite summer drinks in Europe? These are the ones I have personal experience with, so I’d love to hear your recommendations.

Here’s to good times over cold drinks this summer!

-Cathy