What to drink in Spain II

[MichaelC]

I wanted to follow up on a post I saw a few months ago, but now I can't find it! I did my best to eat and drink like the locals, and so made a few discoveries (discoveries to me, at least) along the way. For those wanting to break free from the typical pilgrim *beer / rioja cycle, try these:

Coffee

Standard coffee terms are café con leche (we all know this one), cortado (espresso with a little bit of heated milk), café solo (a shot of espresso), solo doble (double shot of espresso). That last term is so simple, but it took awhile for me to figure out.


Coffee for pros

A carajillo is a shot of espresso mixed with brandy. I saw this mostly in the Basque areas, where they would heat up the brandy in the espresso machine before adding it to the coffee. The old men advised me to have one around 10 am, as it gives you "a little courage" for the day. This was less common as we moved west.


Afternoons

Patxaran (Spanish: pacharán) is a Basque liquor flavored with sloe berries, usually served over ice. Every bar had it in La Rioja and Navarre, though it also became less common as we moved west.

Anís is similar to other anise-flavored drinks in France and Spain. Was more common towards Galicia. At least, I first noticed it in that area.

Cerveza con limón. By the third hot day in Spain we had all discovered how good a cerveza con limón was after a long day's walk. Mahou Limón is the pre-made brand, though it's better freshly made.

.
Wine

As one French peregrino noted, the Spanish do horrible things to wine. Specifically, almost every bar serves their red wine chilled. We might have had some great reds along the way, but chilling it masks all the flavor. Ah well. Moving into Galicia, though, there are some interesting reds to try. Albariño is nice and crisp, and I think is more well known now. New to me was godello, which was a floral wine with just enough acidity to give it some depth. It pairs nicely with Gallego food!

In León I discovered Spanish vermut, which is served on the rocks or in a martini glass. It's not a mixer like in other countries! There are tapas bars dedicated to vermouth, and a lot have their own house brands. Apparently good vermouth is the new trendy drink in Madrid.


Chupitos

A chupito is an after-dinner shot. I didn't learn the word until my final week, though I had been hearing it and not quite catching what people were saying.

In Castilla y León & Galicia, at least, a chupito means a shot of arujo, which is like grappa. It's fire water! You can have some added to your coffee, or just have a shot after dinner. It's really, really strong, so drink carefully.

I had an interesting experience one night when I asked for a brandy after dinner. The bartender asked me what kind, and I didn't know. He pulled out three bottles. The first had a picture of a bull. "This is what pilgrims drink," he told me, "because it's the cheapest." The third was a top-shelf brand. That one was for the tourists. The middle bottle, he said, is what we (locals) drink. I took the middle bottle. I wish I remembered the name.

Finally, there was a yellow herbal liqueur that I cannot remember the name of & that other peregrinos told me was good. I forgot about it and never tried it.


*not that there's anything wrong with beer and rioja.

** I'm not fluent at all in Spanish, so feel free to add any nuances or corrections!

 

[SabsP]

This one maybe?

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/wine-and-beer.51038/#post-564152

 

[Turga]

Finally, there was a yellow herbal liqueur that I cannot remember the name of & that other peregrinos told me was good. I forgot about it and never tried it.

Aguardiente de Mierdas. Translates to something like "firewater of shit"

 

[peregrina2000]

As one French peregrino noted, the Spanish do horrible things to wine. Specifically, almost every bar serves their red wine chilled. We might have had some great reds along the way, but chilling it masks all the flavor. Ah well.

When I read this post, I thought that you were going to say that the horrible thing the Spanish do to their red wine is to add gaseosa to it (a sugary, fizzy tonic). I have learned that the reason restaurants offer gaseosa with their wine is because they are offering bad wine. In a stop on the Camino de Levante, in the town of Mora outside of Toledo, we were having a very expensive pilgrim menu (expensive for us anyway), 16 euros. It was Saturday and in some parts of central Spain menus del dia have a much higher price on the weekend. The waiter asked us if we wanted gaseosa with our red wine. I was with two Frenchmen so you can imagine the response. The waiter then said, kind of apologetically, well you really can't drink this wine without gaseosa. I got a little snarky at that point and said to him -- don't you think a 16 euro menu del dia ought to come with a red wine that you can drink without adding sugar water? And he complied, brought us a nice wine aged in American oak, which was impressive to my French friends but meaningless to me.

But back to the other horrible thing they do to red wine, namely chill it. I think it comes from the same fact, that the wine they are serving is close to undrinkable if served straight up and at the proper temperature. The fact that we have these experiences with the wine, Michael, says more about the places we frequent than the wine in Spain. On those occasions that I splurge for a nicer place or go to a decent wine bar, there is never any suggestion about chilled red wine or adding gaseosa. Wine snobs in Spain would be just as appalled by this practice as are the French you describe.

Buen camino, Laurie

p.s. But I know a lot of American pilgrims who add gaseosa to cut down on the alcohol consumption. I would rather drink less than drink wine this way but that's just me.

 

[natefaith]

Great list, Michael! Sounds like you thoroughly enjoyed your Camino this summer

One thing I'd add for coffees is that those who like more milk than coffee can ask for a manchado (in Spanish it means "stained"). It's milder and whiter than cafe con leche.

@peregrina2000 I always enjoy your informative anecdotes!

 

[domigee]

Tss sooo disagree... Orujo is an after dinner drink. So mild....

 

[trecile]

I'm not a beer drinker, so I found a nice tinto de verano - red wine over ice mixed with Casera Limon to be a very refreshing drink at the end of a hot day. The red wine that I was served with dinner wasn't always chilled, and I always found it drinkable, though I'm not a connoisseur.

Finally, there was a yellow herbal liqueur that I cannot remember the name of & that other peregrinos told me was good. I forgot about it and never tried it.

I understood that this is a type of Orujo - Orujo de hierbas. I tried it but didn't care for it. There was also one made with cherries that was quite good.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orujo

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

This one maybe?

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/wine-and-beer.51038/#post-564152

That's the one where I mentioned cider. Don't forget cider Michael.

 

[Felipe]

I should not be a "connoisseur", because I have never found a really bad wine in Spain (but "tasted" a particular bad one in France, in Saint Jean Pied de Port, in an albergue whose name I'd prefer to forget ).
Very young wines, yes, they come with almost every "pilgrim's menu". I guess that sometimes it is the production that can't be duly aged and bottled because of regional quotas established by regulatory associations. Sometimes it is a drink with a mild taste, scarcely alcoholic -which is ok when you still have many miles to walk.
It is worth remembering that drinking pure wine is a relatively new usage -formerly, the wine was spiced and generously watered, with honey added to mask the sour taste of tannins. Probably the usage was kept by peasants, in the original wine producing countries. Hence the current adding of gaseosa or "Casera". I remember, when I was a child, my parents drinking wine this way, just some Sundays, when it was a special occasion.
As for the chilling...I don't know, it is odd. I guess that local wine is sold in damajuanas (one gallon big, paunchy bottles). Once they are open, the wine could suffer a fermentation quite quickly. Hence the freezing. Or perhaps it is just that they like it this way in summer.

 

[Deleted member 67185]

I don't ever drink alcohol.. never have.. just personal choice, not moral judgment. I hate coffee... again, just me. My son enjoys wine and beer periodically and loves the coffee drinks on Camino.

My drinks of choice, besides water while on Camino: Kas orange, Fanta orange (the orange pop there taste a lot better than here). Coke Zero. PowerAde. Yup, I have my own drink vices

 

[Deleted member 56069]

I am not a sophisticated wine drinker, but I do love red wine. Most wine snobs will wax on about the body, structure, colour, bouquet, the roundness, the complexity...is that a hint of black currant? My that is an earthy one isn't it!

I'm a simple man at heart, I taste a wine and in most cases I am fine with it as long as it does not taste too much like kerosene. I have actually made my own wine for 25 years...my friends claim it is good, or maybe I just have exceptionally polite and caring friends.

In any case, I like a bargain and I have been amazed on many occasions just how good some of the wine is that I have spent less than a Euro on... that is for a bottle, not a glass. Some times I go crazy and spend 3 or 4 Euro's on a bottle.

Something about trudging by vineyards on so many of the days makes one really look forward to their wine at night.

In any case, I look forward to sharing a bottle at the end of the day with just about anybody.

 

[alexwalker]

I like those Spanish wines that are red. They taste like good red wine to me.

 

[MichaelC]

The gaseosa really does sound awful. At least chilled rioja was drinkable! And, as others have noted, probably lower in alcohol. There were times where we got one bottle each at dinner. I never seemed to get drunk on it. I thought that maybe my tolerance was up from all the walking, but it makes more sense that the wine wasn't that strong.

As much as I love great wine, I'm perfectly happy with a basic table wine, chilled or not. The only truly awful wine I had was at that wine fountain at Bodegas Irache. That was pure vinegar. I don't know how people were drinking it.

 

[Firewood]

My drinks of choice, besides water while on Camino: Kas orange, Fanta orange (the orange pop there taste a lot better than here).

I have to agree with you there, the orange soda in Europe is much better than our "domestic" varieties. I don't know what they do differently, but it's tasty.

Michael, I appreciate the thread. Looking forward to giving a few of those a try.

 

[trecile]

In any case, I like a bargain and I have been amazed on many occasions just how good some of the wine that I have spent less than a Euro on... that is for a bottle, not a glass. Some times I go crazy and spend 3 or 4 Euro's on a bottle.

Something about trudging by vineyards on so many of the days makes one really look forward to their wine at night.

In any case, I look forward to sharing a bottle at the end of the day with just about anybody.

I think that we would get along great on the Camino!

The gaseosa really does sound awful. At least chilled rioja was drinkable! And, as others have noted, probably lower in alcohol. There were times where we got one bottle each at dinner. I never seemed to get drunk on it. I thought that maybe my tolerance was up from all the walking, but it makes more sense that the wine wasn't that strong.

I know that the wine mixed with gaseosa, or my preference, gaseosa con limon, sounds terrible, but it really is good!

And I'm positive that the wine is much weaker than I get at home.

 

[Deleted member 56069]

The only truly awful wine I had was at that wine fountain at Bodegas Irache. That was pure vinegar. I don't know how people were drinking it.

I am sorry that I have to agree with this assessment. It is such a cool idea having an outside dispenser of wine. But in this case, if you had never had wine before in your life, this wine would cure you of ever drinking wine again. Maybe I just hit a bad day as MichaelC did. Maybe they mixed up the line that was to go to the sewer with the one to the dispenser. Who knows?

In any case, by all means stop and take a picture of the dispenser because again it is such a cool idea. Take a taste, but for heavens sake, don't fill up one of your water bottles with it.

 

[MichaelC]

In any case, by all means stop and take a picture of the dispenser because again it is such a cool idea. Take a taste, but for heavens sake, don't fill up one of your water bottles with it.

I've read that the bodega used to put decent wine in the fountain, so that pilgrims could stop by and have a glass. So many were filling their bottles with it, instead of just having one drink, that they stopped and now just put in the swill. I can't blame them, really. It's a shame, because it was a great idea.

 

[Deleted member 56069]

I've read that the bodega used to put decent wine in the fountain, so that pilgrims could stop by and have a glass. So many were filling their bottles with it, instead of just having one drink, that they stopped and now just put in the swill. I can't blame them, really. It's a shame, because it was a great idea.

Probably true, most great things eventually seem to get ruined. Too bad.

 

[HeidiL]

You have left out one of my favourite Camino drinka - Poleo de menta. Light, refreshing mint tea - just the thing to warm up on a chilly March morning...

 

[linkster]

I think the yellow liqueur that you are referring to is called Hierbas. It is a digestif. It can be a little medicinal. The blanco is just pure firewater. The negro is coffee flavored. The yellow is not bad and I drank it with some frequency. The pic is from the fireroom in Albergue Don Álvaro in Sarria. They left a bottle and a tray of shot glasses out to enjoy around the fire.

 

[linkster]

There was also one made with cherries that was quite good.

I did have the Zoco and liked it, but it was a bit sweet. I think I some of the sloe berries growing along parts of the Camino and did not really know what they were until I looked up the Zoco.

 

[linkster]

43 was better than the hierbas. It had a hint of vanilla. I brought one of the art bottles back from the airport in Madrid. I have a camino buddy coming for Thanksgiving and will surprise him with it.

 

[linkster]

I thought the vino tinto was pretty good. I am not sure it is fair to compare it to higher end wines especially when a bottle was 3 ~ 4 euro. I consumed more wine in the last 2 months than I have in the last 2 years. There was only one night during the pilgrim meal that I can remember that the wine was undrinkable. It was like vinegar. We asked for another bottle ... it tasted the same. We asked for another and they brought 2 and opened it in front of us ... it was the same. it was just sh t wine.

 

[Bradypus]

In the more old-fashioned traditional bars in Galicia orujo is often kept in an unlabelled bottle on the bar counter for those who would like to spice up their cafe solo. It is so cheap that if you want some you are usually just passed the bottle so that you can help yourself to the amount you fancy. Something of an acquired taste but welcome on a very chilly day!

 

[peregrina2000]

In the more old-fashioned traditional bars in Galicia orujo is often kept in an unlabelled bottle on the bar counter for those who would like to spice up their cafe solo. It is so cheap that if you want some you are usually just passed the bottle so that you can help yourself to the amount you fancy. Something of an acquired taste but welcome on a very chilly day!

I know you aren't recommending a large dose of orujo, but for those who think that alcohol warms you up, just keep in mind that it actually lowers your body temperature. Another good reason to walk in warmer temps, then you can drink wine to cool off!

http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/mythbusters-database/alcohol-warms-up/

 

[Bradypus]

I know you aren't recommending a large dose of orujo, but for those who think that alcohol warms you up, just keep in mind that it actually lowers your body temperature. Another good reason to walk in warmer temps, then you can drink wine to cool off!

100% agreed. Best taken at the end of the day before retiring to a lovely warm sleeping bag. Or while relaxing beside a very hot wood stove or log fire. Not if you have to head back outside into typical Galician winter weather any time soon

 

[wisepilgrim]

Came here hoping to find a mention of Ponche Caballero. Left disappointed.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I'm not a beer drinker, so I found a nice tinto de verano - red wine over ice mixed with Casera Limon to be a very refreshing drink at the end of a hot day. The red wine that I was served with dinner wasn't always chilled, and I always found it drinkable, though I'm not a connoisseur.



I understood that this is a type of Orujo - Orujo de hierbas. I tried it but didn't care for it. There was also one made with cherries that was quite good.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orujo

I'm with you, trecile, on this as I'm not a beer drinker and not a connoisseur of wine. I found the pilgrim offerings of vino tinto usually drinkable and don't remember it ever served chilled or with gas. Towards the end of my spring Caminos I started asking for vino blanco as it always came to the table chilled and I found it more refreshing on hot evenings.

I am also a fan of a midday Kas orange soda or Coke with ice, but my morning coffee has to be "cafe con leche grande". I don't want to experiment with any other type of Spanish coffee as I love, love it just as it is...oh, I do need that teaspoon of sugar added, however.

 

[ISABEL linares]

I wanted to follow up on a post I saw a few months ago, but now I can't find it! I did my best to eat and drink like the locals, and so made a few discoveries (discoveries to me, at least) along the way. For those wanting to break free from the typical pilgrim *beer / rioja cycle, try these:

Coffee

Standard coffee terms are café con leche (we all know this one), cortado (espresso with a little bit of heated milk), café solo (a shot of espresso), solo doble (double shot of espresso). That last term is so simple, but it took awhile for me to figure out.


Coffee for pros

A carajillo is a shot of espresso mixed with brandy. I saw this mostly in the Basque areas, where they would heat up the brandy in the espresso machine before adding it to the coffee. The old men advised me to have one around 10 am, as it gives you "a little courage" for the day. This was less common as we moved west.


Afternoons

Patxaran (Spanish: pacharán) is a Basque liquor flavored with sloe berries, usually served over ice. Every bar had it in La Rioja and Navarre, though it also became less common as we moved west.

Anís is similar to other anise-flavored drinks in France and Spain. Was more common towards Galicia. At least, I first noticed it in that area.

Cerveza con limón. By the third hot day in Spain we had all discovered how good a cerveza con limón was after a long day's walk. Mahou Limón is the pre-made brand, though it's better freshly made.

.
Wine

As one French peregrino noted, the Spanish do horrible things to wine. Specifically, almost every bar serves their red wine chilled. We might have had some great reds along the way, but chilling it masks all the flavor. Ah well. Moving into Galicia, though, there are some interesting reds to try. Albariño is nice and crisp, and I think is more well known now. New to me was godello, which was a floral wine with just enough acidity to give it some depth. It pairs nicely with Gallego food!

In León I discovered Spanish vermut, which is served on the rocks or in a martini glass. It's not a mixer like in other countries! There are tapas bars dedicated to vermouth, and a lot have their own house brands. Apparently good vermouth is the new trendy drink in Madrid.


Chupitos

A chupito is an after-dinner shot. I didn't learn the word until my final week, though I had been hearing it and not quite catching what people were saying.

In Castilla y León & Galicia, at least, a chupito means a shot of arujo, which is like grappa. It's fire water! You can have some added to your coffee, or just have a shot after dinner. It's really, really strong, so drink carefully.

I had an interesting experience one night when I asked for a brandy after dinner. The bartender asked me what kind, and I didn't know. He pulled out three bottles. The first had a picture of a bull. "This is what pilgrims drink," he told me, "because it's the cheapest." The third was a top-shelf brand. That one was for the tourists. The middle bottle, he said, is what we (locals) drink. I took the middle bottle. I wish I remembered the name.

Finally, there was a yellow herbal liqueur that I cannot remember the name of & that other peregrinos told me was good. I forgot about it and never tried it.


*not that there's anything wrong with beer and rioja.

** I'm not fluent at all in Spanish, so feel free to add any nuances or corrections!

 

[ISABEL linares]

Nice advise about how to ask for drinks in Spain.You can ask for vino del tiempo if you don't want the vine cold. Buen camino

 

[TaijiPilgrim]

I wanted to follow up on a post I saw a few months ago, but now I can't find it! I did my best to eat and drink like the locals, and so made a few discoveries (discoveries to me, at least) along the way. For those wanting to break free from the typical pilgrim *beer / rioja cycle, try these:

Coffee

Standard coffee terms are café con leche (we all know this one), cortado (espresso with a little bit of heated milk), café solo (a shot of espresso), solo doble (double shot of espresso). That last term is so simple, but it took awhile for me to figure out.


Coffee for pros

A carajillo is a shot of espresso mixed with brandy. I saw this mostly in the Basque areas, where they would heat up the brandy in the espresso machine before adding it to the coffee. The old men advised me to have one around 10 am, as it gives you "a little courage" for the day. This was less common as we moved west.


Afternoons

Patxaran (Spanish: pacharán) is a Basque liquor flavored with sloe berries, usually served over ice. Every bar had it in La Rioja and Navarre, though it also became less common as we moved west.

Anís is similar to other anise-flavored drinks in France and Spain. Was more common towards Galicia. At least, I first noticed it in that area.

Cerveza con limón. By the third hot day in Spain we had all discovered how good a cerveza con limón was after a long day's walk. Mahou Limón is the pre-made brand, though it's better freshly made.

.
Wine

As one French peregrino noted, the Spanish do horrible things to wine. Specifically, almost every bar serves their red wine chilled. We might have had some great reds along the way, but chilling it masks all the flavor. Ah well. Moving into Galicia, though, there are some interesting reds to try. Albariño is nice and crisp, and I think is more well known now. New to me was godello, which was a floral wine with just enough acidity to give it some depth. It pairs nicely with Gallego food!

In León I discovered Spanish vermut, which is served on the rocks or in a martini glass. It's not a mixer like in other countries! There are tapas bars dedicated to vermouth, and a lot have their own house brands. Apparently good vermouth is the new trendy drink in Madrid.


Chupitos

A chupito is an after-dinner shot. I didn't learn the word until my final week, though I had been hearing it and not quite catching what people were saying.

In Castilla y León & Galicia, at least, a chupito means a shot of arujo, which is like grappa. It's fire water! You can have some added to your coffee, or just have a shot after dinner. It's really, really strong, so drink carefully.

I had an interesting experience one night when I asked for a brandy after dinner. The bartender asked me what kind, and I didn't know. He pulled out three bottles. The first had a picture of a bull. "This is what pilgrims drink," he told me, "because it's the cheapest." The third was a top-shelf brand. That one was for the tourists. The middle bottle, he said, is what we (locals) drink. I took the middle bottle. I wish I remembered the name.

Finally, there was a yellow herbal liqueur that I cannot remember the name of & that other peregrinos told me was good. I forgot about it and never tried it.


*not that there's anything wrong with beer and rioja.

** I'm not fluent at all in Spanish, so feel free to add any nuances or corrections!

No one mentioned mixing red wine with coca cola, a drink I was told was favored by the Basque. I tried it... once. I don't remember red wine served chilled unless it was tinto de verano or sangria. For a non-alcoholic refresher, I preferred Fanta limon, but would accept Kas. Fanta limon, for some unknown reason, is not sold in the United States. So I have to go to Central and South America or Spain for this soft drink.

 

[John Sikora]

One of the best threads in awhile. I had forgotten all the flavors of the Camino. I had also forgotten about crossing a province border and being told that I was drinking red wine the wrong way (amazing how 10 miles makes a difference ). I'm a big fan of the Spanish habit of bringing out the herbal liquors after dinner (if you spend enough ). It's just a nice treat. There is also a version of Pataxaran with berries in the bottom. Can't get it often, but if you run across it, it's great. Also, I'll put in my vote for the trout soup that you find around the middle of the Camino. Just fantastic. It's always best (if your Spanish is good enough or the host's English is good enough) to just ask what the local favorite is.

 

[Bradypus]

I am surprised to read that some of those posting above have not encountered chilled red wine. Probably just shows the sort of low dives I usually patronise Some of my best menu del dia experiences have started with a waiter asking if I would prefer my tinto chilled or room temperature. I take that as a good sign! I first encountered gaseosa in Leon in 1990. The waitress asked if I wanted some with my wine. I thought it was a strange idea and declined. Then I glanced around and saw it on every other occupied table in the restaurant. I soon discovered why In a few places I have visited recently it has been brought with the wine automatically even where the wine has turned out to be quite pleasant after all. I would not assume that the presence of gaseosa is a sure-fire sign that you are about to be served vinegar badly disguised.

 

[linkster]

Can you recommend a local liqueur to try?
¿Puedes recomendar un licor local para probar?
Maybe someone with more advanced Spanish can confirm, but this is what I used...it got the point across.

 

[naplesdon]

I am surprised there has been no mention of rosada/rose wines. The dry varieties from Provence and Navarra are consumed in great quantities in Pas Basque, often with ice. The wine is made with red wine grapes but the skins are discarded prior to fermentation. In Biarritz there is never any agreement as to whether the Rose Provence is superior to its Rosada Navarra cousin, but on a warm day in all of the cafe bars around the Marche it is probably the most popular drink.

 

[Stivandrer]

re Brandy -
You really need only two products:
put your two index fingers at the side of each temple pointing upwards and say " Veterano !"
and you get the cheap but ready-at-hand (bull) brandy when you need a quick warmer coming inside the bar rain-soaked and miserable....
- or the Cardinal Mendoza for the finer taste at the refined afternoon snack...

 

[alexwalker]

I was talking to two Spanish couples the other day, and they said it was a saying in Spain:

Si vas a España y no bebes vino, ¿por qué vas a España?

If you go to Spain and don't drink wine, why do you go to Spain?

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

It was somewhere near the Galician border that I finally was able to get a real chocolate caliente. It was the only one that I had because, amazingly, I found it too rich.

I enjoyed our visit to the chocolate museum (and chocolate shops) in Astorga.

 

[t2andreo]

The gaseosa really does sound awful. At least chilled rioja was drinkable! And, as others have noted, probably lower in alcohol. There were times where we got one bottle each at dinner. I never seemed to get drunk on it. I thought that maybe my tolerance was up from all the walking, but it makes more sense that the wine wasn't that strong.

As much as I love great wine, I'm perfectly happy with a basic table wine, chilled or not. The only truly awful wine I had was at that wine fountain at Bodegas Irache. That was pure vinegar. I don't know how people were drinking it.

IMHO, the phrase FREE does something to some people's thought processes. Some folks just get stupid over the thought of getting something for nothing. Others are just impressed by the novelty of a tap in the wall that produces wine, and FREE at that.

I fall into the latter category. You must admit that having one tap in the wall that says "water" and the other that says wine is "original." We KNOW they only put about 100 liters of whatever is leftover the previous day into the barrel behind the wall. So the quality is strictly hit and miss.

But sitting exposed to air for 12 - 24 hours will tend to make most wine start to become vinegar... Still, it IS possible (logically) to hit it just right and come away with a better experience. However, this is just my hypothesis.

I have never heard of pilgrims getting fine wine from that tap. OTOH, I have never heard of someone dying from the experience either. So, I chalk it up to one of those unique experiences that one can only have on Camino...

Growing up in a family that made wine for some 20 years, and having learned to appreciate wine, I always just smiled knowingly as I walked by, and took photos of the other pilgrims reveling at Irache...

 

[natefaith]

I know you aren't recommending a large dose of orujo, but for those who think that alcohol warms you up, just keep in mind that it actually lowers your body temperature. Another good reason to walk in warmer temps, then you can drink wine to cool off!

http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/mythbusters-database/alcohol-warms-up/

Whaaa??!! I did not know that! Then again, I'm of the allergic constitution that turns red and bloodshot and falls asleep after half a glass.

 

[trecile]

I am surprised to read that some of those posting above have not encountered chilled red wine. Probably just shows the sort of low dives I usually patronise Some of my best menu del dia experiences have started with a waiter asking if I would prefer my tinto chilled or room temperature. I take that as a good sign! I first encountered gaseosa in Leon in 1990. The waitress asked if I wanted some with my wine. I thought it was a strange idea and declined. Then I glanced around and saw it on every other occupied table in the restaurant. I soon discovered why In a few places I have visited recently it has been brought with the wine automatically even where the wine has turned out to be quite pleasant after all. I would not assume that the presence of gaseosa is a sure-fire sign that you are about to be served vinegar badly disguised.

I don't think that the reason for the gaseosa is so much because the wine isn't good, but that people water down the wine to lessen the alcohol content, especially at midday.

 

[VNwalking]

I always just smiled knowingly as I walked by, and took photos of the other pilgrims reveling at Irache...

I lazily just take the shortcut up the road and miss the hoohah altogether. (And that means is that I get to the nice cafe stop in Azquieta before the crowd staggers in.)

Actually my faves are Kas Limon and in the evening Kas Bitter. Kas Bitter is a weird fire engine red color and has a weird artichokey taste - think vermouth - but it grows on you right away and is a great option if you don't drink and still want to sociable (or just want to hydrate).
And of course orange juice!

(And am I the only one who finds it amusing that the trendiest thread today in a forum devoted to a pilgrimage route is about drinking?)

 

[Deleted member 56069]

In the more old-fashioned traditional bars in Galicia orujo is often kept in an unlabelled bottle on the bar counter for those who would like to spice up their cafe solo. It is so cheap that if you want some you are usually just passed the bottle so that you can help yourself to the amount you fancy. Something of an acquired taste but welcome on a very chilly day!

We first experienced orujo at a restaurant in Ponferrada. And as you have described, it was produced from behind the bar in an unlabelled decanter. We did not ask for, it, it came with our deserts complimentary. For those inquiring minds that want to know how it is produced. It is distilled from the fermented remains from the primary fermentation stage of wine production. The aged orujo we sampled was amber in colour. Freshly distilled it is a clear liquid, but the aged variety gets its amber colour from being aged at least two years in oak barrels.
In any case it was a very nice end to our meal and something we enjoyed many times subsequently.

 

[Sheesh]

Ahhhh Pacharán. What a wonderful, warming elixir. I usually took it without ice, just like Brandy or a really good Scotch.

 

[jmcarp]

I'll admit to being a long way from a wine connoisseur, and in fact seldom spend more than US$10 for a bottle of wine here at home unless it's for a special occasion. However, we really enjoyed the vino tinto all along both our Caminos, plus a bit of vino verde on the Portugués. The only really bad red wine (and it was really bad) was when we were planning a picnic to watch the sunset at Finisterre. I think it killed the grass when we poured it out. I guess the fact that it came in a waxed paper milk carton-like container and cost only 89€cents for a liter should have been a clue.

 

[Deleted member 56069]

Just some speculation..., but the chilled red wine is likely a very young wine without any sulphates added in to stop the fermentation process. Once warmed up, the fermentation process would likely start again. So the chilled wine could be weeks or months old, no aging at all.

I make wine and when you want to completely stop the fermentation process, you need to add potassium metabisulphate to it. Also typically some sorbate is added as well (a food preservative). For those of you that find that red wine does not generally agree with you, it is likely you have a sensitivity to the sulphates (which is quite common). You know the dull headache and insides the next day that feel somewhat abused.
Why you get massive headaches from some wine, but not others all has to do with how much sulphate the particular winery has added to their wine. Of course if you consume 3 or 4 bottles at a sitting, all bets are off regardless!

Unfortunately, wine will not keep very long without the sulphate or sorbate. I have experimented and have cut back on both, but still have wine that ages nicely 3 to 5 years.

 

[Deleted member 56069]

(And am I the only one who finds it amusing that the trendiest thread today in a forum devoted to a pilgrimage route is about drinking?)

HaHa...I generally stay away from any regular pain medication. But I have problem self-medicating pain with a good bottle of wine!

 

[Bradypus]

(And am I the only one who finds it amusing that the trendiest thread today in a forum devoted to a pilgrimage route is about drinking?)

Amusing? - yes! Surprising? - no! After all it is predominantly a Catholic pilgrimage route On my way home from Spain some years ago I passed through London. I happened to get into conversation with a young American woman there for a short visit. She came from one of the southern states which still has a number of "dry" counties and was a member of a Protestant church with very strict prohibitions against alcohol. She interpreted this quite rigorously and would not eat in any restaurant which served alcohol - something that rather limited her options while in London. I admired her principled stance even though I do not share it myself. She remarked that the Caminos sounded interesting and that she might like to walk one herself some day. I am not sure that she fully understood me or believed me when I tried to explain how difficult it would be to stick to her anti-alcohol principles while in Spain.

 

[naplesdon]

Several years ago I was walking with 2 pilgrims from Barcelona on the Camino Portuguese, we decided to make it a short day on a Sunday and rest in Redondelo. After we found beds at the municipal albergue, they said they were going to spend the afternoon like they normally did in Barcelona on Sundays and drink Martinis all afternoon. Well, I'm old enough to remember the 2 and 3 martini business lunches I had during my career and thought that was not the best plan for unwinding on a rest day. I caught up with them later in the afternoon and found out their Martinis were actually vermouth on ice, the Martini branded vermouth.

 

[Stivandrer]

re wine, pref. red;
I am on a budget and I got the advice to shop in modest supermarkets for the un-labelled wine that would be sold much cheaper and in some cases would be excellent as they were from local winegrowers.
In any case one is subjected to a gamble anyway, and when dining on the cheap in the albergue, you´ll get 2 bottles for the price of one. And evryone is the merrier for it ....

 

[Deleted member 56069]

re wine, pref. red;
I am on a budget and I got the advice to shop in modest supermarkets for the un-labelled wine that would be sold much cheaper and in some cases would be excellent as they were from local winegrowers.
In any case one is subjected to a gamble anyway, and when dining on the cheap in the albergue, you´ll get 2 bottles for the price of one. And evryone is the merrier for it ....

We clued into this as well. Often the wine we bought was only corked, no shrink top or fancy label. More often than not, it was very drinkable stuff. More wine is always a good thing...

 

[domigee]

Amusing? - yes! Surprising? - no! After all it is predominantly a Catholic pilgrimage route On my way home from Spain some years ago I passed through London. I happened to get into conversation with a young American woman there for a short visit. She came from one of the southern states which still has a number of "dry" counties and was a member of a Protestant church with very strict prohibitions against alcohol. She interpreted this quite rigorously and would not eat in any restaurant which served alcohol - something that rather limited her options while in London. I admired her principled stance even though I do not share it myself. She remarked that the Caminos sounded interesting and that she might like to walk one herself some day. I am not sure that she fully understood me or believed me when I tried to explain how difficult it would be to stick to her anti-alcohol principles while in Spain.

I have a friend (French, from Lyon) who married a Southern 'belle', the wedding was in one of those 'dry' States. Oh to be a fly on the wall to watch the faces of all the French relatives being served orange juice with their meal They still talk about it

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

I was talking to two Spanish couples the other day, and they said it was a saying in Spain:

Si vas a España y no bebes vino, ¿por qué vas a España?

If you go to Spain and don't drink wine, why do you go to Spain?

To do a long walk .

Wish you well,Peter.

 

[jayree]

Standard coffee terms are café con leche (we all know this one),

For the first few weeks I didn't understand why my café con leches were often just warm (they use room temp milk). Then I learned to say "café con leche caliente" and they used steamed milk.

 

[alexwalker]

To do a long walk .

Wish you well,Peter.

No vino, no Camino...

 

[Pelegrin]

We first experienced orujo at a restaurant in Ponferrada. And as you have described, it was produced from behind the bar in an unlabelled decanter. We did not ask for, it, it came with our deserts complimentary. For those inquiring minds that want to know how it is produced. It is distilled from the fermented remains from the primary fermentation stage of wine production. The aged orujo we sampled was amber in colour. Freshly distilled it is a clear liquid, but the aged variety gets its amber colour from being aged at least two years in oak barrels.
In any case it was a very nice end to our meal and something we enjoyed many times subsequently.

The best orujos are those made with grapes from North Galicia (Betanzos) because the lack of sun in this area makes the orujo fruity and therefore it has less taste of pure alcohol.
There aren´t brands of this orujo in the market The only way that I know to get it is asking the local people in Betanzos.

 

[jayree]

No one mentioned mixing red wine with coca cola, a drink I was told was favored by the Basque.

Kalimotxo

 

[Deleted member 56069]

No one mentioned mixing red wine with coca cola, a drink I was told was favored by the Basque. I tried it... once.

I got a laugh out of this about mixing red wine with coca cola. I think I was about 13 when I went to a party with a big jug of home made chokecherry wine that my parents had made. My parents are wonderful people, but wine makers they are not. It was awful wine and mixing it with coke only managed to get myself and my buddies pretty sick. Almost cured me of drinking red wine ever again. But happy to say I got over it.

 

[jayree]

For those of you that find that red wine does not generally agree with you, it is likely you have a sensitivity to the sulphates (which is quite common).

Although "red wine headaches" are probably more related to the histamines, tyramine, bioamines and tannins. Dried fruit and processed meats contain much higher sulfite levels.

 

[Deleted member 56069]

Although "red wine headaches" are probably more related to the histamines, tyramine, bioamines and tannins. Dried fruit and processed meats contain much higher sulfite levels.

Interesting. I never get headaches of any kind when indulging in my own wine, yet frequently have headaches from commercially produced red wine. I have cut back on the addition of sulphites and sorbate as much as possible in my own wine and stay completely away of any of the clearing substances (kieselsol and chitosan) to promote the settling of yeast and solids in wine to help clear it. I use a high end filtering system to remove yeast particles and any other solids prior to bottling. Again, I try to keep the product as chemical free as possible. I do add some bentonite at the primary fermentation stage as it helps control proteins in the grapes that would otherwise mean the wine would not clear properly and be cloudy at bottling. It is essentially clay, so fairly inert and after filtering is completely gone.
I certainly love the taste of many commercially produced red wines, but beyond a couple of glasses I suffer the next day with most of them.
Interestingly enough I found I had virtually no issue with any of the wines consumed in Spain. This leads to believe I was drinking a product that consisted of grapes, yeast and water and no preservatives of any kind in it.
We won't get into that some wineries got caught years ago adding glycol to their white wines to make them sweeter.

 

[naplesdon]

I'll admit to being a long way from a wine connoisseur, and in fact seldom spend more than US$10 for a bottle of wine here at home unless it's for a special occasion. However, we really enjoyed the vino tinto all along both our Caminos, plus a bit of vino verde on the Portugués. The only really bad red wine (and it was really bad) was when we were planning a picnic to watch the sunset at Finisterre. I think it killed the grass when we poured it out. I guess the fact that it came in a waxed paper milk carton-like container and cost only 89€cents for a liter should have been a clue.

I got a laugh out of this about mixing red wine with coca cola. I think I was about 13 when I went to a party with a big jug of home made chokecherry wine that my parents had made. My parents are wonderful people, but wine makers they are not. It was awful wine and mixing it with coke only managed to get myself and my buddies pretty sick. Almost cured me of drinking red wine ever again. But happy to say I got over it.

Ah, the infamous boxed wine from Don Simone. We used to buy dusty boxes from bodegas in West Africa and found it was best consumed with Coca Cola which to the untrained palette tasted like Sangria.

 

[Sixwheeler]

If it pours I'll drink it.

 

[VNwalking]

No vino, no Camino...

You mean, you mean...no camino? I haven't been walking the Camino!?
Hee hee.....

 

[giuliamaria]

I wanted to follow up on a post I saw a few months ago, but now I can't find it! I did my best to eat and drink like the locals, and so made a few discoveries (discoveries to me, at least) along the way. For those wanting to break free from the typical pilgrim *beer / rioja cycle, try these:

Coffee

Standard coffee terms are café con leche (we all know this one), cortado (espresso with a little bit of heated milk), café solo (a shot of espresso), solo doble (double shot of espresso). That last term is so simple, but it took awhile for me to figure out.


Coffee for pros

A carajillo is a shot of espresso mixed with brandy. I saw this mostly in the Basque areas, where they would heat up the brandy in the espresso machine before adding it to the coffee. The old men advised me to have one around 10 am, as it gives you "a little courage" for the day. This was less common as we moved west.


Afternoons

Patxaran (Spanish: pacharán) is a Basque liquor flavored with sloe berries, usually served over ice. Every bar had it in La Rioja and Navarre, though it also became less common as we moved west.

Anís is similar to other anise-flavored drinks in France and Spain. Was more common towards Galicia. At least, I first noticed it in that area.

Cerveza con limón. By the third hot day in Spain we had all discovered how good a cerveza con limón was after a long day's walk. Mahou Limón is the pre-made brand, though it's better freshly made.

.
Wine

As one French peregrino noted, the Spanish do horrible things to wine. Specifically, almost every bar serves their red wine chilled. We might have had some great reds along the way, but chilling it masks all the flavor. Ah well. Moving into Galicia, though, there are some interesting reds to try. Albariño is nice and crisp, and I think is more well known now. New to me was godello, which was a floral wine with just enough acidity to give it some depth. It pairs nicely with Gallego food!

In León I discovered Spanish vermut, which is served on the rocks or in a martini glass. It's not a mixer like in other countries! There are tapas bars dedicated to vermouth, and a lot have their own house brands. Apparently good vermouth is the new trendy drink in Madrid.


Chupitos

A chupito is an after-dinner shot. I didn't learn the word until my final week, though I had been hearing it and not quite catching what people were saying.

In Castilla y León & Galicia, at least, a chupito means a shot of arujo, which is like grappa. It's fire water! You can have some added to your coffee, or just have a shot after dinner. It's really, really strong, so drink carefully.

I had an interesting experience one night when I asked for a brandy after dinner. The bartender asked me what kind, and I didn't know. He pulled out three bottles. The first had a picture of a bull. "This is what pilgrims drink," he told me, "because it's the cheapest." The third was a top-shelf brand. That one was for the tourists. The middle bottle, he said, is what we (locals) drink. I took the middle bottle. I wish I remembered the name.

Finally, there was a yellow herbal liqueur that I cannot remember the name of & that other peregrinos told me was good. I forgot about it and never tried it.


*not that there's anything wrong with beer and rioja.

** I'm not fluent at all in Spanish, so feel free to add any nuances or corrections!

 

[giuliamaria]

Great post Michael, thanks! By the way, the ubiquitous yellow liqueur that is popular in Galicia (and elsewhere in Spain as a digestivo) is called "hierbas" . It's made from herbs that are good for the digestion and similar liqueurs can be found all over Europe. Makes a very good end to a rich meal.

 

[Deleted member 56069]

Great post Michael, thanks! By the way, the ubiquitous yellow liqueur that is popular in Galicia (and elsewhere in Spain as a digestivo) is called "hierbas" . It's made from herbs that are good for the digestion and similar liqueurs can be found all over Europe. Makes a very good end to a rich meal.

Interesting, when I asked when they served it to me they claimed it was called Orujo. I believe hierbas is an entirely different liquor, but looks similar to Orujo. Below is what I found online.

Orujo's basic ingredient is the residue from wine production. Once the grapes are crushed, the orujos or residue of the grapes can be used to produce the liqueur of the same name. The grape skins, seeds and stalks are fermented in closed vats and then distilled. Stills, called alambiques, alquitaras or potas are traditionally large copper kettles that are heated over an open fire, while a poteiro (orujo distiller) watches over his brew. The distilling process in the alambiques takes six hours or more. The copper stills used by Galicians for centuries are thought to have been brought to the Iberian peninsula by the Arabs, which in fact, never was.

The orujo that is produced by the distillation is a colorless liquor, while the orujo envejecido or "aged orujo" is amber in color. The aged variety is fermented and distilled the same way, but is then poured into oak barrels to age for at least two years.

 

[trecile]

There are different types of Orujo, one of which is orujo de hierbas. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orujo

There are also coffee and honey orujos: http://blog.uvinum.co.uk/types-orujo-specialty-increasingly-demanded-2256102

 

[trecile]

If you are really an Orujo fan you can get orujo flavored ice cream

 

[Kanga]

A shout-out for limonada casera - the alcoholic type. It is like a white wine sangria. Lots of ice, and lemons. Thirst quenching and tastes delicious on a hot day, but can be deadly because it is so so easy to drink.

 

[Terri B]

If you're a tea drinker, you're pretty much screwed. I only found a few places that had proper black tea. Green tea was slightly more available but still not common.
I became very good at asking if Cafes had tea, but only about 1 in 20 or less answered yes.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

That's the one where I mentioned cider. Don't forget cider Michael.

I really dislike the cider/sidra. To me it tastes very watered down with a rather sour taste. Yuk! ... Anyone else out there in this camp?

 

[Camino Chrissy]

A shout-out for limonada casera - the alcoholic type. It is like a white wine sangria. Lots of ice, and lemons. Thirst quenching and tastes delicious on a hot day, but can be deadly because it is so so easy to drink.

I love ice in my mid day non-alcholic drinks when it's hot on the trail. Your suggestion sounds like a nice alternative to the chilled vino blanco I request at dinner on those days!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Great post Michael, thanks! By the way, the ubiquitous yellow liqueur that is popular in Galicia (and elsewhere in Spain as a digestivo) is called "hierbas" . It's made from herbs that are good for the digestion and similar liqueurs can be found all over Europe. Makes a very good end to a rich meal.

I have had a yellow liqueur in the Med. that tasted a like black licorice, but don't remember its name. I do, however, remember the yellow liqueur, Lemonchello, in Italy...yum!

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I really dislike the cider/sidra. To me it tastes very watered down with a rather sour taste. Yuk! ... Anyone else out there in this camp?

Sidra natural, the traditional cider, can taste like vinegar but you can get other types. The webpage https://www.clubplaneta.com.mx/bar/tipos_de_sidra.htm lists some types (but is in Spanish.) You will probably like the new type called Nueva Expresión. See http://www.cidersofspain.com/the-source-and-substance/ for more information.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I'll have to take some notes on the many varieties of alcoholic drinks suggested in this informative thread for future Caminos. I like the "buzz", but realize how little I really know about what I'm actually drinking.

 

[Susan hopes]

Aguardiente de Mierdas. Translates to something like "firewater of shit"

My computer screen thanks you for the coffee I just spewed on it.

 

[Bradypus]

I really dislike the cider/sidra. To me it tastes very watered down with a rather sour taste. Yuk! ... Anyone else out there in this camp?

I have to disagree with you - at least in part. I love the sour/sharp taste of sidra natural. Not unlike the traditional rough ciders of the west of England which have become very hard to find in recent years I would agree that the Spanish varieties are a bit lacking in body and light in alcohol though. The Asturian pouring ritual is a fun piece of theatre the first few times but as a northern barbarian I would be just as happy to be handed the bottle and a pint glass and left to get on with it

 

[Turga]

My computer screen thanks you for the coffee I just spewed on it.

Your screen is most welcome

 

[MichaelC]

Just some speculation..., but the chilled red wine is likely a very young wine without any sulphates added in to stop the fermentation process. Once warmed up, the fermentation process would likely start again. So the chilled wine could be weeks or months old, no aging at all.

I make wine and when you want to completely stop the fermentation process, you need to add potassium metabisulphate to it. Also typically some sorbate is added as well (a food preservative). For those of you that find that red wine does not generally agree with you, it is likely you have a sensitivity to the sulphates (which is quite common). You know the dull headache and insides the next day that feel somewhat abused.
Why you get massive headaches from some wine, but not others all has to do with how much sulphate the particular winery has added to their wine. Of course if you consume 3 or 4 bottles at a sitting, all bets are off regardless!

Unfortunately, wine will not keep very long without the sulphate or sorbate. I have experimented and have cut back on both, but still have wine that ages nicely 3 to 5 years.

This makes complete sense! The wine people I talked to when I was home equated chilled reds with cheap reds. It makes more sense that they are young, local wines without sulphates or preservatives. That would explain the low tannins, too - I'm usually more happy with an easy to drink village table wine over a big and important California wine.

 

[Sailor]

The best drink I had was prepared by a young lady, she was serving lemonade for donativo at a stand in front of her home by Uterga, after Alto del Perdon. To all caminantes, good luck, que la luz de Dios alumbre su camino.

 

[mspath]

On the camino one never knows when, where or from whom gracious help may arrive; or what it may be. Once in November after slogging 20 km or so from Hornillos del Camino to Castrojeriz along the top of the hills through wind, rain and a bit of sleet I finally arrived at the municipal albergue San Esteban at dusk soaked, cold and VERY tired. After climbing the steps and pushing open the door the young Spanish ad hoc hospitalero said "Margaret! How about a tea?" Steaming hot, sugared and immediately served in a jam jar the tea was offered with true caritas.
His gracious smile and welcome gesture of sincere simple hospitality were symbolic of the true camino spirit. We had met earlier when pilgrim floor mates at Granon. Such shared serendipity is so very precious and at that moment the hot tea was more welcome than any champagne here on the Marne.

 

[HedaP]

Té negro con limón. Rarely a problem ordering one but I have only walked the CF.

 

[Deleted member 56069]

I have had a yellow liqueur in the Med. that tasted a like black licorice, but don't remember its name. I do, however, remember the yellow liqueur, Lemonchello, in Italy...yum!

Here are variations in flavors of the anise seed (licorice):

Jagermeister, Anisette from most Mediterranean countries, French Pastis, Italian Sambuca, French Pernot, Spanish Pacharan, Greek Ouzo, Arak from the Middle East, and Hofland’s Meesterbitter from Holland.

 

[Kanga]

The comments about sidra reminded me of having great fun on the Norte, where we drank it often - even though not keen on the taste we loved the performance!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Here are variations in flavors of the anise seed (licorice):

Jagermeister, Anisette from most Mediterranean countries, French Pastis, Italian Sambuca, French Pernot, Spanish Pacharan, Greek Ouzo, Arak from the Middle East, and Hofland’s Meesterbitter from Holland.

I'm worn out from just reading your list!

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

About three decades ago while we were car touring in southern Spain Peg had trouble remembering the phrase cafe con leche. So, about half the time when getting her coffee in the mornings (without me, I'm not a coffee drinker) she would request "Cafe au lait, por favor" to her regret. She says that whenever she did she got something different and not as good. Peg picked up some Spanish for our camino trip. She did okay understanding spoken Spanish but not so well with speaking it herself (I did most of the talking.) She sure did remember to say "Cafe con leche, por favor" though.

 

[Deleted member 56069]

I'm worn out from just reading your list!

Off the top of head, not sure what time zone Illinois is in...but almost time for a glass of wine! Have to keep up the Camino training. It's more than just walking and working out!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

The comments about sidra reminded me of having great fun on the Norte, where we drank it often - even though not keen on the taste we loved the performance!

Yes, I did love the presentation of the sidra on the Norte, too,, but I always wondered what they did with the excess they poured into the big barrel.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Off the top of head, not sure what time zone Illinois is in...but almost time for a glass of wine! Have to keep up the Camino training. It's more than just walking and working out!

It is 3:25 in the afternoon here right now. I'm not gonna say if it's already been "wine time" or not at my house today!

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I really dislike the cider/sidra. To me it tastes very watered down with a rather sour taste. Yuk! ... Anyone else out there in this camp?

The following is a copy of a post that I did for another thread: (The links are different from what I posted here earlier.)

How about cider? You can get it either dry or sweet. In the US Martinelli sells a non-alcoholic but effervescent cider that you can try out before trying a fermented cider.

In Galicia, as in Asturias, you can get a traditional cider called sidra natural. The sidra natural that I've had tasted a bit vinegary but I found it pleasant none-the-less (but Peg did not care for it much.) One place where I ordered sidra natural the bartender cut a trough into a cork. He then poured the first drink with his hands spread out high and then handed me both the glass and the bottle for me to do the rest of the pours. Clearer and more bubbly ciders can also be bought in bottles with an alcohol content about the same as beer. Be careful though, I find myself drinking cider a bit too fast.

Here are a few links:
http://zesterdaily.com/drinking/asturian-cider-spanish-sidra-natural-vs-new-expression/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cider#Spain

 

[Bala]

Here are variations in flavors of the anise seed (licorice):

Jagermeister, Anisette from most Mediterranean countries, French Pastis, Italian Sambuca, French Pernot, Spanish Pacharan, Greek Ouzo, Arak from the Middle East, and Hofland’s Meesterbitter from Holland.

And every Greek Island in the Mediterranean make a its own variation, and gives it its own name.

As for the fountain at Irache.... at 8 a.m. it tasted pretty good to me. Hey, it had to be noon somewhere in the world, yes?

 

[Kanga]

Yes, I did love the presentation of the sidra on the Norte, too,, but I always wondered what they did with the excess they poured into the big barrel.

Chorizos en sidra, menestra de verdura con sidra, pollo a la sidra.....

 

[Dabo]

43 was better than the hierbas. It had a hint of vanilla. I brought one of the art bottles back from the airport in Madrid. I have a camino buddy coming for Thanksgiving and will surprise him with it.

SO GOOD!!!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Chorizos en sidra, menestra de verdura con sidra, pollo a la sidra.....

Ok, I barely know any Spanish, but I think you are saying they save the sidra in the barrels to soak chorizo sausage and chicken in it as a marinade before cooking it?

 

[marjm007]

I don't ever drink alcohol.. never have.. just personal choice, not moral judgment. I hate coffee... again, just me. My son enjoys wine and beer periodically and loves the coffee drinks on Camino.

My drinks of choice, besides water while on Camino: Kas orange, Fanta orange (the orange pop there taste a lot better than here). Coke Zero. PowerAde. Yup, I have my own drink vices

And the Kas and Coke Zero cost much more than wine or water.

 

[linkster]

My non-alcohol drink of choice was Aquarius Limón. Similar to Powerade or Gatorade, but I think less sugary.

 

[Deleted member 67338]

I wanted to follow up on a post I saw a few months ago, but now I can't find it! I did my best to eat and drink like the locals, and so made a few discoveries (discoveries to me, at least) along the way. For those wanting to break free from the typical pilgrim *beer / rioja cycle, try these:

Coffee

Standard coffee terms are café con leche (we all know this one), cortado (espresso with a little bit of heated milk), café solo (a shot of espresso), solo doble (double shot of espresso). That last term is so simple, but it took awhile for me to figure out.


Coffee for pros

A carajillo is a shot of espresso mixed with brandy. I saw this mostly in the Basque areas, where they would heat up the brandy in the espresso machine before adding it to the coffee. The old men advised me to have one around 10 am, as it gives you "a little courage" for the day. This was less common as we moved west.


Afternoons

Patxaran (Spanish: pacharán) is a Basque liquor flavored with sloe berries, usually served over ice. Every bar had it in La Rioja and Navarre, though it also became less common as we moved west.

Anís is similar to other anise-flavored drinks in France and Spain. Was more common towards Galicia. At least, I first noticed it in that area.

Cerveza con limón. By the third hot day in Spain we had all discovered how good a cerveza con limón was after a long day's walk. Mahou Limón is the pre-made brand, though it's better freshly made.

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Wine

As one French peregrino noted, the Spanish do horrible things to wine. Specifically, almost every bar serves their red wine chilled. We might have had some great reds along the way, but chilling it masks all the flavor. Ah well. Moving into Galicia, though, there are some interesting reds to try. Albariño is nice and crisp, and I think is more well known now. New to me was godello, which was a floral wine with just enough acidity to give it some depth. It pairs nicely with Gallego food!

In León I discovered Spanish vermut, which is served on the rocks or in a martini glass. It's not a mixer like in other countries! There are tapas bars dedicated to vermouth, and a lot have their own house brands. Apparently good vermouth is the new trendy drink in Madrid.


Chupitos

A chupito is an after-dinner shot. I didn't learn the word until my final week, though I had been hearing it and not quite catching what people were saying.

In Castilla y León & Galicia, at least, a chupito means a shot of arujo, which is like grappa. It's fire water! You can have some added to your coffee, or just have a shot after dinner. It's really, really strong, so drink carefully.

I had an interesting experience one night when I asked for a brandy after dinner. The bartender asked me what kind, and I didn't know. He pulled out three bottles. The first had a picture of a bull. "This is what pilgrims drink," he told me, "because it's the cheapest." The third was a top-shelf brand. That one was for the tourists. The middle bottle, he said, is what we (locals) drink. I took the middle bottle. I wish I remembered the name.

Finally, there was a yellow herbal liqueur that I cannot remember the name of & that other peregrinos told me was good. I forgot about it and never tried it.


*not that there's anything wrong with beer and rioja.

** I'm not fluent at all in Spanish, so feel free to add any nuances or corrections!

Great post I am going to print it for my next Camino however I would drink Spanish wine over that French vinegar any day.

 

[Tazz]

The nameless herbal liqueur mentioned in the first post is likely Hierbas. One of my fellow pilgrim walkers from Germany introduced me to this. It is of Balearic Island origin and very nice, especially with some ice, however, cab be a little dangerous as it is too easy to drink.
I personally like the opportunity to try wines from 4 different regions along the Camino Frances (Navarra, Rioja, Bierzo and Ribera del Duero). The last being my favorite and apparently the favorite of many Spaniards.
Salud from Canada
Jamie

 

[HenkSlb]

Té negro con limón. Rarely a problem ordering one but I have only walked the CF.
Té negro or té rojo obtainable everywhere along the Via de la Plata!
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[HenkSlb]

Té negro or té rojo obtainable everywhere on the Via de la Plata!