What to Drink with Tapas: Vermouth, Sherry, Cava, Beer and Wine
The Spanish way to drink with tapas: vermouth at noon, fino with ham, cava with anything salty, a small beer, Albariño with tins — and how to serve each.
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In Spain the drink comes first: you go out for un vermut or una caña, and the tapas follow. Drinks are served small and cold, so you can have one per bar without ending the night early. Here’s what goes with what.
At a glance
| Drink | When | Best with |
|---|---|---|
| Vermouth (vermut) | Noon to 2 pm, weekends | Tins, olives, crisps, gildas |
| Fino / manzanilla | Any time | Ibérico ham, almonds, seafood |
| Cava | Celebrations, any time | Anything salty or fried |
| Small beer (caña) | Any time | Everything |
| Albariño / white | Lunch | Tinned seafood, cheese |
| Young red | Evening | Chorizo, lomo, aged Manchego |
Vermouth: the noon ritual
La hora del vermut is a weekend institution: red, sweet vermouth, poured over ice with a slice of orange and a green olive, often from a tap. It’s made for salty snacks — a tin of mussels in escabeche and a bowl of crisps is the classic.
Ramón Peña mussels in escabeche 16/20 (set of 4 × 110 g)
Ramón Peña · Galician rías · 4 tins
Galician mussels in escabeche — a tangy sauce of oil, vinegar and paprika. A classic of Spanish vermouth hour.
Why we like it
- A benchmark Galician canner
Keep in mind
- Tangy sauce: not for everyone
→ How Spanish bars serve their tins
Fino and manzanilla: made for ham
Dry, pale sherries from Jerez (fino) and Sanlúcar de Barrameda (manzanilla). Served well chilled in a small glass, they’re salty and nutty, and they make the fat of ibérico ham taste cleaner. Once opened, keep the bottle in the fridge and finish it within a few days.
Jamón de Bellota 100% Ibérico D.O.P. Jabugo, hand-cut, vacuum packed
PDO Jabugo · Sierra de Huelva (PDO Jabugo) · Hand-cut slices, vacuum pack
Carries the Jabugo Protected Designation of Origin seal — useful if you want to taste the intense Jabugo style and compare it with a Salamanca ham.
Best for: Comparing origins, Jabugo fans
Price and availability on Amazon.co.uk
Cava: the fizz that goes with everything
Spain’s traditional-method sparkling wine, mostly from Catalonia. Dry (brut) cava cuts through fried and salty food better than almost anything.
Beer: una caña
A caña is a small glass of draft lager. In the Basque Country, ask for a zurito, even smaller. The point is that it’s always cold.
White wine with tins
A fresh Albariño from Galicia — the same coast where many of the best tins come from — is a natural match for sardines, mussels and octopus.
Ortiz Sardinas a la Antigua in olive oil (8 × 140 g)
Conservas Ortiz · Cantabrian Sea · 8 tins
Old-style sardines: lightly fried before canning, meaty and mild. The easiest way into Spanish conservas.
Why we like it
- Mild, meaty
Keep in mind
- Skin and soft bones (normal)
Red wine
A young red from Rioja or Ribera del Duero goes with chorizo, lomo and aged Manchego. Avoid big, oaky reds with ham: they flatten it.
Serving tips
- Small and cold. Better two small glasses than one big warm one.
- Fino in the fridge, vermouth on ice, cava in an ice bucket.
- Something without alcohol: Spanish bars serve mosto (unfermented grape juice) and alcohol-free beer on tap for a reason.
→ Put it all together: a Spanish tapas menu for a party
→ Why fino works so well: sherry explained
→ The bottle that goes with everything: cava explained
→ All our wine guides: Spanish wine and sherry