Indulgences

12 phrases · Spanish with romanization, English and audio

  1. vermut

    Vermouth

    Usage

    Herb-flavoured fortified wine. In Spain it is drunk late on Sunday mornings with olives — the ritual is called "la hora del vermut". Bars serving it from the barrel advertise "de grifo"

    Grammar Note

    Masculine. The RAE accepts "vermut", "vermú" and "vermuz"; signs most often use "vermut"

  2. sidra

    Cider

    Usage

    Apple wine from Asturias and the Basque Country. It is poured from high above the glass ("escanciar") to aerate it, and drunk in small shots. The bars are "sidrerías"

    Grammar Note

    Feminine. "Sidra natural" is the still, unfiltered traditional style; "sidra espumosa" is the sparkling bottle-fermented type

  3. cava

    Cava (Spanish sparkling wine)

    Usage

    Spain's protected-origin sparkling wine, made by bottle fermentation and mostly produced in the Penedès area of Catalonia. Sweetness runs dulce, semiseco, seco, brut, brut nature

  4. jerez

    Sherry

    Usage

    Fortified wine from around Jerez de la Frontera in Cádiz, Andalusia — the English word "sherry" comes from the place name. Ranges from bone-dry "fino" to sweet Pedro Ximénez

  5. manzanilla

    Manzanilla (dry sherry)

    Usage

    A bone-dry fortified wine made only in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, served chilled with seafood. Mixed with lemon soda it becomes "rebujito", the drink of Andalusian fairs

    Grammar Note

    Careful: the same word also means camomile tea. In a bar, say "una manzanilla de Sanlúcar" to be unambiguous

  6. pacharán

    Pacharán (sloe liqueur)

    Usage

    A digestif from Navarre: sloes macerated in anise spirit, giving a sweet red liqueur of 25–30% alcohol. Served over ice

    Grammar Note

    From Basque "patxaran"; the Spanish spelling is "pacharán", with the written accent on the final syllable

  7. orujo

    Orujo (grape pomace brandy)

    Usage

    Spirit distilled from grape skins left after pressing — the Spanish counterpart of grappa, drunk after meals in Galicia and Castile and León. The herbal version is "orujo de hierbas"

  8. anís

    Anise liqueur

    Usage

    Spirit macerated with aniseed, sold as sweet ("anís dulce") or dry ("anís seco"), ranging from about 30% to 50% alcohol. In some regions it accompanies morning coffee or festival mornings

  9. carajillo

    Carajillo (coffee with liquor)

    Usage

    Espresso laced with brandy, rum, anise or orujo, served hot in a small glass. Name the spirit when ordering, e.g. "carajillo de ron"

  10. calimocho

    Calimocho (red wine with cola)

    Usage

    Red wine mixed roughly half-and-half with cola. It spread from the Basque Country and is a fixture at local festivals; the Basque spelling "kalimotxo" is equally common

  11. puro

    Cigar

    Usage

    Cigar; the Canary island of La Palma is a known producer. Note that Spanish law has banned smoking in all enclosed public spaces, bars and restaurants included, since 2011 — smoking is outdoor only

    Grammar Note

    Masculine: "el puro". Identical in form to the adjective "puro" (pure), so context distinguishes them

  12. mate

    Mate

    Usage

    An everyday drink in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and southern Brazil: yerba mate in a gourd, shared around through a metal straw ("bombilla"). The cold-brewed "tereré" is Paraguayan

    Grammar Note

    Masculine. "El mate" names both the gourd and the drink; the leaf itself is "la yerba mate"

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