Spanish isn’t just grammar and vocab lists — it’s pisco sours in Lima, mate gourds passed hand to hand in Buenos Aires, and the click of ice in a caipirinha glass in Rio. Food and drink vocabulary is some of the most useful (and most fun) Spanish you’ll ever learn, because it comes up on every trip, in every market, at every table. Here are seven drinks from across South America that double as a mini Spanish lesson in disguise.
1. Mate (Argentina)
Mate is Argentina’s national drink, made from the dried leaves of the yerba mate plant and traditionally drunk from a hollowed gourd through a metal straw called a bombilla. It started with the Guaraní people of Paraguay and spread across the region as a daily ritual of hospitality — friends and family share one gourd, refilling it as it’s passed around the group.
Useful phrase: ¿Querés unos mates? — “Fancy some mate?” — is one of the most common invitations you’ll hear in Argentina.
Want the fuller story (and the etiquette rules around sharing a gourd)? Read Mate: it’s an Argentine thang!
Mate, often referred to as the national drink of Argentina, is a traditional herbal infusion that has been enjoyed for centuries by the indigenous people of South America. This caffeine-rich beverage is made from the dried leaves of the Yerba Mate plant and is typically served in a hollow gourd called a “mate” with a metal straw known as a “bombilla.”
The preparation and serving of mate are deeply ingrained in Argentine culture and it holds great social significance. It is not uncommon to see groups of friends or family passing around a shared mate, taking turns sipping from the same gourd. This communal ritual symbolizes friendship, trust, and hospitality.
To prepare mate, hot water (not boiling) is poured over the yerba mate leaves in the gourd. The bombilla acts as both a straw and sieve, allowing you to sip on the drink while filtering out any loose leaves. Traditionally, it is customary to share one gourd among several people before preparing another round with fresh leaves.
Besides its cultural significance, mate also offers many health benefits. It contains antioxidants and vitamins such as vitamin C and B-complex vitamins which can boost immunity and improve digestion. Its high caffeine content provides an energy boost without causing jitters or crashes like coffee does.
Mate can be enjoyed at any time of day but is most commonly consumed in the morning or afternoon. Read more about this intriguing drink in this blog post: Mate: it’s an Argentine thang!
2. Pisco Sour (Peru)
Peru’s national cocktail mixes pisco (a clear grape brandy), lime juice, simple syrup, egg white, and a few drops of Angostura bitters, shaken hard until frothy. It was invented in the 1920s by an American bartender, Victor Morris, working in Lima — proof that some of the best national drinks have surprisingly mixed origins.
Useful phrase: Un pisco sour, por favor will get you a long way in any Lima bar.
3. Caipirinha (Brazil)
Brazil’s signature cocktail combines cachaça (a spirit distilled from sugarcane juice) with muddled lime and sugar over crushed ice. It started in rural Brazil in the 19th century as a home remedy before becoming the drink you’ll find at every beach bar and street party in the country.
To make one: muddle lime wedges with sugar to release the oils, fill the glass with crushed ice, then add 2 oz of cachaça and stir well.
Useful phrase: Brazil speaks Portuguese, not Spanish — but caipirinha has become a loanword across the Spanish-speaking world too, so you’ll hear it used the same way in Spanish conversation.
4. Chicha Morada (Peru)
A non-alcoholic Peruvian drink made by boiling purple corn with pineapple, apple, cinnamon, and cloves, then adding lime juice for a tangy finish. It dates back to the Inca civilisation, where it was used as an offering during religious ceremonies, long before Spanish colonisers added the cinnamon and cloves we associate with it today.
Useful phrase: ¿Tiene chicha morada? — handy if you want something refreshing and alcohol-free.
5. Aguardiente (Colombia)
The name means “firewater,” and it lives up to it: a strong spirit distilled from fermented sugarcane and flavoured with anise, giving it a distinct liquorice taste. Colombia’s national drink varies by region — Antioqueño aguardiente from Medellín is sweeter, while Nariño’s version in the south leans more herbal.
Useful phrase: Un aguardientico — the affectionate diminutive Colombians use for a small shot, and a nice example of how the -ico/-ico ending (rather than -ito) marks Colombian Spanish, particularly in the Paisa region around Medellín.
6. Chilcano de Mar
A lighter, more refreshing cousin of the Pisco Sour: pisco, ginger ale, lime juice, and a dash of Angostura bitters over ice. The name comes from the Quechua word chillca (“fishing line”), supposedly because it was first mixed by fishermen looking for something refreshing out at sea.
Useful phrase: Chilcano is a good one to drop if you want to sound like you know your way around a Lima bar menu beyond the obvious pisco sour.
7. Fernet con Coca (Argentina)
Argentina’s other great drink: Fernet, a bitter Italian herbal liqueur, mixed with Coca-Cola over ice. Fernet itself is Italian, dating to the 19th century, but the combination with cola became a uniquely Argentine ritual — it’s the unofficial drink of choice at asados (barbecues) and late nights out across the country.
Useful phrase: Fernet con coca is said as one phrase, almost like ordering a single drink rather than two ingredients — a small but telling detail about how embedded it is in everyday Argentine life.
More than just the words
Drinks like these are a perfect example of why learning Spanish through culture sticks better than learning it through a textbook. Knowing that aguardientico marks you as understanding Colombian Spanish specifically, or that chilcano signals you’ve done your homework on Peru, is the kind of detail that comes from real conversation practice — not rote memorisation.
If you’d like to build vocabulary like this properly — the kind that actually comes up when you’re traveling, eating out, or chatting with Spanish-speaking friends — take a look at our Spanish courses for adults. Whether you’re a complete beginner, brushing up before a holiday, or want to finally get comfortable with real conversation, there’s a course at every stage.
Have you tried any of these? Which is your favourite? Let us know in the comments.
