Drinking Traditions of Southern Europe: 6 Iconic Beverages

Southern Europe drinks what its climate grows: sun-ripe grapes, citrus, wild herbs, and stone fruit. Maritime winds and mountain terraces shape vineyards and orchards from Portugal to the Balkans, while centuries of trade tied ports and cellars to wider worlds.

Meals run long; alcohol frames the day—anise aperitifs before seaside meze, fortified wines with tapas, bright digestivi after lemon-scented dinners. Rituals remain local, but the glass in hand tells stories of craft, faith, and family across coasts and islands.

Port is Portugal’s fortified wine born on the steep schist of the Douro Valley and aged in the riverside lodges of Vila Nova de Gaia across from Porto. Made from indigenous grapes—Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, and more—fermentation is stopped with grape spirit (aguardente) to preserve natural sweetness. Traditional lagares still see foot-treading, while modern wineries use robotic paddles. Styles range from ruby and late bottled vintage (fruit-forward, youthful) to tawny (oxidative, nutty) and vintage (bottle-aged complexity). Alcohol typically sits at 19–22% ABV. Expect aromas of blackberry compote, fig, baking spice, and caramel in tawnies; fresh black fruit and violets in rubies. Culturally, port evolved for export through Atlantic trade, yet remains a local ritual—white port and tonic as an aperitif in Porto, or aged tawny with queijo da Serra after dinner. Visit Gaia lodges for guided tastings and terrace views, or sip a glass with roasted nuts at dusk along the Ribeira.

Sherry (Jerez-Xérès-Sherry) comes from the triangle of Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, and El Puerto de Santa María in Spain’s Cádiz province. Dry styles use Palomino; sweet styles draw on Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel. Wines mature in a solera, a cascading system of barrels that blends ages for consistency. Biological aging under flor creates Fino and coastal Manzanilla (about 15% ABV), yielding aromas of green almond, sourdough, and sea spray; oxidative Oloroso (typically 17–22% ABV) develops walnut, toffee, and leather notes. Fortification occurs to encourage or suppress flor, and each bodega manages humidity and airflow to shape the wine’s character. Sherry is integral to Andalusian life—Feria de Jerez pours chilled Fino with jamón and fried fish, while Oloroso warms winter stews. In tapas bars, copitas are served cool: 6–8°C for Fino/Manzanilla, 12–14°C for Amontillado and Oloroso. Seek out bodega tours in Jerez to walk the cathedral-like cellars and learn how decades-old criaderas impart complexity.

Ouzo is Greece’s anise spirit, a protected name in the EU, distilled from neutral alcohol flavored with anise and often fennel, mastic, cardamom, or coriander. Producers typically redistill botanicals in copper alembics, resulting in a clear, aromatic spirit at 37.5–50% ABV (commonly around 40%). When diluted with water or ice, ouzo turns milky—the louche effect caused by anethole oils. The taste is sweet-licorice with herbal lift and a cooling finish, built for slow sipping. Ouzo’s place is the ouzeri and seaside taverna: meze arrive in waves—grilled octopus, marinated anchovies, tomatoes and olives—so the alcohol supports conversation rather than haste. Plomari, on the island of Lesvos, is a historic center of production; in Athens and Thessaloniki, you’ll find ouzo poured at midday or early evening before heavier wines. Culturally, it traces to late Ottoman-era distilling and village traditions of communal bottling days. Order a carafe and a bowl of ice and enjoy the scent of fennel and the Aegean breeze.

Rakija is the Balkan fruit brandy poured at greetings, toasts, and farewells across Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. It begins with fermented fruit—plum for šljivovica, grape pomace for lozovača, quince for dunjevača, apricot for kajsijevača—distilled in copper stills (kazan), often twice for purity. Homemade rakija can exceed 50% ABV, while commercial bottlings usually sit near 40–45%. Aroma and flavor mirror the fruit: ripe orchard notes in apricot and quince, herbal snap in travarica (herbal-infused), and gentle tannin when aged in oak or mulberry. Hospitality is the rule: a small glass appears when you enter a home in Belgrade or Zagreb, at a village slava in Serbia, or after a meal in Sarajevo and Podgorica. It pairs with grilled meats, cheeses, and pickled salads, and is sipped, not shot, to judge clarity, viscosity, and the warm, persistent finish. Regional GIs protect certain styles, and autumn distillation remains a social craft, with families gathering to tend the still through the night.

Limoncello is southern Italy’s lemon liqueur, iconic along the Sorrento Peninsula and Amalfi Coast. Zest from Sorrento and Amalfi lemons—especially the elongated sfusato Amalfitano—macerates in high-proof neutral alcohol before sugar syrup rounds the infusion. The result is a brilliantly yellow, aromatic digestivo at 25–32% ABV, served straight from the freezer in small, frosted glasses. Expect a burst of lemon oil, pithy bitterness for balance, and a clean, sweet finish. Production ranges from backyard demijohns to artisanal bottlers who emphasize PGI fruit and short supply chains. Culturally, it closes meals in Amalfi, Sorrento, and Naples, sometimes alongside biscotti or delizia al limone. Variations include crema di limoncello (with milk) and arancello (orange). Sip it after seafood dinners on a summer night, when the Mediterranean air carries citrus blossom scents and the liqueur’s oils leave a silky trace on the palate.

Ginjinha (or simply ginja) is Lisbon’s beloved sour-cherry liqueur made by macerating Morello-type cherries in aguardente with sugar, often spiced with cinnamon or clove. The ABV typically ranges from 18–22%. Producers either leave fruit in the bottle or strain it, yielding a ruby liqueur that smells of cherry compote, almond kernel, and warm spice, with a sweet-tart palate and gentle heat. Its story runs through small taverns and street counters—most famously A Ginjinha by Rossio—where you order “com ou sem” (with or without a cherry). While Óbidos and Alcobaça hold a PGI for Ginja de Óbidos e Alcobaça, Lisbon’s historic bars made the ritual urban: a quick glass mid-afternoon, at sunset, or after dinner on a cool night. Pair it with a pastéis de nata or salty snacks. In cooler months, locals swear by its warming effect; in summer, it’s a bright digestif, linking city sidewalks to orchards beyond the Tagus.