Sin alcohol, gracias: Drinks Talk in Spain

Natural Spanish for turning down alcohol politely, ordering alcohol-free drinks, toasting with a soft drink and checking what's in a dish.

In Spain going out is social and tied to food: people share tapas on a terraza and order rounds, but saying « Yo no bebo » is completely normal and nobody needs a reason. Bars always have alcohol-free options: zumo natural, agua con gas, refrescos, horchata in summer and mosto, grape juice served in a wine glass. You look people in the eye when you toast, whatever is in your glass. At home, wine often goes into stews and ham into croquetas, so it is normal to ask what a dish lleva. The cards follow an evening on a terraza in Madrid with a coworker and his friend, then a family dinner at his mother's.