Drinks in GermanVocabulary & Pronunciation

Coffee, tea, still water & martinis - if you want to order a drink in German, you've got to know some important vocabulary. Luckily for English speakers, many words are the same or very similar. Enjoy your milkshakes!


If you're looking for German drinks vocabulary, you've come to the right place. We've compiled a big list of all kinds of different drinks you might want to order, buy or mix yourself.

Common Drinks

Before looking at the different names for drinks in German in more detail, let us give you a quick overview of common German drinks. Here are some common hot beverages in German:

coffee
tea
hot chocolate
hot milk with honey
hot lemon

And here are some common cold drinks in German:

beer
wine
lemonade
water
coke

If you want to dive deeper, keep on scrolling.

Hot Beverages

Coffee in German

Coffee is a popular drink here in Germany, and there are many different kinds of coffees you can order here. The word for "coffee" itself is "Kaffee".

coffee
black coffee
filter coffee

If you order a coffee at a cafe in Germany, you might ask for a "Espresso", "Cappuccino", or "Latte Macchiato". Those specific types of coffee are exactly the same as in English (and are also pronounced the same):

der Espresso
espresso
der Cappuccino
cappuccino
der Flat White
flat white
die Latte
latte

Of course you might also want to ask for "Zucker" (sugar) or "Milch" (milk) to be added.

This post is about different drinks in German, so we won't go into detail about how to order a coffee. But if you're looking for something like that, we have good news: We wrote a full guide on how to order a coffee in German.

Tea

Another popular beverage in Germany is tea (der Tee). If you order a cup of tea at a cafe or restaurant here in Germany, you might want to order a specific type of tea such as "Grüner Tee" (green tea) or "Schwarzer Tee" (black tea).

tea
black tea
green tea
ice tea
herbal tea

Cold Drinks

Soft Drinks in German

Soft drinks, also known as "Erfrischungsgetränke" in German, are a popular choice for many people in Germany. Some common soft drinks in Germany include "das Mineralwasser" (mineral water) and "die Limonade" (lemonade).

mineral water
lemonade
coke
fanta
sprite
still water

If you are looking for a sweet, carbonated drink, you might order a "Cola" or a "Fanta".

In addition to these mainstream brands, you can also find a variety of smaller, local soft drink brands and flavors.

In Berlin, Fritz Cola is very popular (be careful though, it's highly caffeinated) and Club Mate is a drink very popular in the clubbing scene here in Berlin (and also contains lots of caffeine).

Juices in German

Juices, or "Säfte" in German, are also really popular here. There are many different types of juices available, including those made from fruit, vegetables, or a combination of both.

orange juice
apple juice
mango juice
carrot juice
coconut water

Some common juices in Germany include "Apfelsaft" (apple juice), "Orangensaft" (orange juice), and "Tomatensaft" (tomato juice). In addition to these staple juices, you may also find a variety of more exotic flavors, such as "Ananas-Saft" (pineapple juice) or "Mangosaft" (mango juice).

Alcoholic Drinks

Beers & Wine in German

Germany is known for its delicious beers and wines, and there is a wide variety of both available. Let's have a look at beers first.

Some common types of beer in Germany include "Pils" (pilsner), "Weizenbier" (wheat beer), and "Dunkel" (dark beer). In addition to traditional beers, you may also find a variety of craft beers and other specialty brews. Maibock.

wine
red wine
white wine
beer
wheat beer
champagne

As for wine, Germany & Austria are known for their white wines, particularly those made from Riesling grapes. Some common German / Austrian white wines include "Riesling" and "Grüner Veltliner".

Spirits in German

While the older generation often drinks "Schnaps" as digestif after meals, many younger people like to consume their Schnaps as a pre-drink before a night out. The words for spirits in German are pretty much the same as in English:

der Rum
rum
der Whisky
whisky
der Tequila
tequila
der Vodka
vodka
der Cognac
cognac
der Jägermeister
jäger bomb

Germany is also home to a variety of traditional and regional liqueurs (with the most popular of these probably being "Jägermeister").

These liqueurs are often flavored with herbs, spices, or fruit. Gin from the black forest is quite popular too. A secret tip is "Von Hallers Gin" - a herbal gin made after a recipe by the German polymath & botanist Albrecht von Haller.

Cocktails in German

Just like spirits, the German names for cocktails are the same as in English.

The only difference here is that the German version comes with an article, which is easy to remember in these cases:

der Gin & Tonic
gin tonic
der Old Fashioned
old fashioned
der Martini
martini
der Negroni
negroni
der Pina Colada
pina colada
der Mojito
mojito

As you can see, for cocktails, the article is pretty much always masculine.



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