German Drinks Vocabulary
This set covers what you'd actually order or talk about at a bar, café, or dinner table in Germany, from der Kaffee and das Bier to less obvious words like der Bodensatz (the sediment at the bottom of a coffee cup or wine bottle) and der Flachmann, that flat pocket flask people sneak into festivals. One thing that trips up English speakers: die Limonade in German means any carbonated soft drink, not specifically lemon-lime soda, so a cola-flavored fizzy drink can technically be called Limonade too.
Learn these 20 words
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All 20 words
plural: die Biere
beer
Noch ein Bier bitte. — Another beer, please.
plural: die Colas
cola
Er bestellt eine Cola zum Essen. — He orders a cola with the meal.
coffee
Zum Frühstück trinke ich immer Kaffee. — For breakfast I always drink coffee.
plural: die Säfte
juice
Möchtest du einen Apfelsaft? — Would you like an apple juice?
plural: die Tees
tea
Ich trinke morgens immer Tee. — I always drink tea in the morning.
water
Ein Glas Wasser, bitte. — A glass of water, please.
plural: die Weine
wine
Nein danke, ich möchte keinen Wein. — No thanks, I don't want wine.
plural: die Getränke
beverage
Die Getränkekarte, bitte! — The drinks menu, please!
plural: die Kakaos
cocoa
Zum Frühstück trinke ich immer einen Kakao. — I always drink cocoa for breakfast.
plural: die Limonaden
lemonade
Die Limonade ist sehr süß. — The lemonade is very sweet.
plural: die Mineralwässer
mineral water
Kann ich bitte ein Mineralwasser haben? — Can I have a mineral water, please?
- ProstB1
cheers
Wir trinken auf Ihre Gesundheit! Prost! — We drink to your health! Cheers!
plural: die Schnäpse
schnapps
Nach dem Essen trinken wir einen Schnaps. — After the meal we drink a schnapps.
plural: die Flachmänner
a hip flask
Er trug einen Flachmann in seiner Tasche. — He carried a hip flask in his pocket.
plural: die Flaschen
bottle
Ich trinke Wasser aus einer Flasche. — I drink water from a bottle.
plural: die Getränke
a drink
Ein kaltes Getränk erfrischt an heißen Tagen. — A cold drink refreshes on hot days.
- PromilleB2
per-thousand / alcohol level
Der Alkoholgehalt wird in Promille gemessen. — Alcohol content is measured in per-thousand.
plural: die Sekte
champagne / sparkling wine
Zum Feiern tranken wir zusammen eine Flasche Sekt. — To celebrate, we drank a bottle of sparkling wine together.
plural: die Bodensätze
sediment / lees / dregs
Der Bodensatz des Weines sammelt sich unten. — The sediment of the wine settles at the bottom.
plural: die Humpen
tankard / mug
Der Humpen voller Bier steht auf dem Tisch. — The tankard full of beer sits on the table.
How to learn this set
Notice that the everyday drink nouns split unevenly by gender with no shared pattern: der Kaffee, der Tee, der Saft, der Wein, and der Schnaps are all masculine, while das Bier, das Wasser, and das Getränk are neuter, so drill these two groups separately rather than as one long list. Promille and Prost aren't nouns at all and take no article, so don't waste time trying to force a gender onto them, just learn Prost as the toast you say and Promille as the number bartenders and police care about. For the compound das Mineralwasser, notice it's just Mineral plus Wasser stuck together, a pattern that will help you guess other German compound drink and food words later.
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Frequently asked questions
Is 'Sekt' the German word for sex?
No, that's just a false-friend trap. Sekt means champagne or sparkling wine, and it's a word you'll actually hear at celebrations. German sparkling wine doesn't legally get called 'Champagner' unless it's from the Champagne region, so Sekt is the everyday term.
What's the difference between Wasser and Mineralwasser in German?
Wasser is water in general, but if you order it in a restaurant, ask for Mineralwasser (usually carbonated) or stilles Wasser (still) because tap water isn't automatically served or free in Germany.
Why is das Bier neuter but der Wein masculine?
There's no logical reason, German drink genders just have to be memorized individually. Der Kaffee, der Tee, and der Saft are all masculine, while das Bier, das Wasser, and das Getränk are neuter, so learn each noun with its article from the start.
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