Around the World in 20 Drinks: Spain

You might well be thinking 'Spain, that's the place with the sangria and the ticking time bomb of 50% youth unemployment, isn't it?' It is, but it's also home of some of the top spirits in the world. Dos Maderas PX 5+5 might sound like CIA code for an assassination, but it was voted best rum in the world in 2011, and came second again this year. It's aged for a second five years in Spanish sherry casks to take on extra flavour and character, as well as having time to perfect its Spanish accent.

Speaking of sherry, it is true that Spanish wine is incredibly diverse and ludicrously cheap. The reds are full-bodied, packed with berry and plum flavours, and going for a song, almost literally. A song on iTunes costs 79p; a bottle of Spanish red will set you back about £1. So a song and an extra verse.

But it isn't just wine that's outlandishly cheap and tasty. In Barcelona, an ice-cold can of Estrella Damm will set you back 45 cents. A soft drink, or a bottle of water, will put you out the best part of a euro. Given those circumstances, it'd be positively foolish to do anything other than cut about the place constantly drinking beer, a view evidently held by everyone between the ages of 13 and 65.

The Basques have the right idea when it comes to taking the edge off, their kalimotxos blending the more suspicious of red wines with your everyday cola to create a stone-cold taste sensation. Wipe that look off your face, it isn't trashy and shambolic at all. It goes very well with Basque tapas, and they always say you should eat when you're drinking, so it all works out fine.

Basque cider, or sidra, is the perma-sparkling crispy taste sensation that makes our ciders taste even more like binbags and shame than usual. Sidra is also an event drink, in that it has to be poured over the shoulder à la Tom Cruise in Cocktail. Something to do with acidity, apparently. After a few days of 45 cent beer, you'll be ready to believe anything.