Local Drinks

1. קפה הפוך

   kafe hafukh

   Kafe hafukh ("upside-down coffee") — the Israeli cappuccino

   Usage

   The most-ordered cup in an Israeli café; the local name for cappuccino. This is what to ask for if you want a milky coffee. Size is chosen with גדול (large) or קטן (small).

2. קפה שחור

   kafe shakhor

   Black coffee (Turkish-style, grounds left in the cup)

   Usage

   Fine grounds with hot water poured over them; the grounds settle, so you stop before the last mouthful. Many places offer it with cardamom (הל, hel). It is also called קפה טורקי, and the army nickname for it is קפה בוץ ("mud coffee").

3. נס קפה

   nes kafe

   Nes ("instant coffee")

   Usage

   The everyday Hebrew word for instant coffee of any brand, generalized from the Nescafé trademark. Just נס (nes) is enough. This is usually what you get at a hotel breakfast bar or a kiosk.

4. אייס קפה

   ais kafe

   Ice coffee (a sweet cold coffee drink)

   Usage

   ⚠ Not the same as "iced coffee" elsewhere. In Israeli cafés it is a sweetened cold coffee drink, and in many places it is blended with the ice into a shake. If you want a plain unsweetened cold coffee, order קפה קר (kafe kar) instead — the next card.

5. קפה קר

   kafe kar

   Cold coffee

   Usage

   The phrasing that avoids the אייס קפה mix-up. Add בלי סוכר (bli sukar, "without sugar") if you do not want it sweetened.

6. תה נענע

   te nana

   Mint tea (fresh mint leaves)

   Usage

   Usually a sprig of fresh mint standing in the glass with hot water poured over it, rather than a dried herbal blend. Available in cafés and eateries alike. Some places put mint into black tea, so say רק נענע ("just mint") if you want only the leaves.

7. לימונענע

   limonana

   Limonana (frozen lemon-and-mint drink)

   Usage

   A lemonade of fresh lemon juice and mint leaves, most often blended with ice into a slush. Popular in Israel and also in Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and Syria. A summer standard.

   Grammar Note

   A portmanteau of לימון (lemon) and נענע (mint), the two words overlapping on the shared נ.

8. סחלב

   sakhlav

   Sahlab (thick warm milk drink)

   Usage

   Milk thickened with cornstarch and scented with rose water, served hot. It is a winter-only street drink sold at markets and corner stands, topped with coconut, crushed pistachio and cinnamon. Closer to a warm dessert than a drink.

9. שוקו

   shoko

   Shoko (chocolate milk)

   Usage

   Cocoa powder and milk, called שוקו whether cold or hot (hot is שוקו חם). Supermarkets and kiosks sell it in cartons and also in the pouch you bite the corner off — שוקו בשקית.

10. מיץ רימונים

    mits rimonim

    Pomegranate juice

    Usage

    The signature item at market juice stands, pressed in front of you. Pomegranates are an autumn crop, so the price moves a lot with the season.

11. גזוז

    gazoz

    Gazoz (soda water with syrup)

    Usage

    The colloquial word for a carbonated soft drink. It began as soda water poured over fruit syrup at a kiosk, and market stands still mix it to order.

12. תמרהינדי

    tamarhindi

    Tamarhindi (chilled tamarind drink)

    Usage

    A sharply sour cold drink made from tamarind fruit; the same word names the tree. Drink sellers in old-city lanes and markets sometimes pour it from a large vessel.

    Grammar Note

    From Arabic تمر هندي ("Indian date"); Hebrew writes it as a single word.

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