“How many things can you buy for a euro, that are as satisfying?”

That is the question I posed to my fellow caña-drinkers, to which one of them wisely noted, “It was actually 80 cents.”

The Spaniards do a lot of things that confound me, but one thing they get totally and absolutely right is the way they drink.  The caña is a small, icy cold draft beer. It is a travesty, really, to charge more than a euro, so it’s simple and cheap pleasure.  It is so popular in Spain that Cruzcampo, one of their major beer producers, created a special caña draft that ensures the coldest beer imaginable. It is such a natural part of a Spaniard’s life that I saw it enjoyed at all times, including breakfast.  In Ronda I found a bar where the tables were set up with their own personal caña drafts.

Why is something so small so brilliant?   It’s a little treat, like a chocolate truffle or a chicken wing.  It will never do what your pint of beer can do: get warm and lose carbonation.  Each sip tastes like the first sip, and beer-drinkers can agree that there is nothing better than that first sip.

a special draft just for cana

My goal: to find all the places in New York City where I can enjoy a caña.