Making Blessings on Wine and Other Drinks: Your Practical Jewish Guide

Of all drinks, only wine and grape juice earn a special brachah (blessing): Baruch Atah Hashem, Elokeinu Melech Ha'olam, Borei Peri Hagafen — Blessed are You Hashem, our God, king of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine. For all other drinks, even alcoholic ones, the brachah Shehakol Nihyah Bidvaro (by Whose word all things came to be) is recited.

Wine's special status is clear from the fact that Kiddush on Shabbat and festivals is recited over wine (or grape juice). But what happens if we drink wine in another setting, along with other drinks?

Wine Followed by Other Drinks

Question:

If I have a glass of wine, and then decide to drink a soda, do I make a brachah on both drinks?

Answer:

No. Due to wine's special status, the brachah over wine exempts all other drinks from needing a brachah.

This is the halachah (Jewish law) regardless of whether the soda (or other drink) was on the table when you made the brachah on the wine, or not.

Question:

If I sit down with a friend and taste some wine but only have a sip or two, and then I decide to have a coffee, which brachot do I make?

Answer:

This depends on what you mean by "a sip or two." If you drink at least a mouthful of wine, and the coffee was either on the table already or you intended beforehand to drink coffee after the wine, then no brachah is recited on the coffee.

However, if you drank less than a mouthful of wine (such as would be the case if you just tasted it), then even if you intended to drink coffee afterward, and even if the coffee was on the table, it is questionable whether the Hagafen brachah exempts any other beverage.

In such a case, you should either ask someone else who is in any case about to make a Shehakol blessing to intend to exempt you with his brachah (following which you drink the coffee), or you can take a food item (i.e., not a beverage) over which Shehakol is recited, and make the brachah over that, with the intention of exempting the coffee as well.

Question:

What about a Kiddush in synagogue, where one person recites the brachah over the grape juice and only he drinks? If I have a soda or glass of whisky, do I recite a brachah over it?

Answer:

If you had no wine or grape juice yourself then you must recite Shehakol on any beverage you drink.

Question:

If I was sitting with a friend over a few glasses of wine, and I finished the second glass and decided that I won't have anymore — and then I decide to have a coffee, do I recite a brachah over the coffee?

Answer:

Yes, you must recite Shehakol over the coffee. Since you made up your mind to stop drinking, the intention of drinking wine has concluded and no longer covers other drinks you decide to have.

After Wine and Other Drinks

Question:

I make Kiddush on Shabbat morning at home, and usually drink a glass of grape juice, plus a cup of coffee. Which brachot do I recite afterward?

Answer:

You recite only the Me'ein Shalosh blessing (Al Hagefen) which is recited after drinking at least a revi'it (three fluid ounces) of wine or grape juice. You do not recite the Borei Nefashot blessing which is recited after drinking other beverages alone.

This is the halachah regardless of whether the coffee was already on the table, or you knew you planned to drink it all along, as long as you drank at least a revi'it of wine or grape juice.

Question:

If someone else makes Kiddush over the wine, and I only have a sip from the glass, and then I have a cup of coffee, which brachot do I recite afterward?

Answer:

If you had only a sip of wine or grape juice, and had at least a revi'it of some other drink, you recite only Borei Nefashot afterward. The brachah of Al Hagefen is only recited if at least a revi'it of wine is drunk.

Question:

I had a glass of wine and then remembered I was driving home and stopped drinking. Then I decided to have a cup of coffee. Since I had to make a brachah Shehakol over the coffee, I assume that I have to make a Borei Nefashot blessing afterward, right?

Answer:

No. The after-blessing Al Hagefen covers the coffee too, due to wine's special status, even though the particular circumstances here meant that you had to recite Shehakol over the coffee.

Taking care to recite the correct blessings brings mindfulness into our lives and turns even mundane activities into opportunities to connect to God. This is one reason why the Torah tells us (Talmud, Bava Kama 30a) that "a person who wishes to be pious" should be careful with all the halachot of blessings.