For breakfast, it is coffee. Some drink tea. Some add a glass of milk or juice.
For lunch, it is sparkling water (although the number of Germans drinking still water is increasing). Low-class people and many immigrants have sodas.
Germans like to have an afternoon meal of cake, especially on weekends. Of course, they drink coffee with it, some tea, a few hot chocolate.
With traditional German supper, herb tea is the standard. With a fancier dinner, people drink sparkling water, beer or wine.
In a restaurant, the most common beverage is sparkling water. The drivers (and some others) drink nothing else. Those who want get tipsy drink beer or wine. There are regional variations and also social differences; wine is generally considered more upscale than beer.
A German family-dinner table with cups with herb tea and glasses and a bottle with mineral water
