Cocktails and Beverages
Kalimotxo Is the Cure for Bad Wine
We’ve all done it — taken a chance on a cheap red wine and wound up with something less than awesome. Spanish wine drinkers came up with a counterintuitive solution, that I swear to you is surprisingly delicious.
What’s in a Kalimoxto?
This wine-based cocktail has just two ingredients: chilled red wine and Coca-cola. These two ingredients produce a beverage with a taste like a spiced sangria.
Usually, the drink is a one-to-one mix of wine and Coke, but you can add more wine or more soda if you want. Drink as is, or doll it up with a slice of orange or a few pieces of fruit in the glass.
Where Did Kalimoxto Come From?
The drink was invented by Basque-region servers in the 1970s, reportedly to cover up the taste of bad red wine at a festival.
The servers used what they had on hand, and wound up with an instant hit.
How Do You Say “Kalimoxto?”
It’s pronounced “call-ee-mo-cho.” (Incidentally, you’ll also see the name written as “Calimocho.”)
What’s the Best Wine for Kalimoxto?
Dry wines work best; any sweet red will wind up too cloying when mixed with cola.
Don’t waste a good wine on this. If you’d drink it on its own, don’t put it in Kalimoxto. But, if you have a Two-Buck Chuck that’s undrinkable on its own, or a supermarket clearance that’s corked? Mix away.
