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'Calimocho' (from the Basque 'Kalimotxo') is a drink consisting of approximately 50% red wine and 50% cola-based soft drink. Alternative names include 'Rioja libre' (from "Rioja", and "Cuba Libre"), and either 'kali' or 'motxo' (shortened from the Basque name).
In Chile the drink is known as ''jote'' (Chilean Spanish for vulture), and in Croatia it is known as ''bambus'' (Croatian for bamboo). In the Czech Republic it is known as ''houba'', and in Hungary as ''Vadász'' (meaning hunter) or ''vörösboros kóla''.

Contents

Preparation and serving

Origin of the name

Spelling

Further reading

Reference

Preparation and serving

In some areas of Spain, calimocho is served in bars in short glass tumblers. Plenty of ice is added, then the red wine and cola. Finally the cocktail is well stirred with a spoon. In other areas (such as Cantabria) the cocktail is served in tall glasses.
A common way of serving calimocho is in one liter drinking glasses made of plastic, called ''minis'', ''katxi'', ''litros'', ''cubalitros'' or ''jarras''. The mixture is made directly in this one-liter ''mini'', and often the bottles of cola are reused to make more of the mixture. This is done by emptying half of a two-litre cola bottle and adding one litre of red wine to the bottle. Ice is usually added to the drink.
In times of fewer available resources, a common occurrence among Spanish youth, (lack of one liter 'mini') drastic measures are taken by young Spaniards in order to save money. One common cheap way of mixing Calimocho involves a plastic bag and the Tetra Bric which contains the cheap 'Vino Tinto' or Red Wine (Don Simon is a common brand). An entire two liter bottle of Coca-Cola and two liters of wine are emptied into a plastic shopping bag. Once the concoction is mixed in the bag, the bag is squeezed tightly around the rim of the two liter Coca-Cola bottle and the contents of the bag are poured into the bottle. The now empty Tetra Bric wine boxes are fully opened and peeled back as to mimic the function of the 'mini'. The Coca-Cola bottle is used as distribution device to fill the makeshift 'mini' with delicious Calimoxo.
One variation of the drink is achieved by adding a dash of blackberry liqueur. Occasional rarer variants exist, such as 50% white wine and 50% lemon-flavoured soft drink, called ''pitilingorri'' or ''caliguay'' in some places (see spritzer). 50% red wine and 50% orange soda is also called ''pitilin gorri'' (''gorri'' is "red" in euskera).

Origin of the name

It is not clear where the name comes from. In early 70s it was called ''Rioja Libre'' or ''Cuba Libre del pobre'' (poorman's Cuba Libre) in some Spanish provinces.
The current name, ''"Kalimotxo"'', is attributed to the ''"Antzarrak cuadrilla", ''which supposedly coined it during the 1972 Algorta festivities in Puerto Viejo (Getxo, Biscay). '' Legend has it that the servers in one of the ''"txoznas"'' ''(stands in Basque festivals where drinks are served) noticed that the wine they had bought was not in good condition, so they decided to mix it with something to kill the sour taste. The inventors of the mixture were two members of the cuadrilla known as'' ''"Kalimero"'' and ''"Motxo"'', hence the name ''"Kalimotxo"''. ''The name caught on and became popular throughout Spain.''

Spelling

The spelling ''kalimotxo'' has been in use in the Southern Basque Country since the 1970s. The Sandevid corporation, which used to sell prepared kali, used the spelling ''kalimocho''.
In ''kalimotxo'' and ''motxo,'' the Basque sound ''tx'' is pronounced like ''ch'' in both English and Spanish. Since the name is now common throughout Spain, however, it is commonly respelled ''calimocho''^[1] in accordance with Spanish orthography. In Catalan, the word is usually spelt ''calimotxo'', although ''kalimotxo'' is also common.

Further reading

★ La verdadera historia del kalimotxo, ed. Funky Projects, 2006. ISBN 84-934990-0-5.

Reference

1. ''calimocho'' in the ''Diccionario de la Real Academia Española''.