Food - Drink
What Is Spanish Kalimotxo And How Is It Different From Tinto De Verano?
By ERICA MARTINEZ
Spanish kalimotxos and tintos de verano are two drinks that combine red wine and soda, and while both are incredibly popular in their home country, their ingredients differ. A kalimotxo or calimocho (both names are pronounced the same way) is simply red wine and Coca-Cola mixed in equal parts and served over ice.
A cheap bottle of red wine or boxed wine is not only appropriate to use in a kalimotxo, but expected — you don't want to spoil good wine by mixing it with soda. The same applies to the tinto de verano, or "red wine of summer," but this drink uses lemon-lime soda instead of cola, though in the same 1:1 ratio as the kalimotxo.
It's believed that the kalimotxo was created in the Basque country in 1972 during the celebration of the Puerto Viejo festivals, when the servers realized their batch of red wine had gone sour and decided to add cola to mask the unpleasant flavor. Tinto de verano, on the other hand, originated in the early 20th century.
Tinto de verano was supposedly whipped up by Federico Vargas for his overheated and thirsty customers at his Córdoba-based restaurant, El Brillante. Tinto de verano became so popular that it is now sold pre-mixed and bottled or canned throughout Spain, and is a common sight at parties, festivals, and other get-togethers.