Kalimotxo is a slow-burn kind of drink. Upon your first-ever sip, you'll probably recoil at the taste, which can be accurately described as cherry cough syrup with Splenda. Or, for the 7/11 crowd, cherry Slurpee blended with Coke Slurpee. Mixing equal parts cheap red wine—the cheaper, the better, and if it's from a box, bullseye—with Coca Cola doesn't leave room for flavor nuance. But like most cheap and easy drinks, you'll build up a tolerance and then a hearty appreciation. Soon enough, you'll have reached fiery passion.

To make it, you could find dry Spanish wine instead of using the dregs of whatever bottle you uncorked two nights ago. You could measure out Coke with a jigger like a real asshole. You could slice off a lemon wedge to cut the sweetness. But the soul of Kalimotxo will always be cheap and easy, so don't overthink it. In fact, underthink it. That's the whole point.

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A Little History

Kalimotxo originated in the Basque region of Spain, allegedly when festival-goers in the '70s realized their wine had gone funky and decided to doctor it with cola. It's still enjoyed most in that region but has bled across the rest of the country, which is why you probably know an American who studied abroad there and wholeheartedly swears by the drink—however unfathomable it may seem. "Kalimotxo" is the Basque spelling, though you might know it as "Calimocho," as it's spelled widely across Spain, or just plain "red wine and Coke."

If You Like This, Try These

If you squint your eyes and screw up your nose, you could almost see Kalimotxo as a more achievable offshoot of Sangria. Almost. We put it more squarely in the "Coke drinks" category. Also in that category are the Cuba Libre (rum, Coke, lime), the rum and Coke (rum, Coke), and the Long Island Iced Tea (everything, Mexican Coke).

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