Grapes, part two

[urbpan]

Since my father's heart attack, I've thought about some of my habits, and how to modify them. I like to drink, not always in moderation. Probably being more moderate boozebag (doctors say no more than two drinks for men is healthy) is the right way to go. Also, I seem to remember that red wine is considered heart-healthy for some reason (the American Heart institute says don't start drinking it if you aren't already a boozebag, but if you are, go ahead--have no more than two) compared to other stuff you can drink. I'd guess it's the rich blend of phytochemicals and tannins that are in it, as compared to liquors, which tend to be filtered and distilled until they are mostly a solution of delicious poisonous alcohol. Where was I? Oh yeah, so I've been drinking red wine lately. Trader Joes sells perfectly drinkable bottles of it for three bucks. Seriously, it tastes much nicer than the crap that we used to drink in art school that came in gallon jugs.

A few years ago, my friend Joey went on a tour of Europe in a Rock and Roll Band. He brought back many stories (I seem to recall the band claiming that it was a form of animal abuse to allow the border police dogs to smell the contents of their tour van) but one thing always stuck with me. I don't even remember what country they were in, but in some warehouse or basement somewhere in Europe, the young music fans were drinking a cocktail of red wine and Coca Cola. Joey was revolted by the idea, it probably offended him on more levels than just the mingled flavors, being an aesthete and man of culture as he was and is. I supposed that in Europe people drink red wine all the time, the way that North Americans drink slurpees, and that Coca Cola has an exotic American cache to it. I kind of wondered what it would taste like, but was afraid to try it. Who wants to spoil an expensive bottle of wine by pouring coke over it?

Then came Three Buck Chuck. It occurred to me a few days ago, that even if the drink was wretched, I wouldn't be out much if I used Charles Shaw to make it. So I did, and you know what? It's not bad. Really. Both drinks are very rich, but the combination isn't overwhelming. Depending on what kind of cola you use (we tried a variety--thanks belen1974) the drink suggests sangria, and has some chocolaty notes. I prefer it with diet cola--for my health, after all.

Of course, the main benefit of it--the addition of stimulant caffeine to a sedative alcoholic drink--makes it not such a heart-healthy choice. But it's gotta taste better than Red Bull and vodka. I've never tried it, but I assume it tastes like Frat boy spit and Flintstone's vitamins.

According to Wikipedia, this wine and coke cocktail is called "Callimocho," from the Basque kalimotxo, as it's been drunk in Basque country since at least the 70's. This is a particularly dodgy wiki page so I don't know exactly how much of this is true. It claims that Callimocho is popular in Spain, goes by several other names (and therefore must exist) in the former Yugoslav republics and the Czech Republic, and is known in Chile by the name "Jote" which means "vulture." I can't imagine why Chilenos would call the drink "Vulture" unless it has to do with the color.





I think I'll call it Jote (pronounced Ho-tay, for you gringos), because I like to honor the vulture this way. Plus I can't remember "Callimocho" to save my life.

Comments

[anais2.livejournal.com]

Hey, it used to be Two-Buck Chuck! What is it, limited production now?
I'm gonna try this Jote, been looking for a way to drink red wine. For medicinal purposes, ha.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

It gets a dollar added to the price when they ship it to Massachusetts from California.

[anais2.livejournal.com]

Aha. Didn't think of that!

[livsmama.livejournal.com]

I'll have to tell djymm about this. He drinks coke and orange juice mixed and calls it "battery acid" so I bet he would be up for coke and red wine...(yuck)

[harrietbrown.livejournal.com]

I'd be dumb enough to try it.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

I officially proclaim it: not bad.

[smallerdemon.livejournal.com]

Well, the only thing is you're still getting corn syrup from the coca cola.

I just opted to cut back to 1 beer a weeknight (I have not been doing that THIS week, but after the new year I'll be back to that), 2 on Fridays, Saturday and Sunday are more open. The key? Good beer with good flavor and complexity. Shitty beer and, unfortunately , lighter beers, are rarely in that range. Lagers are great, but they are usually not particularly complex. One of the advantages of being a hophead is that there are SO many beers that use hops in so many complex and wonderful ways that it makes having a single beer easy if you have several of those around. Of course, there a a gazillion great bitters and stouts and porters that don't have anything to do with being hoppy that are great flavored beers worth slow savoring with a small container of a salty snack with it (I opt for cashews usually).

[weofodthignen]

Bwahahaha.

What does it mean when the vultures start flocking inside your vehicle?

Coke and red wine . . . I think I have too much respect for both ingredients :-) Besides, these days I pretty much only drink in offering to the gods. (But you gotta love a religion where the standard rituals are toasts.) But thanks for the info about the plonk; never having been in Trader Joe's, I didn't know about it.

I think things have got a bit murkier about the red wine component of the Mediterranean diet since that initial research :-) But a glass of booze a day is still recommended by many authorities. And a glass of red wine is still better than a frathouse screwdriver (Tang made with vodka instead of water, in case the frats were classier where you went than they were at Cornell.)

M
European boozer

[shellynoir.livejournal.com]

I wonder if wine and olive oil work together synergistically? Like the wonder twins, but more mature....

[urb-banal.livejournal.com]

all of this is scaring me...

[slamonella.livejournal.com]

I think you need to try this with Jolt. For science, or something.

[perspicuity.livejournal.com]

see if you can't score some "kosher coke" for a taste test... it's made with sugar, not corn syrup.

is regular diet coke kosher? i'll have to check the label ;)

and awwwwww, vulture! do you miss your vulture? does it miss you? :) how are those calves? :>

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[urbpan.livejournal.com]

I do miss Orville a little. I visited him in October when I taught the mushroom course. My calves are healing nicely thank you!

[perspicuity.livejournal.com]

so, i've tried the Vulture er Jote er dietcokewine thing. i like it.

then i told some friends, and their reactions was something like "that sounds like an abomination, ewwww" :) my job here is done ;> the other reaction was "any wine i have to mix (sangria included) isn't worthy to be in my house..." hah. i found wine snobs!

Orville the Red (n' Popper). hah.

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[propaddict.livejournal.com]

Calimocho. . .ah yes now I remember. Popular throughout Spain.

The big thing in Spanish nightclubs 3 years ago was to draw you in with a "barra libre" or "open bar". In fact, this seemed to be the only way Spanish college studs could ever be persuaded to pay a cover.

So you'd drop your 5 euros (or heaven forfend, 10 euros) walk into a crazy blacklight techno club (yes, a place where all the bad eurotrash stereotypes are true) only to discover that the "open bar" had only three drinks: sangria, water, and calimocho. Without fail.

Sometimes it was good, oftimes it was like watery kool-aid. It didn't help that most places served it out of those giant orange Gatorade jugs that are usually reserved for dumping on football coaches.