San Diego Unseen: An Urban Portrait
Tasty kalimotxos at Kalimotxos
- Photo by Brian Doll
My party partner, Brian, and I entered Callejón de la Sexta, or Alleyway of the Sixth. It was filled with people smoking and drinking despite the cold. Various genres of music spilled out of the four bars crammed along the small alley, colliding to create one loud mashup of sound.
We were lured into La Catrina when the doorman spoke the magic words, “Come have a free tequila shot to warm you from the cold.” The bar had a Dia de los Muertos theme, plus one random, inexplicable Bob Marley poster, and played rock en español. We ordered beers from our server, who looked like a rock ’n’ roll elf, then scored another round of free shots by simply producing a $2 bill after being challenged to do so. La Catrina had a cool, relaxed vibe. No one seemed bothered by anything. “I think we just got our second wind,” I said to Brian.
We then went across the way to Kalimotxo, which served its namesake as a signature drink. For those who haven’t experienced the liquid splendor of a kalimotxo, it’s half red wine and half Coca-Cola and tastes like sangria. We gulped with wide eyes and danced to a mega mix of ’80s goodness featuring General Public, David Bowie, Madness and Pet Shop Boys.
I wish I could provide de tailed accounts of the other two bars in the callejón, Santa Leyenda, a dancey luchador-themed bar, and Indie Go!, which I hear has a mod night every Thursday. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get to them. Blame it on the free shots and kalimotxos.
