Carajillo

Carajillo is a Spanish coffee variety that is traditionally prepared with three parts of coffee and one part of liquor. The most common combination includes espresso and brandy, rum, aguardiente, or Licor 43—a sweet liqueur from Cartagena.

Carajillo is enjoyed throughout the country, but there are several regional varieties that differ in the choice of liquor and the preparation method. The origin of the drink is not known. One theory claims that it dates from a time when Cuba was a Spanish province, and the plantation laborers were given a combination of rum and coffee.

The origin of the name is also said to stem from that time because the drink gave the laborers courage—in Spanish coraje, which was later turned into carajillo. Another version associates the drink with Catalonia and the workers who would order coffee and aguardiente que ara guillo—roughly translated as in a hurry.  Read more