Move aside Espresso Martini, there’s new caffeinated sheriff in town: the Carajillo. The Mexican-born cult cocktail is a two-ingredient drink consisting of espresso and Licor 43.
It’s taking off in bars across the United States and is predicted to soon make waves around the world.
Licor 43 is a Spanish liqueur made from 43 herbs and spices, including Mediterranean citrus fruits, vanilla and coriander.
The Carajillo’s popularity was first noted in Yelp’s 2023 Food Trend Report, which found searches skyrocketed by 118% that year. According to data by Glimpse, interest in the Carajillo has grown by another 5% over the past year, with the cocktail attracting approximately 382,000 online searches per month in the year ending December 2024.
Bon Appetit raves about the cocktail, describing it as “the 2-Ingredient Carajillo puts Espresso Martinis to shame”.
“The Carajillo originated in Spain as a spiked coffee served hot, but the Mexican Carajillo has taken on a life of its own,” Bon Appetit explains.
“In the past few years, the Carajillo empire has grown so large in Mexico that you can find all sorts of Carajillo cocktails with a twist—flavored with Mazapán, horchata, or even lavender. Kellogg’s has a Carajillo-flavored cereal. Supermarket shelves are lined with Carajillo-flavored chocolates and bottled Carajillos. And Carajillo cake recipes have taken over baking blogs.”
Licor 43 elevated the cocktail among Sydneysider last year when it teamed up with five top South American and Spanish restaurants to introduce the Carajillo (kah-rah-HEE-yoh).
Dan Murphy’s has added a Carajillo recipe to its website, saying the cocktail “effortlessly toes the line between sweet spiced liqueur and fragrant bitter-leaning coffee.”
Considering Australia is the global capital of Espresso Martini appreciation, it’s a fair bet the Carajillo cult cocktail will catch on here fast.
Cheers to World Espresso Martini Day