A Boozy Coffee Recipe From The Canary Islands Because You Made It To The Weekend

Given that so many of us have found ourselves with a little more time on our hands at the moment and nowhere to go, many are picking up new hobbies, going back to baking, turning to exercise, and other activities that are all about taking care of ourselves, being kind to ourselves, and treating ourselves better. One activity that has garnered a lot more attention than it already normally does, and is being turned into an art form in even your average home, is coffee-making. Normal coffee drinkers are embracing the ritual of drip coffee, trying new blends they might never have considered before, and attempting more exotic and moreish coffee recipes at home that would usually only be reserved for holidays.

One such coffee recipe comes from Spain, and more specifically the Canary Islands, the barraquito, which is a coffee cocktail unique to the area....so, not strictly a coffee, more like an Irish Coffee but it can be made either without the alcohol, for a sweet afternoon pick-me-up, or with alcohol, as a dessert after a particularly good meal. Delicious and utterly decadent, it is a must for those who like their coffee sweet and filling!

Supposedly, the drink is named after a man named Sebastian Rubio, nicknamed Barraco (the Portuguese for the word, “shed”), who began ordering this specific mixture of ingredients while eating at the Imperial Bar on the island of Tenerife, and there are now various kinds of barraquito to be found throughout the Canary Islands. The basic recipe, however, is composed of a layer of condensed milk, followed by Licor 43 (a liqueur that contains citrus, vanilla, and different herbs and spices), espresso, and frothy milk, sometimes topped with some whipped cream and always garnished with a dash of cinnamon and some lemon peel. Barraquito sin licor, the non-alcoholic version simply takes out the liqueur.

Get your weekend started right and try out this delicious coffee drink by following this easy recipe!

Ingredients:

Condensed milk
Licor 43 (Tia Maria or any other coffee liqueur make for a tasty, if rather different, substitute for those who don't have this specific liqueur just laying around the house)
Espresso
Frothed milk
Whipped cream (optional)
Ground cinnamon
Lemon peel (without the white to prevent it from being overly bitter)

Method:

1. Make an espresso and heat and froth some milk.

2. Take a small glass and fill 1/5 with condensed milk.

3. Next, add a layer of the liqueur that fills about another 1/5 of the glass.

4. Now add the espresso until the glass is almost full.

5. Finally, add a top layer of the frothy milk and, if you wish, finish with some whipped cream, before garnishing with a dash of cinnamon and some lemon peel.

So, enjoy from home for now until we can all go and enjoy the Canary Islands in person.