The Carajillo is the cocktail that explains why Mexico City eats dinner at ten and goes home at one. The drink — a fresh shot of espresso poured over Licor 43 in a rocks glass with one large cube — is what arrives at your table after the entrée plates leave. It is at once the digestif, the coffee, and the announcement that there is no rush. Mexico City restaurants serve more Carajillos per capita than any other city on earth, and they have done so quietly enough that most non-Mexican drinkers have never heard of one.
The drink's name and structure are Spanish — there's a much older Spanish carajillo of coffee + brandy that emerged during the Cuban war of independence and has bar evidence going back to the 1880s. Mexico adopted the format and replaced the brandy with Licor 43, a Spanish citrus-vanilla liqueur whose name (Cuarenta y Tres) refers to its 43 ingredients. The combination of vanilla-citrus-sweetness with hot fresh espresso is one of those flavour pairings that, once you've had it, makes you wonder why the rest of the world has been drinking espresso martinis instead.
What follows: the canonical Mexico City build (which is — uniquely in this guide — almost impossible to mess up), the wider after-dinner cocktail family, and 30 cities where the Carajillo has spread beyond CDMX expat restaurants and into the regular menu.
Carajillo, the canonical build
Spirit base: Licor 43 · Family: After-dinner
- 45ml Licor 43
- 30ml fresh espresso
- Pour Licor 43 into a rocks glass with one large cube. Pour fresh espresso over the back of a spoon to layer. Stir gently or sip in layers.
The Carajillo in 30 cities
A working editorial map. Each entry names a real bar from our database — the room our editors would send you to first for a Carajillo in that city.
New York
NYC bartending has been the world's reference point since the 1990s craft revival. Order yours at Amor y Amargo New York and Angel's Share.
All cocktail bars in New York →London
London cocktail culture rebuilt itself in the 2000s and now sets the global pace. Order yours at 100 Club and A Bar with Shapes for a Name.
All cocktail bars in London →Paris
Paris cocktail bartending caught up to its food scene in the 2010s — and now leads it in places. Order yours at Bonhomie Paris and BapBap Brewery.
All cocktail bars in Paris →Tokyo
Tokyo bartending is the world's most disciplined; technique trumps theatre everywhere. Order yours at Baird Beer Harajuku Taproom and Bar Asterisk.
All cocktail bars in Tokyo →Los Angeles
LA's cocktail scene runs on Hollywood polish and Pacific-Rim ingredient access. Order yours at Bar Bandini and Bar Jackalope.
All cocktail bars in Los Angeles →Hong Kong
Hong Kong cocktail culture mixes British colonial whisky bars and modern craft. Order yours at Angel's Share Hong Kong and Aqua Hong Kong.
All cocktail bars in Hong Kong →Singapore
Singapore is Asia's cocktail capital — tropical fruit programmes lead the world. Order yours at 28 HongKong Street Singapore and Analogue Initiative Singapore.
All cocktail bars in Singapore →Melbourne
Melbourne laneway cocktail bars built Australia's craft scene from scratch. Order yours at Above Board Melbourne and Attic.
All cocktail bars in Melbourne →Sydney
Sydney's cocktail rooms balance polish with Australia's irreverent indie energy. Order yours at Archie Rose Bar and Batch Brewing Co..
All cocktail bars in Sydney →Mexico City
Mexico City's cocktail era is the most exciting story in bartending right now. Order yours at Baltra Bar and Baltra Bar.
All cocktail bars in Mexico City →Barcelona
Barcelona vermouth + cocktail culture sits between Spanish tradition and modern craft. Order yours at Balius Bar and Balius Barcelona.
All cocktail bars in Barcelona →Madrid
Madrid's after-midnight cocktail scene is the most underrated in Europe. Order yours at 1862 by Night Madrid and 1862 Dry Bar Madrid.
All cocktail bars in Madrid →Berlin
Berlin runs late and dry — cocktail rooms here favour spirit-forward minimalism. Order yours at A-Trane and Amano Bar Berlin.
All cocktail bars in Berlin →Amsterdam
Amsterdam's genever heritage fuels one of Europe's most distinctive cocktail scenes. Order yours at A Bar and Arendsnest.
All cocktail bars in Amsterdam →Copenhagen
Copenhagen cocktail bartending followed its food scene into world-leading territory. Order yours at 1105 and Aamanns Deli Bar.
All cocktail bars in Copenhagen →Lisbon
Lisbon cocktail culture has matured fast — Portuguese spirits + craft technique. Order yours at A Cevicheria Lisbon and Baccus Marques.
All cocktail bars in Lisbon →Rome
Rome treats cocktails as aperitivo first, craft second — and gets both right. Order yours at Ai Tre Scalini and Alexanderplatz Jazz Club.
All cocktail bars in Rome →Milan
Milan's aperitivo culture invented half the modern cocktail vocabulary. Order yours at 1930 Milan and 1930 Speakeasy.
All cocktail bars in Milan →Dublin
Dublin's cocktail scene now competes with London — Irish whiskey programmes lead. Order yours at 9 Below at The Stephen's Green Hibernian Club and Anseo Dublin.
All cocktail bars in Dublin →Edinburgh
Edinburgh whisky bars run the world's deepest single-malt programmes. Order yours at Badabing Edinburgh and Bar 50.
All cocktail bars in Edinburgh →Miami
Miami's cocktail scene runs on rum, hospitality, and hotel-bar ambition. Order yours at 1-800-Lucky and 1 Rooftop Miami.
All cocktail bars in Miami →Chicago
Chicago cocktail bartending birthed the Paper Plane and shaped the 2010s craft era. Order yours at Andy's Jazz Club and The Aviary.
All cocktail bars in Chicago →San Francisco
San Francisco's cocktail scene defined Pacific-Rim ingredient-led bartending. Order yours at 15 Romolo and ABV.
All cocktail bars in San Francisco →Vancouver
Vancouver cocktail rooms blend Pacific Northwest produce with serious technique. Order yours at The Keefer Bar and Botanist.
All cocktail bars in Vancouver →Toronto
Toronto's cocktail scene punches above its size — Canadian rye programmes lead. Order yours at Allen's and Archive 909.
All cocktail bars in Toronto →Montreal
Montreal cocktail bartending mixes French polish with Canadian indie energy. Order yours at Atwater Cocktail Club Montréal and Bar Darling.
All cocktail bars in Montreal →Dubai
Dubai's cocktail scene runs on hotel-bar ambition and zero-compromise budgets. Order yours at 100 Anvers and 1701 Sheesha Lounge.
All cocktail bars in Dubai →Bangkok
Bangkok cocktail bartending leads Asia's tropical-ingredient revolution. Order yours at Akkee and Asia Today Bangkok.
All cocktail bars in Bangkok →Seoul
Seoul cocktail rooms blend Korean spirits + Japanese precision into something new. Order yours at Alice Cheongdam and Bar Cham.
All cocktail bars in Seoul →Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires runs Latin America's most disciplined cocktail programmes. Order yours at 878 Bar and Cerveceria Antares.
All cocktail bars in Buenos Aires →Sister cocktails
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