Barraquito
🍖 With meat or fishThe barraquito is a sweet, layered coffee drink, very popular in the Canary Islands and especially in Tenerife. It combines espresso, condensed milk, frothed milk and an optional aromatic liqueur, and has become a signature of island café culture.
History
Its exact origin is not documented. Among the people of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, it is said that the drink appeared in the mid-20th century and takes its name from a regular customer at Bar Imperial, Don Sebastián Rubio, nicknamed "Barraco" or "Barraquito", who always ordered a cortado with condensed milk, a shot of Licor 43, lemon peel and cinnamon. This story, as recorded by Marcial Morera in his dictionary of Canarian speech, is considered more legend than fact.
Other accounts credit Bar Paragüitas, also in Santa Cruz, or a waiter named Manolo Grijalbo, at a kiosk near the port that was a meeting point for artists and students. None of these attributions can be confirmed, and the drink spread quickly across the islands, though it is little known on the Spanish mainland.
In December 2021, the Baristas Association of the Region of Murcia encouraged several cafés to temporarily rename their local 'café asiático' as 'barraquito', donating the proceeds to help those affected by the eruption of the La Palma volcano.
Culture
The barraquito is served in a medium or tall glass so the layers can be seen. They form because the ingredients have different densities: condensed milk at the bottom, then the liqueur, the coffee and the frothed milk on top. It is finished with ground cinnamon and a twist of lemon or lime. The most common liqueur is Licor 43, although Tía María, a Jamaican coffee liqueur with a hint of vanilla, is also used.
The name changes with the area. In northern Tenerife, between Buenavista and Puerto de la Cruz, it is called zaperoco. In the Santa Cruz and La Laguna area, barraquito can mean a coffee with condensed milk and whole milk, while the full version with liqueur is ordered as barraquito especial. An alcohol-free version, the barraquito virgen, also exists. Each bartender has their own recipe, and in some parts of the islands it is served with whipped cream or foam.
Legend and fact
The story of the customer nicknamed "Barraquito" is often told as the source of the name, but no documents confirm it. What is reasonably certain is that the drink is Canarian in origin and grew popular across the islands, although no widely recognised inventor exists.