Barraquito
Barraquitoba-ra-KEE-toh
Four layers in a small glass: condensed milk, Licor 43, espresso, steamed milk foam, with a strip of lemon peel and a dust of cinnamon on top. The lemon is what stops the whole thing being too sweet.
At a glance
- Four equal layers
- 1:1:1:1
- Active time
- 6 min
- Total time
- 6 min
- Makes
- 1 glass
- Serve
- Hot, unstirred
- Kit
- Steam wand
Ingredients
Note: Without the liqueur it is a barraquito sin alcohol, and perfectly normal to order. Do not skip the lemon peel, though. It is the only thing cutting through three sweet layers.
Method
-
Condensed milk, then the liqueur
Spoon the condensed milk into a small straight-sided glass and let it settle flat. Pour the Licor 43 gently on top over the back of a spoon. The liqueur is lighter than the milk and will sit on it cleanly.
-
Espresso over a spoon
Pull the espresso and pour it the same way, slowly, over the back of the spoon. Three bands now, and the glass should be about two thirds full.
-
Top with foam, finish with lemon
Steam the milk to a firm foam rather than a silky microfoam, and spoon it on. Firm foam sits; silky foam sinks.
Twist a strip of lemon peel over the top so the oils land on the foam, drop it in, and dust with cinnamon.
Why this works
Four layers is more than most layered drinks attempt, and it works because each step down in density is a genuine one. Condensed milk is roughly half sugar by weight and sinks past everything. Licor 43 is sweet but it is also about 31 per cent alcohol, and alcohol is markedly less dense than water, so it floats on the milk while still sitting under the coffee. Espresso is essentially water. Steamed foam is mostly air. The gaps are wide enough that the stack is stable for the few minutes it takes to drink.
The foam has to be firm rather than silky, which is the opposite of what you want for a flat white. Microfoam is dense, wet and designed to fold into the milk below it. Here you need the stiffer, drier foam from holding the wand nearer the surface for longer, because its job is to sit still.
The lemon peel is the part people leave out and it is the part that makes the drink. Condensed milk, vanilla liqueur and cinnamon are all sweet and all rounded, and three of those in a row is cloying. Lemon oil is sharp and volatile, it sits right under your nose as you drink, and it resets the palate between mouthfuls. Twist the peel over the surface so the oils spray out before you drop it in.
It comes from Tenerife, where the story is that a regular called Barraquito ordered his coffee built this way often enough that the bar named it after him. You will find it across the Canaries, and ordering one on the mainland mostly gets you a blank look.
Variations
- Barraquito sin alcohol: leave out the Licor 43. Completely standard, nobody will blink.
- Zaperoco: the looser Canarian name for the same build, used in some bars.
- With rum: Canarian honey rum in place of the Licor 43, which is sweeter and more local still.
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Questions
What can I use instead of Licor 43?
There is no close match, because its vanilla and citrus profile is unusual. Galliano is the nearest and it is more herbal. A vanilla liqueur plus a drop of orange is closer than most substitutes.
Why did my layers mix?
Pouring too fast, or straight in rather than over the back of a spoon. Each layer needs to be laid on the one below rather than dropped into it.
Do I stir it before drinking?
Most locals do not. You drink down through the bands and the last mouthful is the sweetest. Stirring is not a crime, it just turns it into one flavour instead of four.
What is the lemon peel for?
It cuts the sweetness. Three of the four layers are sweet, and the lemon oil sitting on the foam under your nose keeps the whole thing from becoming heavy.