In the north of Tenerife, in the area between Buenavista in the west and Puerto de la Cruz in the east, barraquito is also known as “zaperoko”. In the areas of Santa Cruz and La Laguna, barraquito refers to coffee with condensed and whole milk; in other places such coffee is called leche-leche. This drink is very similar to café asiático, which is traditionally served in the Spanish city of Cartagena.
In Santa Cruz de Tenerife, it is believed that barraquito appeared in the mid-20th century and its name is associated with a regular visitor to the Imperial bar, Don Sebastián Rubio, nicknamed “Barraco” or “Barraquito”. He always ordered a cortado with condensed milk in a tall glass, a small glass of Licor 43, lemon zest and cinnamon. This bar is still operating and is located near Plaza de la Paz square.
There are also other versions of the origin of the drink. For example, its creation is attributed to a waiter at a bar in Puerto de Santa Cruz, which was popular with local artists and businessmen. Regardless of the true story, barraquito quickly spread to the islands but remained little known on the Peninsula.
Interestingly, café asiático from Cartagena, which appeared around the same time, is very similar to barraquito, but instead of milk it uses brandy, as in carajillos. Between December 1 and 15, 2021, the Barista Association of the Region of Murcia held a campaign, replacing the name “café asiático” on their menus with “barraquito”, with all proceeds going towards the recovery after the volcanic eruption on La Palma.
There are different ways to serve barraquito: “Barraquito Especial” is the name that barraquito receives in the metropolitan area, where the layers of condensed milk, Licor 43, coffee with milk, whipped milk, cinnamon and lemon are well distinguishable. “Barraquito vírgen” or the non-alcoholic version is simply coffee with milk and whole milk, garnished with cinnamon and lemon.
Each bartender has their own recipe for barraquito, but in general, first condensed milk is poured into a glass, then liquor, coffee, milk, and all this is sprinkled with cinnamon and lemon. If you want to prepare the drink in layers, follow this order, taking into account the relative density of the ingredients, and stabilize the layers using a spoon. Depending on the place in the Canaries where you order the drink, it can be served with foam or whipped cream.
So the next time you visit the Canary Islands, don’t forget to order a barraquito at any bar on the island and enjoy this unique culinary experience!
Check out my list of Canarian dishes and delicacies. There are so many of them that they didn’t fit into this guide.
