Cocktails with Licor 43

Licor 43 is a golden-yellow liqueur from Cartagena in Spain. The name means forty-three and refers to the 43 ingredients of the recipe. According to the producer, that recipe is a family secret of the Zamora family. The original has an alcohol content of 31 per cent.

Difford's Guide describes how Diego Zamora created the recipe with the help of his brother Angel, his sister Josefina and her husband Emilio Restoy. In 1946 the family began commercial production and still bottled the liqueur by hand at the time. The factory in Cartagena now also has a visitor centre and a museum.

Besides the Carajillo there are a few simple classics. For Licor 43 with milk, called Blanco 43 by the producer, fill a glass with ice, pour in 150 ml milk and pour 50 ml Licor 43 over it. Stir briefly. According to the producer, this combination has been widely drunk in Germany for decades.

What is a Split 43? That is Licor 43 with orange juice and cream. A recipe on Difford's Guide lists 30 ml Licor 43, 30 ml whipping cream and 60 ml freshly squeezed orange juice, served in a hurricane glass. That recipe was submitted by a reader and not tested by the editors. In Cartagena the Asiático has been known for well over seventy years: condensed milk, Spanish brandy, Licor 43 and espresso in layers.

You make an alcohol-free version by leaving out the Licor 43 and keeping the rest of the preparation the same. Briefly shake a hot espresso with ice and strain it into a glass full of ice, just like the original.

Anyone who still wants something sweet and spicy in the glass adds 10 to 15 ml of vanilla syrup, optionally with a pinch of cinnamon. That does not come close to the 43 ingredients of the liqueur, but the build-up of coffee, sweetness and ice stays the same. Serve in the same glass, so the alcohol-free version looks the same to guests.

The producer names no fixed glass, only a glass full of ice. In practice a low tumbler or old fashioned glass works well, as there has to be room for the ice and the 50 ml of liqueur with the espresso.

Use fresh, hot espresso. Shaking with ice cools the coffee quickly. Strain the cocktail over fresh ice, so the meltwater from the shaker does not end up in the glass. With Licor 43 Chocolate the producer gives a variation: 50 ml coffee with 75 ml Chocolate and ice. You serve that liqueur chilled, and you shake the bottle beforehand.

In de winkel staan 9 flessen van Licor 43. Voor de Carajillo en de meeste cocktails op deze pagina neemt u de gewone Licor 43, ook verkrijgbaar als Licor 43 XXL voor wie vaker gasten heeft. Zoekt u een cadeau, dan is er LICOR 43 Geschenk met glazen.

There are also flavour variants: Licor 43 Chocolate, Licor 43 Horchata, Licor 43 Crème Brúlee and Licor 43 Speculoos. According to the producer, Chocolate and Horchata have 16 percent alcohol and you are better off not mixing Horchata with citrus drinks. Not sure which bottle suits your cocktail? Feel free to call or drop by at ’t Bockje at Brink 2 in Bathmen.

The shop is at Brink 2 in Bathmen. Open Tuesday to Friday from 09.00 to 18.00 and Saturday from 09.00 to 17.00. For advice, call 0570 541 278 or email info@bockje.nl.