The Carajillo started in Spain — legend says Cuban-era soldiers laced coffee with brandy for coraje, courage, and the name stuck. But the drink the world is ordering now is the Mexican Carajillo: Licor 43 and espresso, served over ice in Mexico City's lunch institutions, where it functions as dessert, digestif and afternoon permission slip in one glass.

Its current surge is simple to explain. The espresso martini re-trained an entire generation to want caffeine in cocktail form — and the Carajillo does it with two ingredients, no shaker required, and a layered pour that looks engineered for the camera. Licor 43's vanilla-citrus sweetness means it needs nothing else: no syrup, no liqueur stack, no technique anxiety.

As Mexican food culture's global prestige keeps climbing, the Carajillo is travelling with it — the drink you order after tacos al pastor, and increasingly, after everything else too.

• Food: Churros, flan, tres leches, dark chocolate, or as the full stop after tacos
• Occasion: Brunch's final act, after-dinner, afternoon meetings that deserve better
• Music vibe: Latin jazz, bolero, Mexico City café hum

Carajillo · Built or shaken · Rocks glass 45 ml Licor 43 · 45 ml hot espresso · large cube Two ingredients · layered gold · Mexico City's afternoon ritual

Glass: Rocks glass Serve: Over a single large cube (layered) or fresh ice (shaken) Temperature: Hot-over-cold contrast, or fully chilled Garnish: Nothing, or three coffee beans