Carajillo O.F.

The Carajillo is a Spanish institution. Coffee with a shot of spirit - brandy, rum, or whisky - drunk as a digestif or a mid-morning pick-me-up depending on where you are in the country and what decade you're in. It's a drink without pretension, built on the idea that coffee and spirits were always supposed to be together.

The Carajillo O.F. takes that idea and gives it the Old Fashioned treatment - stirred, spirit-forward, built on ice in a rocks glass, and finished with an orange garnish that makes the whole thing feel elevated. The "O.F." stands for Old Fashioned, and also, perhaps, for the fact that this is a very old idea done very well.

Landlocked Roast Pineapple Rum is the base — its caramelised pineapple warmth bringing an unexpected tropical note that works beautifully with coffee. Dialled Coffee Liqueur adds the coffee intensity, along with a sweetness that means the drink doesn't need much else. Licor 43, a Spanish vanilla liqueur made with 43 herbs and spices, adds a subtle, creamy complexity that bridges the coffee and the rum. A small measure of simple syrup rounds off the edges.

Stir everything together over ice, strain into a rocks glass filled with a large clear ice cube (frosty from the freezer, if you can manage it), and garnish with an expressed orange peel. The classic, elevated. Delicious is an understatement.

THE RECIPE

Dialled Coffee Liqueur is available here and Landlocked Roast Pineapple Rum is available here