Licor 43
The golden vanilla liqueur from Cartagena with 43 ingredients. Everything about its flavour, the creamy variants, the Carajillo and the glass it belongs in.
Spanish vanilla liqueur with 43 ingredients
Licor 43, officially Cuarenta y Tres, is a liqueur from Cartagena on Spain's Mediterranean coast. The recipe contains 43 ingredients, mainly Mediterranean spices, citrus fruits and vanilla, and is said to date back to a drink from Roman times. Since 1946, it has been made by the Zamora family.
With 31% alcohol and a distinctly sweet, creamy vanilla flavour, Licor 43 is one of the best-selling liqueurs in the Netherlands. You drink it neat over ice, with milk or in a Carajillo, the Spanish coffee cocktail. In recent years, creamy variants have been added, such as Horchata, Chocolate and Crème Brûlée.
In brief
What types of Licor 43 are there?
Licor 43 Original
The classic yellow bottle. Sweet, full of vanilla and citrus, with a spicy undertone. The foundation of it all.
Licor 43 Horchata
Licor 43 blended with tiger nut horchata (chufa). Creamy, plant-based and with a hint of cinnamon.
Licor 43 Chocolate
With cocoa and cream. Sweet and rich, like a liquid chocolate dessert.
Licor 43 Crème Brûlée
Vanilla, burnt sugar and a hint of salted caramel. Creamy yet surprisingly fresh.
Licor 43 Speculoos
Cinnamon, caramel and speculoos spices. The winter edition, also delicious in hot chocolate.
Licor 43 1 liter
The same Original in a larger bottle. More economical if you often drink it in coffee or with milk.
Start with the Original: it’s the most versatile and the basis for every recipe.
Sweet, creamy and full of vanilla
Vanilla & orange
Sweet vanilla up front, with orange peel, a hint of cinnamon and Mediterranean herbs in the background.
Creamy and sweet
Full-bodied and syrupy, with vanilla, honey and citrus. You can barely taste the 31% alcohol because of the sweetness.
Long and warm
Vanilla and a light spiciness linger, with a soft warmth from the alcohol.
Flavor profile of Licor 43 Original. The creamy varieties (16%) are softer and less sweet and spicy.
Three ways to drink Licor 43
Licor 43 is sweet, which is why you drink it cold: with ice, with milk or with coffee. Each recipe calls for a different glass.
Neat with ice
Pour 40 ml of Licor 43 over a large ice cube in a tumbler. The cold tames the sweetness and brings out the vanilla beautifully. Also delicious with a slice of orange.
Glass: tumbler →Licor 43 with milk
50 ml of Licor 43 with 150 ml of cold milk in a highball glass full of ice. The Dutch favorite: creamy, sweet and surprisingly refreshing. Optionally add a pinch of cinnamon on top.
Glass: highball glass →Carajillo
A shot of espresso shaken with 40 ml of Licor 43 and plenty of ice, in a tumbler. The Spanish coffee cocktail you’ll find in every bar in Madrid and Mexico City.
Go to the recipe →The best cocktails with Licor 43
Carajillo
Espresso and Licor 43, shaken with ice. Two ingredients, one of the best coffee cocktails.
Licor 43 cocktail
Our favorite recipe with Licor 43, orange and lime. Sweet, fresh and no fuss.
Apple Pie Shot
Licor 43, apple juice and a cinnamon rim. It really tastes like apple pie with whipped cream.
Coffee cocktails
From Espresso Martini to Irish Coffee: all coffee cocktails on one page.The right glass for Licor 43
Licor 43 is best served neat in a small liqueur glass, with ice or milk in a tumbler or highball glass. These are the glasses we recommend ourselves.
Everything you still wanted to know about Licor 43
Is your question not listed? View our cocktail recipes or get in touch.
To the cocktail recipes →