Carajillo

A Carajillo is a Spanish drink combining coffee with brandy or rum. It is typical of Spain and according to folk etymology, its origin dates to the Spanish occupation of Cuba. The troops combined coffee with rum to give them courage (coraje in Spanish, hence "corajillo" and more recently "carajillo").

Other sources cite that the French station of Barcelona the carriers who were waiting for the load shift, rather than ask for coffee and a glass of liquor, was asked to mix it, by "que ara guillo" (in Catalan: now I'm leaving in a hurry). Hence the shortened form "caraguillo" and subsequent phonetic deviation.

There are many different ways of making a carajillo, ranging from black coffee with the spirit simply poured in to heating the spirit with lemon, sugar and cinnamon and adding the coffee last.

A similar Italian drink is known as caffè corretto.

The American version of a Spanish Coffee uses a heated sugar rimmed spanish coffee mug 3/4oz rum and 1/2oz triple sec. The drink is then flamed to carmalize the sugar. 2oz coffee liquour is then added which puts out the flame, and then it is topped off with 3-4oz of coffee, and whipped cream.