The Zamora siblings launched it in postwar Spain, inspired by a Roman legend; only three people know the recipe
Licor 43 was first bottled in 1946 in Cartagena, in southeastern Spain, by siblings Diego, Ángel and Josefina Zamora, with the support of Emilio Restoy, Josefina's husband. According to VinePair, the family launched the drink shortly after the Spanish Civil War, in the middle of a recession under the Franco regime. The name comes from the recipe: 43 ingredients, among fruits, herbs and spices.
The brand tells its origin through a legend. In 209 B.C., during the Second Punic War, the Romans conquered the region and renamed it Carthago Nova. There, according to Licor 43's official website, they found a golden, aromatic elixir made with local fruits and herbs, called Liqvor Mirabilis, something like marvelous liquid. The Romans banned its production, fearing the drink would become a temptation, VinePair recounts, but the Carthaginians kept making it in secret, and the recipe supposedly passed down through generations until it reached the Zamoras. The brand itself says only that the elixir inspires today's recipe: it is a legend, not a historical record.
Of the 43 ingredients, only five are public: vanilla, coriander, orange, lemon and green tea. According to VinePair, only three people in the world know the full recipe. The liqueur is 31% alcohol and is still produced at the original plant in Cartagena, which today also houses a visitor center and an interactive museum.
According to the timeline published by the brand, Licor 43 became the market leader in Spain in the 1950s. In the following decade, tourism helped spread the drink, and exports began. In the 1970s, served over crushed ice, it established the Pilé 43; in the 1980s, the brand sponsored the Whitbread Round the World Race with a boat crewed by Spaniards that sailed 27,000 nautical miles. By the 2000s, it was in more than 50 countries, including Australia, Germany, Mexico and the United States. Then came the new bottle, in 2015, the Horchata version, in 2016, and Baristo, with coffee from the Canary Islands, in 2018. Bebidário's catalog lists the original and Licor 43 Chocolate.
In Mexico, the liqueur became coffee's partner in the Carajillo, the mix of espresso and Licor 43. According to VinePair, the drink had earlier versions with rum, in Cuba, and with brandy, in Colombia, and took the form known today after Licor 43 reached the market.
Sources: Licor 43, official website (accessed October 21, 2026), VinePair (June 9, 2025).
