A Ginjinha ★ 4.3
A Ginjinha in Lisbon's Baixa: a hole-in-the-wall on Largo de Sao Domingos, sour-cherry liqueur served standing for 1.50 euros, open since 1840.
Signature drink: Ginjinha sour cherry liqueur, served standing
Food: None
History
Ginjinha was invented in 1840 by Francisco Espinheira, a Galician friar, at a tiny bar on Largo de Sao Domingos in Lisbon. The original A Ginjinha still operates from that same location, 1.50 euros a shot, with or without a cherry in the glass.
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 500g fresh ginja or morello cherries, stems off
- 1L 60-proof aguardente (or vodka)
- 300g caster sugar
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 strip lemon peel
Method
- Wash and dry the cherries. Prick each with a needle to release the juice.
- Combine cherries, sugar, cinnamon and lemon peel in a large jar.
- Pour over the aguardente, seal tight.
- Store in a cool dark place for 30 days, shaking gently every few days.
- Strain through muslin into a clean bottle. Keep the soaked cherries for adding to glasses.
- Serve at room temperature in small shot glasses, one cherry per glass optional.
Tip from the editors. Use morello cherries (sour) not sweet cherries. The traditional ginja is more sour than syrupy, and sweet cherries flatten the spirit.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Where to eat ginjinha
Ginjinha in Lisbon
O Bom, O Mau e O Vilao ★ 4.4
O Bom, O Mau e O Vilao in Cais do Sodre, Lisbon: a velvet-armchair cocktail and ginjinha bar named for the spaghetti western, open late seven nights.
Signature drink: Ginjinha or a Negroni in a 1960s spaghetti-western room
Food: Snacks
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