Recipe

Europe🇵🇹 PortugalLisbon
Ginjinha
Portuguese · easy · serves 12
prep 15 min · cook 0 min
~256 cal · 0g protein · 32g carbs · 0g fat (estimated, per serving)
🍽️
Small glass of dark red cherry liqueur with a cherry
🇵🇹 Lisbon
Ginjinha — or simply ginja — is Lisbon in a shot glass, sour morello cherries steeped for months in aguardente with sugar and a cinnamon stick. Sold from hole-in-the-wall bars near Rossio, it is downed standing on the street, "com ou sem" (with or without a boozy cherry in the glass).
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Ingredients
Serves 12
1 lb sour (morello) cherries
3 cups aguardente or vodka
1.5 cups sugar
1 cinnamon stick
a strip lemon peel
Instructions
1
Prick the cherries and pack them into a large jar with the sugar, cinnamon, and lemon peel.
2
Pour over the aguardente to cover.
3
Seal and store in a cool dark place, shaking occasionally, for at least 2–3 months.
4
Strain off the ruby liqueur (keep the boozy cherries).
5
Serve in small glasses, with or without a cherry.
Lisbon tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers — know your destination
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Lisbon. The city that queues daily for warm custard tarts.
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Portugal. A seafaring nation that seasoned half the world.
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Europe. Village recipes guarded for generations.
The story behind this dish is up top — worth a read while the pot works.
👩‍🍳
Richard Moore & Kelsey Tucker
Recipes cooked, tested, and researched by the creators of Spin the Globe. How we build our recipes →
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