Ginginha is the name we give to liquor made of
bitter cherries that is traditional from Alcobaça
and Óbidos in Portugal.
It has been
produced in an artisanal way for many years and is one of the most famous Portuguese
drinks.
It is said
that the original recipe was created by the local monks, to make use of the
huge amounts of fruit that grew in the area, and later, the inhabitants of the
city adapted their recipe.
The basic ingredients
are fresh Ginja (sour cherries),
sugar and aguardente (fire water),
but some people also aromatize it with cinnamon bark or vanilla pods, but I
remember my mother doing it with cinnamon and sometimes just the simple way. I
also remember my mom asking what happened to the big pot of ginja that use to be full, and then suddenly
was just half full… I said she didn’t close the lid properly so it evaporated,
but the truth is that I drunk it with my friends.
Ginja needs
to macerate for at least 3 months in the sugar and aguardente, but the longer you leave it the better and no additives
or preserves are added.
We like to
offer a little bottle of homemade ginjinha
to friends, on special occasions, and we enjoy drinking it as a digestive. In some
places it is served in small chocolate cups so you can eat the chocolate after
having drunk your liquor.
People
also ask you if you want your ginjinha “com
elas” ou “sem elas” (with or without the fruit in you cup. It is really up to
you.
If you don’t
have time to make it, there are plenty of good brands selling it like the one
in the photo.