The Drink of Ginjinha (Ginja)

To the east of the Teatro Nacional Maria in the Praça Dom Pedro IV square (Rossio), is the delightful liquor bar "A Ginjinha". The small bar only serves one drink, Ginjinha, a sweet cheery liquor. The Portuguese are incredibly sentimental to this drink as it was traditionally provided to them by their grannies when they were children for all manner of illnesses.

A cup of the sweet drink cost €1.20 and though unlikely to cure many illnesses is a great way to start a day of sight seeing in Lisbon! Ginjinha is commonly shortened to just Ginja. There are two variants of the drink of Ginja either with cherries or with out, as the cherries have been soaked in the liquor they have an additional kick to the drink.

The miniature A Ginjinha bar remains busy from when it opens in the morning until the last person staggers home, attracting both tourists and Portuguese alike. Go on, have a sip of the sweet drink and laugh with the old Portuguese men who frequent the little bar. In English Ginjinha is called Azorean Plum.

History of Ginjinha (Ginja)

The shop "Ginjinha do Largo de Sao Domingo's" was owned by a Galician named Espinheira and was the first bar in Lisbon to sell the beverage. Advised by a friar from the Igreja de Santo Antonio, Espinheria experimented by letting cherries ferment in brandy then adding sugar water and cinnamon.

Success was instantaneous, both because it was sweet and inexpensive. Soon the Ginjinha became the traditional beverage of Lisbon, and the only decisions patrons had to consider if to have cherries no not!