A Ginjinha Espinheira

Overview

Are you a fan of ginja? You will be. This sour cherry Portuguese liqueur is served neat, by the shot. Sour ginja (morello) cherries are steeped in aguardente, with sugar and spices like cinnamon often added. First concocted by a Galician friar in 1840, it has long been considered a curative for various ailments, remaining popular with locals and tourists alike. A Ginjinha Espinheira is located just off Rossio Plaza and named for the Espinheira family who have run it for generations.

Francesbean, Flickr

They handpick and hand-sort their cherries for maceration, and leave them in alcohol and water for a year, before ageing them in oak barrels and clarifying them. It's not the only ginjinha – and each sells its own ginja – but it's one of the oldest, serving this liquor since 1910. It still has vintage-painted signage and rows upon rows of old-fashioned bottles around the walls.

There are no seats and just a simple menu: ginja, either com (with the cherry) or sem (without). A shot is cheap, so if you're so inclined, try both.

Top image: Shadowgate, Flickr