Ginjinha, or simply ginja, is a liqueur obtained from the maceration of sour cherry fruit (scientific name Prunus cerasus), similar to cherry, very popular in Portugal, especially in Lisbon, Óbidos, Alcobaça and the Algarve.
It is customary to serve it with a fruit tanned at the bottom of the glass, popularly called "with them", or, when pure, "without them".
And how do you make the Ginja?!
Let's explain the manufacturing process, but my favourite sour cherry: A GINJINHA ESPINHEIRA.
Making sour cherry is an art. Right away I tell you, you need a good tree and a good fruit, so you get the best nectar from the best fruit. It is common for all the collection, selection and removal of the peduncle of the sour cherries to be manually. My favourite ginjinha says that the soil of her orchard agrees with the temperament of the ginjeiras, which occur almost like wild trees, where the quality of the fruit is ensured by nature. After harvesting, the sour cherries go to maceration, that is, remove and/or extract from the sour cherry certain substances that are considered active ingredients.
The ritual is the same since there is memory of Espinheira. They add alcohol and water to the fruits and no longer stir them for a year. At the end of this first period, sour cherries are removed - and intended for other purposes - and the resulting nectar will age in oak barrels.
To finish this delicious sour cherry, after a few months later and the characteristics that give the unmistakeable flavour to our Ginjinha have already settled. After clarification, still through traditional methods, they add the sugar necessary to balance the tones to the astonishment. After the improvement of the potion, they proceed to the bottling in two delicious varieties: one only with the liquid, another containing some of the sour cherries that were originally used in maceration.
And how to serve the Sour?
The history of Espinheira Ginjinha
The story began around the year 1840, in the tavern that operated at Rua das Portas de Santo Antão no 27, at the time a well-envival place according to Lisbon folklore in the mid-century. XIX. There was the oldest Espinheira factory that from there were produced, sold - and celebrated - the wines and liqueurs that we now understand as ancestors of Ginjinha.
Francisco Espiñeira Couziño's father made the tavern a profitable business, but also a space for the exchange of ideas and social unrest. Francisco Espiñeira Couziño saw there an opportunity to produce his own liqueurs, leading him to found the company that still exists today. Beyond what the labels that confirmed to ignore the friction of time tell us, there are also records of remodelling works of our current store, the picturesque "A Ginjinha" of Largo de São Domingos, dating from 1910. This endeavour was in the hands of Francisco Espiñeira Couziño - the one we esteem as the original promoter of Espinheira Ginja.
The detailed story you can read on Ginjinha Espinheira's website, Clicking here.
"And for this we can only thank a Galician named Espinheira and a friar of the church of Santo António. This is because it was the religious who suggested that he ferment the sour cherries in brandy, adding sugar, water and cinnamon to it. The result is the drink you know today, a liqueur to drink and "beg" for more." Lisboa Secreta
NOWADAYS...
As was the wishes of the parents of Ginja Espinheira, the company remains familiar to this day. Now in the fifth generation, they continue to protect the character of Ginjinha and take care of tradition, while focussing on the challenges of time - without ever ceasing to consider the eternal question: WITH OR WITHOUT THEM?
Where can I find the Sour Cherry in Lisbon?
You will find Espinheira Ginjinha at Largo de São Domingos, No. 8, in Rossio. And it's also more modern, which even accepts deliveries through Uber Eats and, of course, has a Instagram profile.
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