Ginjinha – Lisbon’s Cherry Brandy

In one of Lisbon’s main squares near the Rossio railway station you can find a very popular bar. It’s not a bar as such though, as they only serve one drink.  A Ginjinha do Largo de Sao Domingos is the name of the place and I would highly recommend a visit.

 

There was a good queue when we visited, but the men behind the bar were obviously efficient at what they were doing and served everyone quickly.  One making up the bottles and one serving.

 

 

 

Soon we were at the front of the queue and made our order.  Swiftly 2 cherries were allowed to drop out of the bottle and using the stopper, it was topped up with the brandy.  Four servings came to just over 5 Euros, which I think was an absolute bargain.

 

 

The brandy was smooth and you could taste the cinnamon which worked well with the cherries.  However, biting into the cherries and you got the hit of alcohol you imagined you were going to get from the brandy.

It’s worth a visit if you are in Lisbon, people gathered around the shop chatting and sipping their brandy.  Even though we visited on New Year’s Eve, I imagine it would be just as sociable at any day of the year.  It’s a Lisbon thing.