Alright, next up on my semi-overwhelming remaining list of cool places I went to when I was in…read morePortugal a couple months ago - one of three distinct, very similar spots to try locally made craft ginja, so obviously I made a crawl of it and tried all three in a row, the first day I got to Lisbon. All three are, similarly, very tiny bars, basically just alcoves, no seating, large enough to fit a couple people standing inside if it's raining, which it was. Not a spot people stick around a long time at, which is reasonable, since all they sell are cheap shots of ginja, and to-go bottles of ginja. Well, in this case, uniquely, they also sell a second, more complex liqueur called Eduardino, one reason I'd give the crown to this stop over A Ginjinha around the block, though I also think I liked the ginja here a *hair* more than A Ginjinha. Both great, though. (You can skip Ginginha do Carmo. :p)
The ginja, like their most direct competitor's, is quite fruity, and sweet, but not overly so. The one here is also *particularly* smooth. Their second product, Eduardino, apparently invented here in 1908 (I just looked it up) is an anise-infused ginja that doesn't taste anything like ginja, but does taste like a great, complex, sweet anise liqueur, that I imagine would be *wonderful* in cocktails that call for absinthe as a modifier, or probably also as a swap for Benedictine or any of those more famous sweet/herbal liqueurs, if you're a cocktail nerd like me. Though here, obviously, they just sell it neat or in bottles. It is also pretty tasty served neat.
I wish I'd had room to bring back a full 750 bottle of each, instead of just a 200 ml bottle (I had most of a suitcase already earmarked for Port wine), but I was glad they *sold* 200 ml bottles!
