Nigerian Chapman
Overview
Chapman is Nigeria's best known mixed drink, a deep red fruity cooler served in dimpled beer mugs at parties, bars and restaurants across the country. It is made from two soft drinks, grenadine syrup, cucumber, citrus and mint, and it is as common at a Lagos owambe as jollof rice. Whether it is alcohol free depends entirely on how it is made, and this matters more than most people assume. Angostura bitters is a standard ingredient and is around 45 percent alcohol by volume. The quantity used is small, so the finished drink is only very lightly alcoholic, but it is not a true mocktail unless the bitters are left out, which is what is done when it is served to children. The cucumber is not garnish. Sliced into the jug it releases a cool, faintly vegetal note that cuts the sweetness of the two soft drinks and the grenadine, and a chapman without it tastes markedly flatter. The other detail worth following is freezing soft drink into the ice cubes rather than using water ice, so the drink does not dilute as it stands, which matters at a party where a jug sits out.
AFN Heritage Note
Chapman is a Nigerian mixed drink served at parties, bars and restaurants nationally, conventionally presented in dimpled mugs.
Ingredients
Dietary tags are provided by contributors as a guide, not verified by AFN, and they depend on the products you buy. If you have a serious allergy, check every ingredient yourself. Cooking, allergies and your own judgement
Directions
- 1
Freeze soda in an ice cube tray. This is optional but advisable, since water ice dilutes the drink as it melts.
- 2
In a jug, combine equal amounts of orange soda and lemon-lime soda.
- 3
Pour in the grenadine syrup and the Angostura bitters if using, and mix well.
- 4
Chop the cucumber and lime to the shape and size you want and add them to the jug.
- 5
Finish with mint leaves and serve chilled.
Africook’s Notes
Personal notes from Jennifer Ezeokoli- Freeze soda rather than water for the ice cubes. It is the difference between a drink that holds its flavour and one that turns watery within twenty minutes.
- The cucumber is doing real work, not decorating. It cuts the sweetness and a chapman without it tastes noticeably flat.
- Leave out the Angostura bitters for a genuinely alcohol free version, which is what is done when serving children.
- Mix it shortly before serving. The soda loses its fizz once the fruit is in.
- Adjust the grenadine to taste. It controls both the colour and the sweetness, and shop-bought soda is already sweet.
- Blackcurrant cordial is a common substitute for grenadine and gives a darker, less sweet result.
Reviews
2 reviews
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Chale, chapman always brings back memories of Lagos trips oo. Hard to find real grenadine here in Columbus unless you drive out to Saraga, so I used pomegranate juice mixed with sugar instead. Came out good paa, but you really need those few dashes of angostura bitters or it just tastes like plain soft drink.
Freezing the sprite in the ice tray before the braai on Saturday was absolute genius. Usually mocktails get diluted so fast in the heat here in PE, but this stayed so lekker and fizzy till the end. Added extra angostura bitters because we like that spice with the cucumber slices.