Chapman: How to make Nigerian cocktail with Ribena

There is a twist, the addition of Ribena. For those trying to save money this recession, here is how to make your own chapman at home.

Ingredients

½ cup Grenadine Syrup

A few dashes of Angostura Aromatic Bitters™

35 cl Fanta Orange

35 cl Sprite

½ an Orange

½ a lemon

Ice cubes

Optional Ingredient:

Ribena™ Blackcurrant

To garnish:

Feel free to add any citrus and other fruits of your choice: cucumber, strawberry, orange, lemon, lime, even bananas. I used the following:

½ an orange

½ a lemon

½ a cucumber

Notes on the Ingredients and alternatives

Grenadine Syrup gives the drink its classic red colour. You can buy this at your local supermarket or on Amazon websites as listed below. If you can't find Grenadine Syrup, you can use red currant (extract the juice) or pomegranate but these don't give the drink the same taste.

Ribena concentrated blackcurrant adds to the red colour and gives the drink a sweetened taste but it is optional.

You can make your ice cubes with a mixture of the Fanta and the Sprite. This is so that your drink does not go flat as is the case when the ice cubes are made with water.

Even though the Nigerian chapman contains a very small quantity of alcohol, I know there are those who will like to make a version that does not contain any trace of alcohol. If you want to make that, you can skip the Angostura Bitters but I warn you, the Nigerian Chapman will not be the same without Angostura Bitters. :)

Wondering other recipes you can use the remaining Angostura Bitters for? You can use it in cookies, cakes, ice cream, salads and other cocktail drinks. Or you can just keep it and use for Chapman, it does not expire in a hurry.

Before you make the Chapman

Make the ice cubes either with water or a mixture of the fanta and the sprite.

Make sure the Grenadine Syrup, Fanta and Sprite are chilling in the fridge.

Cut the orange and the lemon into two equal parts each then cut one half of each into thin quarters. Reserve the other halves for squeezing into the drink.

Preparations

Put a few ice cubes in the mugs.

Add half a cup of the Grenadine Syrup, this should be about one third of the dimpled mug.

Add a few dashes of Angostura Bitters (to your taste).

Add a squeeze of orange and lemon each.

Share the Fanta equally between the two mugs, do the same for the Sprite. Remember to leave some space because the garnishings will take up their own volume.

Add your sliced garnishings: cucumber, orange and lemons. This list goes on and on, some people even add bananas to theirs :)

Top off with Ribena blackcurrant if you have it.

Stir with the straws and it is ready for drinking!

Enjoy it on a warm sunny day or on any special occassion with any Nigerian snack.

This recipe was culled from the awesome allnigerianrecipes.com