Non-alcoholic recipe
Chapman-Inspired Cooler
A Nigerian-inspired, bitters-free citrus-soda cooler with blackcurrant cordial, lime and fresh cucumber.
Ingredients
- 90 ml chilled orange soda
- 90 ml chilled lemon-lime soda
- 15 ml concentrated blackcurrant cordial (not ready-to-drink juice; check label for sulphites)
- 15 ml fresh lime juice
- 2 thin cucumber slices
Preparation
Fill a highball glass with cubed ice, tucking 2 thin cucumber slices among the ice. Add 15 ml concentrated blackcurrant cordial and 15 ml fresh lime juice. Slowly pour in 90 ml chilled orange soda and 90 ml chilled lemon-lime soda. Stir gently once to preserve carbonation and garnish with an orange slice.
Glassware
Highball glass over cubed ice
Garnish
1 orange slice; 2 cucumber slices in drink
History
Chapman is a widely enjoyed Nigerian mixed soft drink made with citrus sodas, cordial or grenadine, cucumber and often aromatic bitters. Reporting from Nigeria records competing accounts of its invention, including stories involving a patron named Chapman and bartender Sam Alamutu; neither is established here as definitive. This Mixology version omits bitters and uses measured blackcurrant cordial, so it is presented as Chapman-inspired rather than the single authentic original.
Mixology View
Blackcurrant cordial supplies the deep-fruit note usually contributed by cordial or grenadine, while fresh lime restrains the sweet sodas. The deliberate omission of bitters makes this a variation, not a claim to the one authentic Nigerian recipe.
Ingredient note
Use concentrated blackcurrant cordial, not ready-to-drink blackcurrant juice. Check the selected cordial label for sulphites and other ingredients you avoid. This version omits traditional aromatic bitters.