A clear cherry liqueur distilled in Zadar from Marasca cherries since the sixteenth century, dry rather than sweet and tasting more of the stones than the fruit. Girolamo Luxardo’s firm, founded in 1821, made it famous.
Distilling is illegal without a licence, and the cherry stones that give the drink its character contain amygdalin — the distillation is also what makes them safe.
What goes into it
- Marasca cherries, with their stones and leaves
- sugar
- water
How it is made
Whole cherries are crushed with their stones and leaves and fermented, then distilled — the stones are what supply the almond-like bitterness that distinguishes maraschino from a sweet cherry liqueur. The distillate is aged in Finnish ash vats for years, then sweetened and diluted.
How long it takes: years of vat ageing before bottling
How it is eaten
In a Hemingway daiquiri, an Aviation or a Last Word; also neat and cold.
History
Cherry liqueur distilled in Zadar from Marasca cherries since the sixteenth century; Girolamo Luxardo’s firm, founded in 1821, made it famous.
Frequently asked questions
What is Maraschino?
Maraschino is a wine & spirit from Croatia: zadar sour-cherry liqueur distilled since the 1700s. Cherry liqueur distilled in Zadar from Marasca cherries since the sixteenth century; Girolamo Luxardo’s firm, founded in 1821, made it famous.
How is Maraschino made?
Whole cherries are crushed with their stones and leaves and fermented, then distilled — the stones are what supply the almond-like bitterness that distinguishes maraschino from a sweet cherry liqueur. The distillate is aged in Finnish ash vats for years, then sweetened and diluted. It takes years of vat ageing before bottling.
Can I make Maraschino at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. Distilling is illegal without a licence, and the cherry stones that give the drink its character contain amygdalin — the distillation is also what makes them safe.
What goes into Maraschino?
Marasca cherries, with their stones and leaves, sugar, water.
How is Maraschino eaten?
In a Hemingway daiquiri, an Aviation or a Last Word; also neat and cold.
