Maraschino liqueur

Maraschino liqueur is a colorless dry fruit drink that uses a special Marasca cherry variety to produce. By the way, it is from these berries that make the cocktail cherry so popular today. Meanwhile, in the process of producing Maraschino liqueur, the berries are crushed along with the bone, giving the finished drink an extraordinary taste of bitter almond.

The real Maraschino liqueur must be aged for at least 3 years, with an alcohol content of 32 percent in the drink. The manufacturing process is very similar to the method of producing cognac. Then sugar syrup is added to it and after certain aging, Maraschino liqueur goes through the filtration stage. It is worth noting that a distinctive feature of this drink from other fruit liqueurs is that fruit extract or fruit juice is not used at all in its production.

The recipe for making Maraschino liqueur first appeared in the Dominican monastery in the city of Zadar at the very beginning of the 16th century. It was originally known by the name Rosolj (Rosolio), which comes from the words ros solis, which literally means solar dew. Meanwhile, under the name known to date, Maraschino liquor began to be produced only two centuries later.

The first production of Maraschino liqueur dates back to 1821 - it began to be produced in the same port city of Zadar as in Croatia. Eight years later, its owner, a businessman named Girolamo Luxardo, gained a monopoly on the manufacture of this drink. After World War II (when Zadar became part of Yugoslavia), a new plant for the production of Maraschino liquor was founded by the descendants of Luxardo near Padua (Italy).

Currently, this wonderful drink is produced under the name Luxardo Maraschino, and the Croatian version of Maraschino liqueur is called Original Maraschino from Zadar. By the way, in Croatia, Maraska is engaged in its production.

According to the story, this liquor was much loved by Napoleon Bonaparte, who preferred Maraschino for dessert after dinner or lunch. French kings, along with King Nicolas I, also adored this drink. It is reliably known, for example, that in September 1887, the future King of England, George V Prince of Wales, personally visited the factory on the way through Zadar, while ordering an impressive batch of Maraschino liquor.

Today, this love-loving liquor is sold not only in any Croatian supermarket or duty free - it can be purchased from our country. By the way, in addition to Maraschino liqueur, Maraska also produces plum, a variety of tinctures, bitter and even rum.

In cooking, Maraschino liqueur is used not only for its intended purpose - it is often used in the preparation of various dessert dishes, ice cream, fruit salads. It gives such dishes a special unique taste and aroma of Maraskan cherry.