The shiny, sticky, brightly-colored chocolate sauces that you might remember from your childhood are grossly dissimilar to maraschino liqueur which could be described as bitter or at least somewhat. In fact it can be traced through history as being used in some of the all-time classics which include Last Word cocktail and way back into early Martini blends. Discover all one can know about the versatile spirit made from cherries which impact, usage and everything you need to know about Cocktails With Maraschino Liqueur.
What Is Maraschino Liqueur?
The juice and crushed pits of the marasca cherries, or very often the leaves and branches, serve as a basis for a transparent liquer called maraschino. The area of southern Europe in which the particularly fine Morello cherry, which is needed for this sour cherry, is cultivated, include the Veneto region in Italy and the Dalmatian coast in Croatia.
In the 16th century the region was under the rule of the Republic of Venice and some sources suggest that monks of the Dalmatian coast produced the liquor for the first time. Its international expansion credited to Venetian businessman Francesco Drioli who set a distillery in Zadar (then Zara) in 1759. Soon several competitors popped up in the market, the most famous of which was Luxardo launched into the market in 1821 by Girolamo Luxardo, a Venetian trader. Similar to other fruit liqueurs, maraschino liqueur has been used commonly as a drip or an after dinner drink. It was used later in the 1800s as part of cocktials like Martinez.
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In 1947 Luxardo transferred their distillery from Zadar to Torreglia in Northern Italy where the majority of Maraschino distilleries were destroyed during the Second World War. Drioli was shut in 1980 when the maraschino liqueur bottles were left idle on the rear ends of the bars in the future years. However, the component staged a return to the cocktail in the early 2000s after bartenders began mixing historical cocktails that incorporated the liqueur while seeking inspiration from old cocktail guides.
What is the flavor of Maraschino?
The taste is dry, slightly sweet, with a finish of almond and still residual rounded off with the anvillike flavors of sour cherry. Its unusual flavor adds a touch of brightness and roundness to the drink, giving drinks a Cocktails With Maraschino Liqueur.
Maraschino Liqueur: How Is It Made?
Telling a difference between each brand is that all of them make a maraschino liqueur from the marasca cherries and their pits, but in a general manner the cherries and their pits are steeped in the neutral alcohol then the liquid is aged, distilled and sweetened. Luxardo uses the whole cherry plant, including the leaves and branches, to make its liqueur. The plant is incubated for around three years in larch wood vats with neutral beet alcohol. The liquid is distilled in ashwood vats after the particles are removed, and it is then diluted with water and sugar before being bottled at 64 proof (32% ABV). Originally used to shield delicate Murano glass during transportation, the straw sleeve is now a common feature of many maraschino liqueurs.
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Typical Brands
Despite being the most well-known, Luxardo isn't the only maraschino liqueur available. After World War II, Croatian Maraska debuted in the Zadar distillery that had previously held Luxardo, and since 1865 and 1900, respectively, Italian firms Fratelli and Lazzaroni have been bottling copies. These days, the Dutch business Bols also produces a widely accessible version, and Colorado-based Leopold Bros., which is prepared with coriander, honey, and distillates of both marasca and Montmorency cherries, has become a popular bottle for people who like a somewhat drier flavor profile. The average alcohol content of maraschino liqueurs is from 24 to 32%.
Maraschino Liqueur: How to Use It?
Maraschino liqueur is usually used as a modifier in cocktails, although it may also be drank plain. It's less sweet than simple syrup or many other fruit liqueurs, but it still balances a cocktail, making it a suitable option for those who want a little tartness. Additionally, the cherry pits' subtle almond overtones and depth of taste are imparted by the liqueur.
There are many of uses for a bottle of maraschino liqueur that you may have on hand. Try these ten must-have dishes first.
No. 2 Tuxedo
While the Tuxedo No. 2 is technically a follow-up to the Tuxedo Cocktail (gin, sherry, and orange bitters), it shares a number of components with the Turf Club, which was included in Harry Johnson's first Bartender's Manual in 1900.
Daiquiri Hemingway
The story of the cocktail is that, in 1930s El Floridita Bar, Havana, Cuban – the watering place of Ernest Hemingway, he ordered a daiquiri to be served half a sugar and double the spirits. Bartenders have now changed the recipe to suit today’s trend; they add grapefruit juice and maraschino liqueur to the White Rum combined with lime juice, this would have produced a cocktail that was incredibly dry. This is sometimes known as the El Floridita, or Daiquiri #4, and, while similar to any other Daiquiri, this one is slightly more flavoursome and a little more tart.
Martinez
But it is not a coincidence that this Martini pre cursor is a gin based drink like a gin Manhattan containing gin sweet vermouth maraschino liqueur and angostura bitters. When the cocktail was originally published, it was only in O.H. Byron’s The Modern Bartenders’ Guide (1884), in the notes to the Manhattan recipe.
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A Better Whiskey Cocktail
Male bartenders began “enhancing” Old Fashioned-style drinks from late 1800s by including European components such as the curaçao, absinthe and maraschino liqueur. A reformulation of the old-fashion cocktail this drink contains rye or bourbon whiskey, Angostura bitters and sugar which is substituted with simple syrup here. It is garnished with absinthe, Peychaud’s bitters and maraschino liqueur.
Ingredients
- Four teaspoons (2 ounces) of gin
- One ounce, or two teaspoons sweet vermouth.
- One tablespoon (½ ounce) Liqueur Maraschino
- Three dashes Bitters from angostura
- Regarding the garnish: Peel off an orange
Directions
- Pour the Maraschino liqueur, sweet vermouth, and gin into a cocktail mixing glass (or any glass for that matter). Pour one handful of ice into the mixing glass and swirl constantly for 30 seconds.
- Pour the drink through a strainer into a cocktail glass.
- Slice off a piece of orange peel using a knife. To extract the oils, squeeze the orange peel into the beverage. Run the peel gently around the glass's edge. You can twist it if you want to, then put it in the glass and Cocktails With Maraschino Liqueur.
