Maraska - Maraschino, Croatian Liqueur made from Dalmatian Marasca Cherry 70cl

£9.9
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Maraska - Maraschino, Croatian Liqueur made from Dalmatian Marasca Cherry 70cl

Maraska - Maraschino, Croatian Liqueur made from Dalmatian Marasca Cherry 70cl

RRP: £99
Price: £9.9
£9.9 FREE Shipping

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Description

And that’s all we can say about this,” my hosts tell me. “There are secrets.” Indeed, they’ve been very protective of their fabrication details. How long does the maceration last? What are the other ingredients in Maraschino? In what proportion? What about the herbs in Pelinkovac, the herbal liqueur? Mum’s the word. The B52 also counts as one of the most famous and original – its three bands of coffee liqueur, Irish cream and Grand Marnier certainly stand out on the bar counter Nose: A typical distinctive scent of Marasca cherry, without any strange smell. The scent is aromatic and refined. There is a mildly pronounced note of green twigs of Marasca cherry. The other fruits are bought mostly in Croatia, or in neighboring markets when the domestic production isn’t enough. Whenever possible, that is. Certainly the Balkans don’t grow pineapples, and Central Europe even less so…

Cherry liqueurs have been around since the 16th century and have been enjoyed by everyone from kings to peasants. The best cherry brandy liqueurs are rich with fruity tart flavours of cherry, the perfect balance of sweet and sour. Maraska is based in Zadar, Croatia. They began distilling cherry brandy liqueur in 1779 when the local peasants would bring them home-grown marasca sour cherries.

Nose: Less pronounced than in the other two maraschinos, a pleasant combination of cherry and vegetal notes. True to the characteristics mandated by the PGI. Some of my longtime readers might remember this recipe for maraschino cherries. In the post, I mention that Maraschino, unbeknownst to most people, wasn’t invented in Italy but in Croatia. Ten years later, I finally get to talk about the place where it all began: the town of Zadar (called Zara in Italian), in Dalmatia.

So what’s number two in sales? Vodka, of course! Who needs tradition when one can just mix grain alcohol with tap water?! Like in Russia, Maraska doesn’t distill grain alcohol themselves, they buy it. With around 800,000 liters sold per year (still in 2017) Maraska’s Cosmopolitan vodka is also the second best-selling vodka on the Croatian market behind Badel’s Vigor vodka. Sales grow every year, and Maraska wants to be number one! “Our vodka is pure grain, distilled 7 times,” sings my host from the marketing department. It’s also offered in several flavors: raspberry, peach, mint, mojito, and strong (with an extra dose of grain alcohol for an inimitable bouquet). No cherry. The flavored vodkas are made with natural aromas (for the fruits, typically esters made from condensing the volatiles during the concentration process of juice), so they still have a connection with the fruit or plant with which they’re scented (except for mojito, duh). They tend to sell in very small amounts, their main purpose being to occupy more shelf space with the brand, thereby helping to sell more of the main, unflavored product.

An original fruit liquor produced from authentic dalmatian marasca cherries, characterised by a sweet taste, moderate density and distinctive red color.

Ripe sour Marasca and Dalmatian cherries are smashed and left to ferment. The mash is then strained to remove the solids, and the cherry juice is blended with a locally produced brandy and left to age in wood casks for two years. On The NoseThen sugar and water are added. There must be 300 to 360 g of sugar per liter, and the final alcohol content must reach a minimum of 32%. Manda Maraschino, produced by the famous Bibich Winery in Skradin. Bibich actually makes two different maraschinos (the other one called Sv. Donat), but I don’t know what distinguishes one from the other. This one, Manda maraschino, isn’t a Zadar maraschino, although Skradin is technically located in the protected geographical area. The ingredients listed on the bottle are Marasca cherry distillate, Marasca cherry, sugar, water. The label also shows an alcohol content of 32% and a sugar content of 200 g /l. So compared to Maraska, it’s got no grain alcohol, significantly less sugar, and no natural flavors. It is unclear to me what role the Marasca cherry (the second ingredient in the list) plays: cherry distillate is already the main ingredient, and since the liqueur is clear, the cherries can’t have been macerated in it. In a small town in the Veneto Pre-alps in 1868, a pharmacist, Giovan Battista Rossi, began concocting elixirs for the tourist passing by his shop. 100 years later, the Dal Toso family took over and continued with Rossi’s recipes and perfected them into the liqueurs we love today. Sweet stewed cherries on the opening become richer and more decadent mid-palate. The finish is sweet and smooth, with a faint almond bite. Best Served



  • Fruugo ID: 258392218-563234582
  • EAN: 764486781913
  • Sold by: Fruugo

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