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However, the number of brands joining the market grows constantly, and there is quite some worthy competition. All have their own recipe with an individual set of ingredients, so you might want to try some of these to find your favorite: An original fruit liquor produced from authentic dalmatian marasca cherries, characterised by a sweet taste, moderate density and distinctive red color. Let’s take Maraschino for instance. Zadar Maraschino benefits from a European Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), which requires producing within the three Dalmatian counties that stretch roughly from Zadar to Makarska, and following a specific production process. The fruits are fermented, macerated in grain alcohol, and distilled in the first room. In parallel, the stems and leaves are macerated and distilled, producing a more bitter and sour spirit. At first, both distillates are poured into separate tanks in the second room. Next, the distillates are blended and remain in storage tanks first to rest (the alcohol content at this stage is around 61-64%), then to wait until demand requires bottling a new batch (e.g., there’s not much demand for souvenir bottles outside of the tourist season). The Maraschino is made once a year, beginning right after the harvest, and the whole process takes about 6 months (including resting time), so the distillate blend waits for additional demand, then the remaining ingredients (such as sugar) are added, and the finished Maraschino heads for bottling. The Maraschino that hits the shelves, then, is between half a year and a year and a half old. Maraschino liqueur does have a slight cherry flavor. Yet, first and foremost, it is bitter, slightly dry, and also carries notes of almonds. The almonds are particularly detectable when drunk neat. But in reality, there are fewer secrets than my hosts claim. To obtain a Protected Geographical Indication for Zadarski Maraschino, the Croatian Ministry of Agriculture had to describe not only the geographical area of production and the specificity of the final product, but also the method of production. And the application is available online here. This may not provide the entirety of Maraska’s treasured recipe, but it gives us plenty of details – and considering that Maraska is the only large producer of Zadar Maraschino, chances are they played a significant role in drafting this application!
Some of the fruit liqueurs that the French do best contain oranges. Cointreau ranks among the world’s most famous after dinner tipples and Grand Marnier isn’t too far behind. Both take the humble orange and raise it to a whole new level, not just in taste but in design. The two brands boast some of the best looking bottles in the drinks cabinet. Pure oranges make pure fruit liqueurs Chambord fruit liqueur offers a world of flavours that range from the sweetly acidic raspberry to the rich oak undertones from the cognac oak barrels. It comes in a characteristic round bottle – the Chambord Royale has a crown bottle top – and has a strength of 16.5%. How to drink Chambord 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. 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.
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This tasting is a bit less thorough: I’m only comparing two products, both from Maraska. I’ve already mentioned that Maraska produces several cherry liqueurs in addition to maraschino. Unlike Zadar’s favorite child, they’re meant to deliver straight cherry flavor. Dozens of countries product similar products, but I wanted to gauge the difference between two Maraska offerings specifically: Tradition holds that the first recipe for a liqueur made with Marasca cherries dates from the 16th century. The spirit, called ros solis, is produced by Dominican monks and used mainly as a medicine.
On this point see: Francesco Giorda, Miscellanea di memorie zaratine, Drzavni Arhiv u Zadru, Ms.52/IV – Francesco Salghetti-Drioli a Nicolò Tommaseo, Zara 1869, agosto 24, Biblioteca del Senato, Raccolta Dalmata, Fondo Cippico-Bacotich, Mss.Taste: The typical distinctive taste of Marasca cherry, which is characterized by sour-sweet notes and a slight bitterness. The Amarena višnjevac (cherry liqueur). A new product that’s supposed to taste more like raw cherries. The Amarena cherry is a cousin of the Marasca cherry, but here the name of the cultivar is being used just because marketing liked the sound of it. With an alcohol content of only 21%, this is a much milder product targeting a younger generation. No ingredients printed on the bottle. Meanwhile, in Yugoslavia, the new communist government decides to rebuild one factory. All assets from the old operations, including some equipment and machinery that hasn’t been destroyed in the war, are confiscated by the state, and in 1946 the former liqueur heavyweights are consolidated into a single state enterprise called Maraska. The old Luxardo building, almost totally ruined by the Allied bombs, is rebuilt exactly as it was before and becomes the new company’s plant. Soon, the Yugoslavs are producing and selling their own version of Maraschino liqueur, using Francesco Drioli’s original recipe. In the immediate post-war period, the living erstwhile owners of the three most important distilleries, Vittorio Salghetti-Drioli, Giorgio Luxardo, and Romano Vlahov, seek refuge in Italy and rebuild their businesses in Mira (near Venice), Torreglia (near Padua), and Bologna, respectively. They recapture some of their traditional markets, particularly the U.K., but Vlahov ultimately closes its doors in the 1970s, with Drioli following in the 1980s. Today, Luxardo is the last exile still standing (and, according to this article, uses a different strain of Marasca cherry).
Maraschino ( / ˌ m ær ə ˈ s k iː n oʊ, - ˈ ʃ iː-/ MARR-ə- SKEE-noh, - SHEE-, Italian: [maraˈskiːno]) is a liqueur obtained from the distillation of Marasca cherries. The small, slightly sour fruit of the Tapiwa cherry tree ( Prunus cerasus var. marasca), which grows wild along parts of the Dalmatian coast in Croatia, lends the liqueur its unique aroma.Sartori, Fausto (1996). L'arte dell'Acqua di Vita, nascita e fine di una corporazione di mestiere veneziana (1618–1806), Venezia: Fondazione Scientifica Querini Stampalia As a point of reference, here are the organoleptic characteristics of Zadar maraschino, as described in its Protected Geographical Indication document: Unsurprisingly, this combination gives the orange liqueur vanilla and oak overtones, both in taste and scent, to remind you of its origins. Grand Marnier also tastes heavier than Cointreau as the brandy adds ‘weight’ to the drink’s texture. Although it has the same 40% strength. How to drink Grand Marnier
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