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

Product Information

Marasca cherries, sometimes also spelled maraska, have a dark red color, are small, quite firm, and astonishingly sour. Their origin lies in the coastal regions of Croatia, in the Dalamatia region, to be precise. 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

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…The Luxardo Distillery was established in 1821 and is still controlled by the founding family. The distillery is steeped in tradition and uses its traditional copper pot stills, ageing vats, and cherries from their local orchards. An original fruit liquor produced from authentic dalmatian marasca cherries, characterised by a sweet taste, moderate density and distinctive red color.

Tolomeo, Rita; Drioli, Francesco (1992), in: Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (41), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Treccani, sub voce Drioli, Francesco, pp. 700-701. Smooth but strong; a sweet liqueur with herbal, nutty and funky flavors. Not much of a cherry taste. A rounded taste and persistent aroma. Intense, flavorful finish. Taste: Very sweet (though maybe less so than Maraska), a mix of tree branch and denatured alcohol, yet not totally unpleasant. I don’t really taste cherry; I wouldn’t have guessed it’s a cherry liqueur. A bit of an acquired taste. Last but not least, our next berry liqueur originates from Chambord on the banks of the Loire, famous for its unique chateau. Originally concocted in the 17 th century and reputedly presented to King Louis XIV for his approval, Chambord liqueur takes raspberries as its base. On this point see: Antonio Teja, La fabbrica di maraschino F. Drioli all'epoca del suo fondatore (1759–1808), la sua importanza nel quadro dell'industria zaratina dei rosoli, cit. e cit.in.bibl.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. On this point see: Giorgetta Bonfiglio Dosio, La fabbrica di maraschino Francesco Drioli di Zara (1759–1943) Inventario dell'Archivio. Introduction by Giorgetta Bonfiglio Dosio, Francesca (Didi) Salghetti-Drioli, Rita Tolomeo, (Fonti e strumenti per la storia d' impresa nel Veneto), Cittadella, Biblos, 1996, cit in bibl. Throughout history, Croatia has been at the crossroads of many cultures and cuisines: from the Habsburg Empire with its layered pastries rich with cream, chocolate and custard; the Mediterranean with its figs and deep-fried treats; to the mystical flavours of the east filled with the aroma of heady spices. With so many influences it’s hard to determine which desserts actually originated in Croatia. However, we can be sure that the maraschino liqueur of Zadar is definitely one of our own contributions to the world’s great pastry shop. The most popular dessert in Croatia is probably pala ? inke, or pancakes. These can be served many different ways, such as filled with plum jam or a walnut and cream mixture, or simply sprinkled with lemon juice and sugar. Fritule are small doughnuts that are always made for Christmas and Easter in the coastal areas of Croatia. These are often served as a welcome to the celebration along with a shot of rakija, a brandy made from wine or pressed grapes. Strudel and knedle (dumplings filled with cherries or plums) are also popular desserts, and walnut and poppy seed roulade is a much-loved classic often seen in Croatian households.

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). Pour the rakija, green Chartreuse, maraschino, and lime juice into a shaker filled with ice cubes. Shake well, then strain into a 150 ml / 5 fl oz martini glass or coupe. The document covers a lot of topics that’s I’ve already mentioned (the history, the role of the Zadar region in growing Marasca cherries, highlights of the production), but also gives more explanations on how Maraschino is made: The traditional Cherry Brandy Liqueur. My host at the distillery called it “alcoholized cherry juice,” and it’s been produced since the 19th century. This isn’t really a brandy in the usual sense, i.e. a fruit distillate or eau de vie. The ingredients are once again conveniently listed on the bottle: sugar, water, alcohol, Marasca cherry juice, Marasca cherry distillate, natural aromas. 31% alcohol.

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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. 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. A fruit distillate is produced by stemming, crushing, and pitting the harvested cherries, fermenting them, adding ethanol of agricultural origin for maceration, then distilling the macerate in a copper pot still so that the resulting distillate contains 55-65% alcohol. The name marasca is derived from the Italian word amarasca and is related to the Italian term amaro, which translates to "bitter". And indeed, besides being smaller and a lot darker than other cherries, the marasca is very bitter. That characteristic makes them a perfect base for a liqueur, as they won't make the end product overly sweet. The taste of Maraschino Liqueur