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. Smooth red cherry upfront with cinnamon and almond notes soon emerging. A sweet and lingering cherry/marzipan finish with a delicious tartness. Best Served Incredibly rich cherry tart flavours with a smooth velvety feel. Mid-palate is balanced between sweet and sour, leading to a feisty cherry finish. Best Served 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 cherries are mashed and fermented to extract all the flavours. The cherry juice is blended with Leopold Bros fine spirit and bottled at 20% ABV. On The Nose

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. Maraska, with a but. This is the only maraschino I tasted that perfectly combines the smell and flavor of both cherries and cherry leaves. You could say that since the other competing maraschinos don’t have the Zadar maraschino PGI, they don’t need to have the same flavor profile. Still, since maraschino was indeed invented in Zadar, I consider the blend of cherry and leaf distillates as one of the liqueur’s defining principles. My “but” with the Maraska maraschino, however, is the excessive use of grain alcohol. You immediately notice that its aroma is more muted than in undiluted maraschinos. I understand that it makes Maraska cheaper to produce, but considering that nowadays the product brings more prestige than direct revenue, I don’t see the point of cutting costs. At the very least, why not make a deluxe version containing no grain alcohol at all? While Luxardo still is the most popular and doubtlessly one of the best brands to sell Maraschino liqueur, you can find quite a large selection of this cherry liqueur in liquor stores today.This cherry liqueur is then left to age in oak casks for a minimum duration of three years. On The nose Since you may not be able to travel to Croatia this summer, I’ve decided to bring Croatia to you. My last trip to the Dalmatian coast was already a few summers ago, so it’s about time I start writing about it! Let’s get started with… the Maraska distillery. As a point of reference, here are the organoleptic characteristics of Zadar maraschino, as described in its Protected Geographical Indication document: 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. 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

If you're looking for an alcohol-free alternative, try cherry syrup. If you want to keep it as close to the original as possible, consider getting marasca syrup or making your own at home. History of Maraschino Liqueur A slightly sweet cherry syrup on the palate with cherry tartness continues to the flavoursome tart cherry finish. Best Served 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). Leopold’s Michigan Tart Cherry Liqueur is made from rare Montmorency cherries. These cherries offer a perfect balance between tartness and sweetness.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:

Then 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%. This cherry liqueur tastes best on ice or mixed with tonic or soda water. Like cassis, it makes a good addition to fruit puddings and cakes. Raspberry Chambord 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.

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. Founded in Dijon, Burgundy, in 1874, Gabriel Boudier Guignolet is currently run by the Battault family. The family still uses the original recipes for their liqueur and spirits. The brand became renowned when it was the first to offer a Saffron Gin to the world. The other quintessentially French orange liqueur also comes in an unmistakable bottle, although this one’s round. But like Cointreau, it carries a ribbon (red) and wax seal. Grand Marnier also turns out to be more or less contemporary with Cointreau since its recipe was perfected in 1880 in Neauphle-le-Chateau, just outside Paris.