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. 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 Nose As unique as this marasca liqueur is, you still can find some products you can use to substitute it. Yet, keep in mind that each has its own flavor profile, which will impact your final results. Despite the similarities, some are quite a stretch from the original. Cherry Heering As a point of reference, here are the organoleptic characteristics of Zadar maraschino, as described in its Protected Geographical Indication document: A taste of the Mediterranean with a distinctive red colour and a small percentage of alcohol. Try on its own or pour over a fruit salad and ice cream - this is simply delicious! The perfect welcome drink, excellent served with or without ice.

The main surprise in this description is that Maraschino isn’t just the product of the distillation of cherries, like I was left to assume so far – it can also contain a hefty amount of grain alcohol! And in some circles, grain alcohol is a bad word (it’s the difference between a Johnnie Walker and a Talisker, for example). 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 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 As for the non-alcoholic beverages, Maraska makes all kinds of juices and syrups. This a relatively new activity, but with over a dozen flavors across in multiple products and brands, it represents a substantial part of their business. Of course, this includes Marasca cherry juice and syrup.Syrupy sweet cherry on the palate with a slight sour bite mid-palate. The finish reveals dark cherry tones and hints of almond. Best Served Fun Fact: I also tried mixing the three maraschinos, and the sum might have been better than any of the parts!) Cherry liqueur tasting Both distillates are blended together with ethanol of agricultural origin, with the constraint that the distillates must represent at least 33% of the total amount of alcohol by volume. 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 Taste: Very sweet, mild but again with well-balanced cherry and vegetal flavors. The distillation of the leaves and stems clearly plays an important role. Not your typical cherry liqueur, for sure.

Since 1992 I have been an avid drinks enthusiast and have been making Mead in my native country of Lithuania for over 30 years. I am also a drinks writer and member of the British Distilleries Alliance.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. And that’s not all! There are also two rums! And two gins! And a more cognac-like grape brandy! If there isn’t a drink for you in there, then you must love only tequila…

While Maraschino is clear, cherry Heering has a bold red color. Overall a good substitute but significantly sweeter than the original. Cherry Brandy In a way, that thought is not entirely wrong, though. In the beginning, there were only a handful of producers for Maraschino liqueur. And of those, only Luxardo stayed in business until today and is therefore viewed as the original. Our team provides a worldwide drinks review service to assist our readers from every country make informed drinks purchasing decisions for events, parties, gifts, or simply enjoying at home. 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.

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. Bad news: no pictures allowed inside. If it’s any consolation, the plant is nothing like a Scottish distillery where large copper stills stand in the middle of the room like shrines to immemorial tradition. A lot of the production doesn’t involve distillation (distillation doesn’t go on year-round; it wasn’t happening during my visit), but rather maceration and blending, and this is reflected in the overall layout of the unassuming industrial building. Some people believe there is only one Maraschino liqueur and get confused when they see different brands on the store shelves. But WWII marks an ill turn of fate for the distilleries. In 1943 and 1944, Allied bombing destroys approximately 80% of buildings in Zadar. Most of the liqueur factories are destroyed, and production practically grinds to a halt. After Tito seizes the city in 1944, Zadar’s Italians are forced to flee in what might be called, depending on which view one takes, either persecution (many ethnic Italians were killed or just plain executed during the next few years), or mere swing of the pendulum (Italy had occupied Dalmatia for centuries; many rightly objected to Mussolini’s assertion that there was a “natural law” for stronger peoples to subject and dominate “inferior” peoples such as the “barbaric” Slavic peoples of Yugoslavia). 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.