Maraschino

Maraschino is a liqueur made from the marasca, a small, dark, sour cherry that grows in Dalmatia. The fruit, the pits and parts of the tree are used in the preparation, and the distillate is then sweetened. The result is a colorless, fragrant drink with notes of cherry and almond.

The history of the liqueur is tied to Zadar. According to the geographical indication documentation, the apothecary of the city’s Dominican monastery prepared in the early 16th century an aromatic liqueur called rosolio, then used as a remedy. Larger-scale production began in 1768, and between 1801 and 1806 there were already 15 distilleries in Zadar.

In the 19th century, Zadar maraschino was sold in Vienna, Paris, Saint Petersburg and London. Francesco Drioli, one of the producers, began wrapping the bottles in a hand-woven straw mesh, a custom that continues to this day. In 1821, Girolamo Luxardo founded another distillery in the city, which would become one of the best known.

The Luxardo family restarted production in Italy in 1947, in Torreglia near Padua. In Zadar, the distilleries were consolidated into the company Maraska, which continues to make the liqueur in the city.

Maraschino is drunk neat in small measures and appears in classic cocktails and in sweets, such as the cake of the island of Rab.