In addition to slivovica, Maraska makes a Bartlett pear brandy, a grape pomace brandy (komovica), and a grape pomace brandy macerated with Dalmatian herbs (travarica). You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. On this point see: Antonio Teja, La fabbrica di maraschino Francesco Drioli all'epoca del suo fondatore (1759–1808), la sua importanza nel quadro dell'industria zaratina dei rosoli, cit.

And after Drioli successfully made the liqueur popular, others began establishing their own production. Before that, Maraska bought their cherries from small domestic producers, of which there are many in nearby villages. As the reputation of Maraschino (and other liqueurs from Zadar) grows, new distilleries are established. The reason is simple: It adds a delicately sweet and fruity note of cherry without being overly sweet. In 1759, Francesco Drioli, a Venetian merchant, began industrial-scale production of maraschino in Zadar, Croatia, which was then part of the Republic of Venice.I haven’t visited the distillery, but its marketing material claims the following: “When Luxardo Marasca cherries are harvested at the beginning of every summer, they are put in alcoholic infusion in larch-wood vats together with some leaves and branches of the same trees for up to three years.

The liqueur was also used as one of the original preservatives for the maraschino cherries that are regularly used as cocktail garnishes. And while you’re in the kitchen, add that je ne sais quoi to fruit puddings and desserts with a splash of blackcurrant liqueur. Tommaso Mauro, Chietino globetrotter, barman and sake sommelier, proposes to La Cucina Italiana’s readers the Ratafia Collins with 3. Last but not least, our next berry liqueur originates from Chambord on the banks of the Loire, famous for its unique chateau. It’s made with the same old-school production method as all the company’s fruit distillates, with a three- to five-day maceration of the marasca cherries sourced from Croatia, then is distilled in an alembic pot still.

Reminiscent of a freshly baked sour-cherry pie, Vergnano gets its vibrancy from a full year of macerating the crushed whole cherries in alcohol. 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. The berries – both red and black varieties of raspberry are used – are fermented twice before the other ingredients are added. In this chapter, I have selected some recipes that my family makes at home and which are close to my heart.

Though it's made in other countries today, the Italian Veneto and Croatian Dalmatia regions continue to produce some of the best maraschino liqueurs.You might think it would get lost in a Martinez, but its delicate charms and herbal notes tame the sweet vermouth and allow all of the cocktail’s ingredients to join each other in harmony. After the destruction of Zadar during World War II, Maraska distillery regrew the liqueur's infamy and brought back the region's most famous creation.

Today, this certified kosher liqueur maker owns more than 100,000 marasca cherry trees in Zadar, Croatia, that it uses to made this elegant liqueur that smells of faintly of clove, as well as dark cherries and orange blossoms, with its precise level of sweetness and sleek texture on the palate. As far as Marasca cherries are concerned, Maraska now owns a large orchard of over 200 hectares in the village of Zemunik Donji, near the Zadar airport. The Amsterdam producer, which has been around since the late 16th century, is known for the dozens of liqueurs it produces, some very traditional, some much less so.If you look at the picture of the orchard (courtesy of Maraska) at the top of this post you can clearly see the rocky soil.