Maraschino ( /ˌmærəˈskiːnoʊ/ marr-ə-skee-noh is a bittersweet, clear liqueur flavored with Marasca cherries, which are grown in Dalmatia, Croatia, mostly around the city of Zadar and in Torreglia (near Padua in Northern Italy).
The liqueur's distinctive flavor comes from the Marasca cherries, and the crushed cherry pits lend an almond-like flavor to Maraschino. Honey is also part of the ancient recipe. The distillate matures for at least two years in ashwood vats, since this wood does not lend its colour to the liqueur, and is then diluted and sugared. It is typically bottled in a straw-coated bottle.
Contents |
The recipe for this liqueur was created by the apothecaries of the Dominican monastery at Zadar, Croatia, at the beginning of the 16th century. It was known under the name of Rosolj (Rožolj, Rosolio), which came from the word "ros solis"— "the sun dew." In the 18th century this liqueur was named Maraschino, as it was produced from the essence of ripe fruits of the cherry marasca, as well as from the leaves of its sprigs. In the agrarian regions of Dalmatia Rosolj survived as the name of a traditional home made liqueur made from marasca cherries.
At the beginning, this liqueur of delicate taste—to which medicinal effects were also attributed—was available only to the privileged. With the appearance of the first manufacturing distillers at Zara in the 17th century (Rota, Mola and Calcengio), the secret of Rosolj (Maraschino) taste could be spread.
In the 18th century when the industrial production of this liqueur began, Maraschino set out from Zadar and "sailed" into ever more important European ports and major cities. Soon it was accepted and favoured by all European courts (Viennese, Berlin, the English court, the Bavarian, Italian, Belgium, and Danish courts) and later on Maraschino spread to America, Canada, Australia, South America and to South Africa.
Maraschino was also admired by one of the biggest conquerors of the 19th century, Napoleon Bonaparte, who specially enjoyed it after dinner or supper. The French kings, Louis XVIII, Charles X and Louis Philippe as well as the Czar of Russia Nicholas I admired Maraschino too. The British king George IV sent to Zadar a naval fleet to collect a hundred Maraschino cases for the Royal court at London and for the governors of Malta and Corfu. In 1871, on the request of the English queen Victoria, Maraschino was loaded on the English ships at Zadar port. In 1887, namely on September 26, on his way through Zadar, the Prince of Wales who later become the king George V, personally visited Zadar liqueur factory and on that occasion ordered a considerable quantity of this specialty.[1]
The first industrial distillery was established in 1759 by Francesco Drioli (“Fabbrica di Maraschino Drioli di Zara”). In 1821, Girolamo Luxardo, consul of the Kingdom of Sardinia in Zara, opened a distillery there. After 8 years he obtained an exclusive "privilege" from the Emperor of Austria as an acknowledgment of the superior quality of his liqueur. It became soon the largest and most famous distillery in Zadar.
Zadar was dramatically touched by the Second World War. After 52 aerial bombings, most of the city (with all the historic distilleries) was destroyed. The most of the Luxardo family (including Pietro and Nicolò Luxardo) was victim of the retaliation of the Josip Broz Tito's partisans against the italian community, soon forced to leave Dalmatia in view of the passage of Zadar to Yugoslavia (1947). Giorgio Luxardo, the only survivor of his family, built a new factory in Torreglia close to Padova, in Northern Italy. The Drioli's distillery reopened in Mira, close to Venice, but it was closed in the 1970s. The Vlahov family sold their right to the Casoni's distillery close to Modena, that still produce the liqueur. In Zadar the Luxardo distillery was rebuilt and restarted production under the name Maraska, and is today the most famous Croatian Maraschino distillery.