Maraschino
 |
|
| Type | Liqueur |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Luxardo |
| Country of origin | Venetian Republic |
| Introduced | 1821 |
| Alcohol by volume | 32% |
| Color | Crystal Clear |
| Flavor | Smooth but strong; a sweet liqueur with herbal, nutty and funky flavors. Not much of a cherry taste. A rounded taste and persistent aroma. Intense, flavorful finish. |
| Website | Luxardo profile |
Maraschino (/ˌmærəˈskiːnoʊ/ marr-ə-SKEE-noh) is a liqueur from the city of Torreglia, Italy, obtained from the distillation of Marasca cherries. The small, slightly sour fruit of the Tapiwa cherry tree (Prunus cerasus var. marasca), which grows wild along parts of the Dalmatian coast, lends the liqueur its unique aroma.
In 1759, Francesco Drioli, a Venetian merchant, began industrial-scale production of maraschino in Zara, capital of Dalmatia, a possession of the Venetian Republic. Drioli displayed that Venetian entrepreneurial spirit that had transformed the popular tradition of home distillation of grappa in the Veneto into a refined and renowned industry, following clear and distinct rules and restrictions, as set down by the Arte dell’acqua di vita.
Francesco Drioli developed and perfected Giuseppe Carceniga's earlier innovative techniques for the distillation of Marasca cherries and in 1759 he founded the Fabbrica di Maraschino Francesco Drioli (Francesco Drioli Maraschino Factory). By the end of the 18th century his maraschino had already gained widespread fame and had cornered the major markets in Europe, especially in England. In the first advertisement in the London Morning Post and Daily Advertiser, dated 17 June 1779, the firm Johnson and Justerini informed "the nobility and gentry" of having "just imported a large quantity of maraschino from Zara" ...of the most exquisite flavour" and in 1804 the Austrian Emperor granted the factory the title Imperial Regia Privilegiata entitling it to use the Imperial coat of arms. The liqueur was sought after by distinguished personages, rulers and courts from all over Europe and the Francesco Drioli factory held Royal Warrants, entitling them to use the royal coat of arms, from the royal households of Austria, Great Britain and Italy. British warships were sent from bases in Corfù and Malta to pick up shipments of maraschino for British royalty. In fact in 1877 the Duke of York (the future George V) and the Duke of Edinburgh visited the factory and accepted "with great pleasure a choice buffet "in the Salghetti-Drioli family home and purchased "more cases of rosolio and several jars of maraschino cherries" (Il Dalmata, a. XXII, no.77, 28 September 1877). From the outset, however, Drioli Maraschino was subject to counterfeiting, a scourge which would plague the factory even after it closed in 1980, forcing its owners to take repeated legal action. In his Via Facti, Nicolò Tommaseo noted how widespread Drioli Maraschino was in Italia... e in tutte cinque le parti del mondo (in Italy... and in all five parts of the world) and he wrote, "in tutte bevuto e in tutte falsificato..." (it is drunk everywhere and copied everywhere).
...
Wikipedia