Maraschino Cherry
A bright red, sweetened preserved cherry, the classic garnish for cocktails like the Manhattan.
Origin
Originally an Italian and Croatian preserved cherry cured in real maraschino liqueur; the bright red, sugar-syrup American version developed in the early 20th century as a cheaper domestic substitute.
History
The original maraschino cherry was a Marasca cherry preserved in genuine maraschino liqueur, an Italian and Dalmatian delicacy. American Prohibition-era and post-Prohibition regulations made importing and using actual liqueur-preserved cherries impractical, so U.S. producers developed a cheaper substitute: cherries bleached, then dyed bright red and preserved in sugar syrup rather than liqueur, a process refined and commercialized in Oregon in the 1920s. This candy-sweet, artificially colored version became the standard garnish for the Manhattan and Old Fashioned throughout the 20th century, even as it bears little resemblance in flavor to the true liqueur-preserved original.
Flavor profile
Intensely sweet and mild, tasting more of sugar syrup and almond extract than of real cherry.
Tasting notes
Candy-sweet and simple, contributing more as a visual garnish and a nostalgic finishing touch than as a genuine cherry flavor, quite different from a true liqueur-preserved cherry's deeper, more complex character.
Substitutes
- Luxardo or another true liqueur-preserved cherry, for a noticeably more complex, less candy-sweet garnish.
- Brandied cherries (homemade or store-bought), for a boozier, deeper-flavored substitute.
- Fresh cherries, when in season, for a genuinely fruit-forward garnish instead.
