This Is Not Your Father’s Marschino

This week I’ve decided to spotlight one of the more intriguing flavors that I’ve come across over the last year or so, Luxardo’s Maraschino Liqueur.  It is distilled from Marasca cherries and originally came from what is now Croatia.  I purchased my first bottle of Luxardo’s Maraschino about a year ago so that I could try an Aviation Cocktail, an old classic that I had read about in Dale Degroff’s “The Craft of the Cocktail”.  The Aviation puts the maraschino front and center and it has grown on me.  I’ll readily admit that this is a somewhat acquired taste, but then again so are many of life’s tastiest tidbits.  The flavor of the maraschino is not at all sweet (completely unlike the bright red maraschino cherry that you buy at the store and that your girl- or boyfriend uses to show off when she or he ties the stem into a knot without the aid of hands).  It does taste somewhat like a tart cherry with an almost nutty undertone.  It plays well with gin and rye whiskey.  But that’s not all, as it can be found in any number of cocktails.

As for the Aviation Cocktail, well, as I’ve already written, this (along with the French 75) is probably the cocktail most responsible for my interest in classic cocktails.  The recipe that I use is probably close to the original, although as with most classic cocktails, the precise origin is hard to pinpoint.  It was definately around in the 1930’s in the form that Degroff uses in “The Craft of the Cocktail”.  However, I’ve seen reports that put its origin as early as 1916 – perhaps it was a tribute to the Wright brothers!

  Aviation Cocktail

• 2 oz Plymouth gin
• 1 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
• 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
• Flamed lemon peel for garnish

 

Shake the gin, maraschino and lemon juice with ice and strain into a chilled coupe. 

I find that the Plymouth provides an excellent backdrop for the maraschino.  Suprisingly, it is not nearly as tart as you might expect, with the lemon juice complimenting the maraschino very nicely. 

I’ll be following up this week with more recipes using maraschino.  If you are interested in learning more about the history of maraschino liqueur just click here.  And for more information about Luxardo, just click here.

Cheers!

Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur

Day 16, Cocktail 16

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