Get Into Pit: The History Of The Maraschino Cherry

A bartender gently swirls together the ingredients for a manhattan with some ice. The elixir filters through a silver strainer into a chilled glass. Now all that's missing is the quintessential maraschino cherry garnish. But which cherry is the genuine cherry? Today let's get into it, down to the pit of the maraschino cherry. 

The original Maraschino cherries come from the famed Luxardo distillery. Located in an Italian province, now Croatia, this distillery created Maraschino Liqueur, made from sour marasca cherry fruit, stems, leaves, skins, and pits. 

The distillery introduced the sale of candied cherries steeped in sugar and Marasca cherry juice in 1905. The original distillery was destroyed in WWII. Giorgio Luxardo then fled to northern Italy with distillery recipes and a Marasca cherry tree sapling. Luxardo's products are still made in Italy today. 

Then where did the bright red sundae cherries originate? And why are these neon red spheres also named maraschino cherries? 

This part of our tale takes us over to the state of Oregon, inside of an Oregon State University laboratory. During the Prohibition era, professor and horticulturist Ernest Wiegand discovered how to preserve American Royal Ann cherries using brine, calcium salts, and sugar. The brining process bleaches the cherries of their natural color, hence adding the eye-catching bright red dye. These cherries are much cheaper to produce and a lot sweeter than the original version. 

Almond flavoring is also added to mimic the flavor of the original, Croatian delicacy style maraschinos. Marasca cherry pits add a natural almond flavor to the liqueur as well as the juice the OG maraschino cherries are preserved in. In the 1940s, the FDA granted these American imitation cherries the right to be called maraschino cherries.

Check out Kate Lebo’s Book of Difficult Fruit (2021) for more about this fascinating fruit!

Here's how to make your own Maraschino Cherries: 

(via saveur.com) 

Yield: makes Nine 8-oz. Jars.

Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

• 4½ lb. sour cherries, stemmed and pitted (about 11 cups), pits reserved (optional)

• One 750-mL bottle Luxardo maraschino liqueur

Instructions

1. Prep nine 8-ounce glass jars by washing them thoroughly, then drying on a large baking sheet set in the center of a 250°F oven. When dry, remove from the oven and set aside (they do not need to be hot for canning). Wash the lids and bands, and set them aside to dry at room temperature. Keep the oven on.

2. In a stockpot over medium-high heat, combine the cherries and liqueur. Bring just to a boil, then immediately remove from heat. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cherries into the reserved jars until there’s about ½ inch of space left in each (don’t overpack the jars—there may be some leftover cherries). Add 3–5 pits per jar, if desired, then pour liqueur into each jar just to cover the cherries, once again leaving about ½ inch of space. While the cherries are still hot, cover the jars with the lids and screw the bands fully onto the jars so they are tight, but not so tight you need strong hands to reopen. Return the jars to the baking sheet, transfer to the oven, and heat for 15 minutes.

3. Remove the jars from the oven and set aside to cool to room temperature. Check the seals as they cool. If any don’t seal, use those jars first. (The alcohol content will delay spoilage, but processing to seal will ensure that the cherries last longer.) Use immediately or store in a cool dark place for up to 1 year. Store opened jars in the fridge.