By Jay Erisman, EQ Wine and Spirits Manager

One of the essentials in any well-stocked liquor cabinet is Italian maraschino liqueur. Not to be confused with the bright red American mara-SHEENO cherries, the liqueur is called mara-SKEENO and is nothing like the American product. Hailing originally from Dalmatia, it’s made with the marasca cherry, the real Italian cherry. Best of all, this classic spirit not only enlivens your cocktails but your dinner table as well. I am never without a bottle in my liquor closet.

Maraschino liqueur is a light, colorless, moderately sweet liqueur, made only from distilled marasca cherries, aged two years in large ash vats, then diluted, sweetened, and bottled. It is never thick or cloying, and in fact is not usually drunk by itself. There’s a beautiful almond-like flavor courtesy of the cherry pits. It’s really quite intense given the delicate body; the flavor really comes through in a cocktail. There’s nothing else like it, and no substitute. (Luxardo also sells the cherries themselves, in a glass jar full of real marasca cherry syrup. These cherries are small, dark, and dense with utterly tremendous cherry flavor. One real marasca cherry in a Manhattan and you’ll never go back to ordinary candied and colored cherries.)

Before Prohibition, maraschino was a frequent guest in wide range of cocktails. Even the venerable Manhattan included a splash, and Roaring Twenties cocktails like the Aviation hinged on a touch of cherry. Today, maraschino is making a comeback as mixologists discover its charms. Luxardo is the best brand and has been so since 1821. The Luxardo distillery originated in Zara, Dalmatia (today, part of Croatia) and transferred their operations (and their cherries) to Italy in the aftermath of World War II.

But my favorite use of maraschino is not a drink at all. I first encountered it at the figurative feet of Italian cookbook author Marcella Hazan. Her first book, The Classic Italian Cook Book includes a recipe for Macedonian Fruit Salad. It is laced with maraschino, which kicks this fresh fruit mélange into outer space. To this day it is the best fruit salad I’ve ever had, and draws rave reviews from all who taste it.

Macedonian Fruit Salad

Serves 8-10

1¼ cups fresh squeezed orange juice

Peel of one lemon, grated

1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

2 apples

2 pears

2 bananas

one pint blueberries

1½ pounds other assorted fruit—cherries, grapes, apricots, nectarines, plums, peaches, mangoes, tangerines

1/3 cup sugar, or more to taste

2/3 cup Luxardo Maraschino cherry liqueur

¼ cup toasted slivered almonds (optional)

½ cup dried cherries (optional)

one pint strawberries, stems removed, sliced (optional)

• Place the juices in a large serving bowl.

• Peel and core the apples and pears and cut into ½ inch cubes. Peel and slice the bananas.

• Add each fruit to the juice as you cut it, so the citrus will prevent discoloration. Peel, pit, and dice any pears, nectarines, apricots, peaches or mangoes.

• Add the blueberries to the bowl. Cut any cherries and grapes in half, removing pits and seeds.

• Add the sugar and the Maraschino liqueur. Gently toss the fruits together, and refrigerate for four hours, but not overnight. Add the strawberries half an hour before serving (if added earlier they will turn mushy). Serve chilled.

This recipe is adapted from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, by Marcella Hazan.

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