Maraschino Cherry
A maraschino cherry is a preserved cocktail cherry, and two quite different things share the name. Luxardo’s are dark marasca cherries candied in marasca syrup, by Luxardo’s own account; the bright red kind are cherries steeped in a chemical brine, dyed with artificial colours and bottled in a thick, artificially flavoured syrup, by the Oxford Companion’s account. Neither contains alcohol: Luxardo’s data sheet says non-alcoholic, and Opies lists no spirit. One goes in a Manhattan or an Aviation, and the red ones top a Tom Collins or an AMF.
Quick Facts
Keep the cherries under the syrup. Luxardo gives no storage note, so we keep an open jar sealed in a cool cupboard. Opies says refrigerate its red cherries once opened and use within four weeks; for other jars, follow the label.
Contains: sulphites. Bright red cocktail cherries can be preserved with sulphur dioxide: Opies’ jar lists it, and Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 makes labels declare it above 10mg per kilo. Luxardo’s data sheet lists no allergens. Check the jar.
About Maraschino Cherry
Flavour Profile
Primary Flavours
Tasting Notes
Luxardo: dark, soft, sour cherry and almond in thick syrup. Bright red: firm, sweet and mostly sugar.
Two different cherries share the name
The first maraschino cherries were marasca cherries from the Croatian coast, brined in seawater and bottled in maraschino, the clear liqueur made from the same fruit. Luxardo, which dates its distillery at Zara, now Zadar, to 1821, says it soon became the biggest buyer of the local marasca. Its jar keeps the fruit and drops the liqueur: the cherries are candied and soaked in marasca cherry syrup, about half fruit and half syrup, with no preservatives and an all-natural colour, by Luxardo’s own account.
The bright red cherry is a different food that borrowed the word. The cherries are steeped in a chemical brine, dyed with artificial colours and bottled in a thick, artificially flavoured syrup, by the Oxford Companion’s account. Oregon State’s own archive says Ernest Wiegand perfected the method in the 1920s, adding calcium salts to the brine to firm the fruit, and the Companion says the Wiegand-process cherries remain ubiquitous.
Luxardo cherries and the bright red kind (Luxardo from its own site and data sheet; the red jar from Opies’ listing; keeping from the makers where they give one, otherwise ours)
Fruit
- Luxardo maraschino cherries
- Marasca cherries
- Bright red cocktail cherries
- Paler sweet cherries
Preserved in
- Luxardo maraschino cherries
- Marasca cherry syrup, about half and half with the fruit
- Bright red cocktail cherries
- Sulphite brine, then sugar syrup
Colour from
- Luxardo maraschino cherries
- The fruit: all natural, Luxardo says
- Bright red cocktail cherries
- Dye: erythrosine, E127, on Opies’ label
Alcohol
- Luxardo maraschino cherries
- Non-alcoholic, by its data sheet
- Bright red cocktail cherries
- None listed by Opies
After opening
- Luxardo maraschino cherries
- No maker’s note; we keep it sealed in a cool cupboard
- Bright red cocktail cherries
- Opies: refrigerate, use within four weeks
Our recipes that name them
- Luxardo maraschino cherries
- Singapore Sling, Bahama Mama, Tom Collins, Aviation
- Bright red cocktail cherries
- The rest, where the recipe says cherry
| Luxardo maraschino cherries | Bright red cocktail cherries | |
|---|---|---|
| Fruit | Marasca cherries | Paler sweet cherries |
| Preserved in | Marasca cherry syrup, about half and half with the fruit | Sulphite brine, then sugar syrup |
| Colour from | The fruit: all natural, Luxardo says | Dye: erythrosine, E127, on Opies’ label |
| Alcohol | Non-alcoholic, by its data sheet | None listed by Opies |
| After opening | No maker’s note; we keep it sealed in a cool cupboard | Opies: refrigerate, use within four weeks |
| Our recipes that name them | Singapore Sling, Bahama Mama, Tom Collins, Aviation | The rest, where the recipe says cherry |
Stirred drinks take one, and tall drinks put it with the fruit
A stirred drink ends on its garnish, so the dark cherry suits it: the Manhattan and Rob Roy take one, and the Aviation asks for Luxardo, dropped into the centre. Sours such as the Whiskey Sour take one beside citrus.
Tall and tiki drinks use it as colour. The Tom Collins sets one with a lemon slice, the Singapore Sling with pineapple, and the Adios Motherfucker with a lemon wheel. The Three Dots and a Dash skewers three with a pineapple chunk.
The jar needs a little care once open
A cherry sitting clear of the syrup dries out, so keep the level up and use a clean spoon. Luxardo gives no storage note on its site or data sheet, so we follow Opies for both jars: Opies says refrigerate its red cherries once opened and use them within four weeks. Neither contains alcohol, Luxardo’s data sheet says non-alcoholic and Opies lists no spirit, so the syrup is not maraschino and cannot replace it.
Using Maraschino Cherry
Usage
One cherry for a drink served up, dropped in or on a pick, as in a Manhattan or an Aviation. Tall drinks often take one beside fruit on the rim; the Three Dots and a Dash skewers three. Our Singapore Sling, Bahama Mama and Tom Collins ask for Luxardo.
Pro Tip
Rinse a bright red cherry under cold water if its syrup would tint a pale drink. A Luxardo cherry goes in as it is, with a little of its syrup clinging to it; in a Manhattan that last mouthful is part of the drink.
Top Tips
- Keep the cherries under the syrup. One left exposed dries and hardens.
- Store an opened jar of Luxardo cherries in a cupboard, not the fridge: cold crystallises the syrup.
- Lift cherries with a pick or spoon, never fingers, so the syrup stays clean.
- Odd numbers on a pick are a convention, not a rule; one is usual, and three suit a big tiki skewer.
Possible Substitutions
- Amarena cherries
- Brandied cherries
- Fresh cherry (seasonal, different texture)
Production Method
Luxardo’s own site: marasca cherries candied and soaked in marasca cherry syrup, no preservatives, all-natural colour. The Oxford Companion’s account of the bright red kind: cherries steeped in a chemical brine, dyed with artificial colours and bottled in thick, artificially flavoured syrup.
History & Context
Maraschino cherries began on the Dalmatian coast, where, by the Oxford Companion’s account, marasca cherries were brined in seawater and bottled in maraschino, the liqueur made from the same fruit; Luxardo’s own site dates its distillery at Zara, now Zadar, to 1821. Oregon State’s archive says that in the 1920s Ernest Wiegand perfected a brined maraschino from Royal Anne cherries, firmed with calcium salts; the Companion dates Wiegand’s process to 1925 and says his cherries remain ubiquitous.
More to explore
Common Questions
What is a maraschino cherry?
Where do maraschino cherries come from?
Do maraschino cherries have alcohol in them?
Why are maraschino cherries so red?
What is the difference between Luxardo cherries and maraschino cherries?
How should I store an opened jar of cocktail cherries?
Which cocktails use a maraschino cherry?
How many cherries go in a cocktail?
Is a maraschino cherry the same as a glacé cherry?
Sources.
Checked between 18 October and 19 October 2026.
- Luxardo, “Original Maraschino Cherries” (maker’s page: candied cherries soaked in marasca cherry syrup, about 50% fruit; no preservatives; colour all natural).
- Luxardo, “Original Maraschino Cherries data sheet” (non-alcoholic; shelf life 3 years).
- Luxardo, “The Luxardo Marasca Cherry” (Zara 1821; the distillery soon the biggest buyer of marasca cherries in Dalmatia).
- Bennett Opie, “Opies Cocktail Cherries” (maker’s listing: ingredients, sulphites, “once opened, keep refrigerated and use within 4 weeks”).
- Oregon State University, Progress archive, “Food processing begins with a cherry on top” (Ernest Wiegand, 1920s, calcium salts in the brine).
- The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails (Doug Stailey), “maraschino cherries” (secondary source: the traditional Croatian process (marasca cherries brined in seawater, bottled in maraschino liqueur); Wiegand’s 1925 process with a chemical brine, artificial colours and syrup; the French imitation; the Wiegand cherries remain ubiquitous).
- legislation.gov.uk, “Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex II (retained)” (sulphur dioxide and sulphites above 10mg/kg).
- The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails, “maraschino” (secondary source: a clear cherry liqueur distilled from marasca cherries, indigenous to Dalmatia; Zadar, then Zara).
From the Guides
Made with Maraschino Cherry
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Updated 19 October 2026