Maraschino: Luxardo Maraschino

Remember the difference between cherry liqueur and cherry brandy in the previous article? This bottle of Maraschino black cherry liqueur that we are going to buy today does not have this problem, because when it appears in the wine list, as long as it is marked as Maraschino, bartenders will know this unique choice.

Further reading: Maraschino, the most classic cherry wine in history, no doubt about it.

Maraschino is distilled from black cherries, but sugar is added in the final production stage. Therefore, this wine has a high alcohol concentration and tastes sweet. It is rarely drunk neat and is mainly used in cocktails. Some people also use it in making desserts.

Cocktail Mission

Cocktail-041/Opera

Material

60ml Gin

20ml Duobaoli sweet wine

10ml black cherry liqueur

1 dash Citrus bittersweet

practice

Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker, add ice cubes and stir evenly, strain the ice and pour into an iced martini glass, spray with orange peel oil and add orange peel curls as decoration.

Try not to finish this glass of wine too quickly. As the temperature rises, the drinking experience will be different. Even at room temperature, this glass of wine will not be too bitter. Isn’t it very different from the sour cocktails we made before?

Cocktail Mission

Cocktail-042/Martinez

Material

30ml gin

60ml Sweet Amber (Red)

1 dash Citrus bittersweet

2 dashes Maraschino liqueur

practice

Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker, add ice cubes and stir evenly. Strain the ice into a chilled martini glass, spray with orange peel oil, and add orange peel curls and candied cherries as decoration.

The original recipe of Martinez uses Old Tom Gin, which is a sugary gin. Therefore, the original recipe is quite sweet (all the ingredients are sweet), which is difficult to drink directly with modern tastes. The recipe above uses English gin and reduces the amount of maraschino liqueur to increase the acceptance of Martinez. If you like sweet things, you may want to increase the amount of maraschino liqueur!

How else can you drink Maraschino? It's delicious with crushed ice or grapefruit juice, and it's even better as a base for sour cocktails. Give it a try!

The King of Herbal Wines: Chartreuse

Chartreuse, known as the king of herbal wines, originated from the alchemical manuscript of French Marshal François-Annibal d'Estrées in 1605. It was originally a secret recipe for the elixir of life, and later flowed into the Grande Chartreuse Abbey (located in the French Alps). It was gradually transformed from medical use to bottled sales. The raw materials contain more than a hundred kinds of spices and medicinal materials. It is one of the few herbal wines still produced by the monastery. The brewing process is mysterious and the formula is unknown to outsiders. In addition to being used for pure drinking, it is also one of the essential ingredients for classic cocktails.

Grande Chartreuse Abbey

There are many varieties of Chartreuse, the most popular of which are the basic yellow and green. Some cocktail recipes will specify the use of yellow or green Chartreuse. If it is an original recipe, it will be marked like this:

Green: Chartreuse Verte, or Green Chartreuse

Yellow: Chartreuse Jaune, or Yellow Chartreuse

So should I buy yellow or green Chartreuse first? I suggest buying green first. If you come across a recipe that calls for yellow Chartreuse, it’s okay to use green instead. When you’ve used up most of the green, then buy the yellow.

Drink Chartreuse alone. It is sweet and has a high alcohol content. The herbal aroma will last for a long time after entering the throat. Savor the charm of the king of herbal wine! Next, let's use Chartreuse to mix wine!

Cocktail Mission

Cocktail-043/Green Alaska

Material

60ml Gin

15ml Chartreuse (green)

1 dash Citrus bittersweet

practice

Pour all ingredients into a shaker, add ice cubes and shake evenly, strain the ice and pour into an iced martini glass, spray with orange peel oil and add a curling iron as decoration.

 The original recipe for Alaska is yellow Chartreuse. If you use green, it will be "Green Alaska", the alcohol concentration will be higher and the taste will be sharper... If you can drink high-alcohol cocktails, you might as well use the stirring method to mix this glass, which will have a richer and mellower taste! However, this glass of wine has a high alcohol concentration, so don't drink too much too fast... As the saying goes, "Alaska, one glass will make you blind" is not without reason!

Cocktail Mission

Cocktail-044/Last Word

Material

20ml gin

20ml Chartreuse (green)

20ml Maraschino Liqueur

20ml lemon juice

practice

Pour all ingredients into a shaker, add ice cubes and shake evenly, strain ice into an iced martini glass, spray with lemon peel oil and add a curling iron as decoration.