I like aviations. The cocktail, obviously. No one likes spending 10 hours shoehorned in a gravity-defying aluminium can. That sherbet-y combination of lemon juice, maraschino liqueur, and creme de violette, bolstered with a fresh juniper kick, is pretty much my idea of a perfect summer’s evening. It is also, more than any other, the drink that rediscovered the joys of the maraschino cherry and for that I owe it, and the general resurgence of cocktail culture, a tremendous debt of gratitude.

Maraschino cherries were originally marasca cherries preserved in maraschino liqueur, a local delicacy of the Dalmatian region in Croatia. On the off chance the area is drawing a blank, just think of King’s Landing in Game of Thrones. They became quite popular in the States in the late 19th century, declined in popularity in the early 20th, then became completely illegal during prohibition. This killed off the original recipe and saw it replaced with the fluoro red candied abomination.

There are few things on Earth that I despise more than imitation maraschino cherries, yet for the entire first decade of my drinking life, I was incessantly tortured with them; bar after bar would ruin my manhattan, and as such my day, with those rancid morsels. Have you ever seen a grown man break down with tears when served a manhattan? Well, this is exactly what you would have witnessed in those dark times (except that “grown man” implies a level of maturity I strive to never achieve).

Virtually every cocktail blog on earth has published a maraschino cherry recipe, but we’re big believers in following the crowd and mercilessly tormenting anyone who stands out, so we figured we should get ours up pronto. Also, we really like maraschino cherries, and they feature in a few upcoming recipes. Actually, that’s the main reason.

Unfortunately it’s almost impossible to get a suitable sour cherry in Sydney, so what we’ve come up with uses sweet cherries with a slightly modified approach. We steep the cherries for a day or two first, and then briefly simmer them with simple syrup and lemon juice. This might seem a little unnecessary, but the steeping increases the booze permeation of the cherries, and creates an enjoyable contrast between the cherries and the sweet/sour preservation liquid.

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Maraschino Cherries

500g pitted cherries
1.5 cup maraschino liqueur
1 cup water
¾ cup sugar
Juice of 1 lemon

Steep pitted cherries in a maraschino liqueur for three days, then remove the cherries and reserve the liquid. Bring sugar and water to the boil, reduce to a simmer and add the cherries, simmering for no more than 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the juice of one lemon, followed by the reserved maraschino liqueur, and allow to cool slightly before bottling.