Originally Posted by
whackyjacky
I find Maraschino cherries disgusting. In the old days when I worked for people who used them, I often thought I'd rather stick my hand in a jar of donkey piss than into that sticky sweet goo. Unless your body has a specific need for Red Dye #2, stay away and don't put any of that crap in a Manhattan. Find some dark cherries marinated in booze or do it yourself with your liquor of choice. I've tried Brandy, Rum, Tuaca, Rye, Southern Comfort, Yukon Jack & Bourbon so far. Ain't nothing hard about it and they all turned out great.
To be fair, the day-glo red cherries that one buys at the store labelled "maraschino cherries" are NOT real maraschino cherries. Real maraschino cherries are Marasca cherries preserved in maraschino liqueur, which is a liqueur made from Marasca cherries. Marasca cherries are only grown on the Dalmatian coast, IIRC.
The imitation "maraschino cherries" you buy in the store are other varieties of cherry preserved in a soup of chemicals and sugar.
The dark cherries you get in drinks at bars that take their cocktails seriously are probably not maraschino cherries (since marasca cherries are pretty rare) but are another variety of cherry soaked in booze (could even be maraschino liqueur - I think Luxardo is the most widely available brand).