Originally Posted by gfunkdave

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).