Maraska through history

While travelling through Dalmatia Italian writer Alberto Fortis was writing about the growing of cherry marasca in Dalmatia, and how the peasants on their donkey´s backs carried the cherries to Zadar. It was published in his book “Viaggio in Dalmazia” (Trip to Dalmatia) in Venice in 1750.

On June 17 in London newspaper The Morning Post was published a notice of the royal supplier about the large shipment of Maraschino Zadar of excellent flavor that was just imported into the country. It was the notice intended for the high and lower nobility. Already popular Maraschino reinforced his reputation among the English aristocracy.

Market of Maraschino liqueur was continually growing and it expanded to the Istanbul, Saint Petersburg, Stockholm, the Czech Republic and Hungary. Realizing the importance of the visual identity of the product, Francesco Drioli introduced a special technique of manual bottle knitting, whichput the unique product into the unique packaging. Maraska has maintained the unique taste of Maraschino and unique technique of manually bottle knitting until today.

Despite the unstable war situation in Europe Maraschino shipments were arriving regularly to the courts all over the continent: to the Grand Duke of Darmstadt´s court, to the famous General Marmont´s court and to the French officers, who lived in Ljubljana. Firm relations of respect and friendship of Salghetti-Drioli with a high prominent civil and military individuals, who introduced the Viceroy of Italy and Napoleon with Maraschino, such as are Marmont, Lauriston, Molitor or de la Bergerie, helped the promotion of rosolj on the French market and French court. The connections to the English court were held through the Ionian Islands.

Girolamo Luxardo opened a new liqueur factory in Zadar, which very soon acquired a good reputation and began to sell products outside the Europe, in North and South America, Africa and Asia. Luxardo factory has attached great attention to the layout and design of Maraschino. Very interesting fact is that at that time the bottles were manually knitted by Arbanasi girls, and this tradition is kept up until today.

Famous French writer Honore de Balzac described in his novel “Un début dans la vie”, a conversation between Schinner and Georges, which was about the town Zadar and Dalmatia: “It was in that city where Maraschino is produced. I was there. It is on the coast … “.

The Queen Victoria ordered the withdrawn of all warships from the Mediterranean in order to transport the Maraschino shipment to the British court. That year, by a special decree of the Office of the Green Cloth, British court awarded a certificate to F. Drioli to be a direct supplier of the royal court without any intermediaries. The importance of this news confirms the fact that it was published in the prestigious British newspaper The Daily News.

The business success in England witnessed the September 26, when the Duke of York (later the English King George V) and the Duke of Edinburgh together with other dukes visited the famous city of liqueurs – Zadar and after touring the city they went to see their biggest liqueur supplier. On this occasion, the owner of the factory, Simeone Salghetti Drioli, honored his distinguished guests with a few boxes of carefully selected liqueurs and of course the famous liqueur Maraschino. The presence and consumption of Drioli´s Maraschino on the English court strengthened further its popularity and consumption in all the English cities. Factory Salghetti Drioli in London had its own special elite shopping centers in urban locations.

Family Luxardo built famous house-factory under the name “Maraska” (at the beginning of Coast of Prince Trpimir in Zadar), which remained until today one of the most famous buildings of the Zadar.

During and after The Second World War, Zadar’s most famous producers of liqueur were “Excelsior Girolamo Luxardo”, “Romano Vlahov” and “Fabrica maraschino Francesco Drioli S.A.”. During the intensive one-year allied air destruction in 1943 and 1944, some of these factories suffered major material damages and their production process were significantly reduced or even completely shot down. Because of their big importance for Zadar industry, representatives of the new City Government initiated the reconstruction of the factory because it meant life for Zadar industry.

On November 1, 1948 the Ministry of Finance of National Republic of Croatia published in a Register of the State Economic Subjects the company under name “Distillery and liquor factory ‘Maraschino’” with a headquarter in Zadar, abbreviated as “Maraschino – Zadar”. In this proclamation was pointed out that the new company is under the administrative and operational control of the General Directorate of Food Industry within the Ministry of Industry of the National Republic of Croatia. Its business was the production of liqueurs, special distillate and wine distillery.