🥃 Cherry (sour and sweet)
Stone fruits used for kirsch (cherry distillate), maraschino (liqueur from Marasca cherry), cherry liqueurs and palinkas; in the EU kirsch is at least 37.5% ABV.
Cherry (sweet and sour) is a stone fruit from which several well-known spirits are made in Europe: clear kirsch, maraschino liqueur, cherry liqueurs and palinkas. Sweet cherries are more often fermented and distilled; sour cherries bring out the aroma better in liqueurs and infusions.
Distillates. Kirschwasser, or kirsch, is a fruit distillate of fermented cherries. Under EU Regulation 2019/787 a fruit distillate must have at least 37.5% ABV and may not be flavoured. Several names are protected in the EU: Schwarzwälder and Fränkisches Kirschwasser in Germany, Kirsch d’Alsace and Kirsch de Fougerolles in France, and the kirsch of South Tyrol, Friuli and Trentino. Hungary protects the cherry palinka of Újfehértó.
Liqueurs. Maraschino is a colourless liqueur made from a distillate of sour Marasca cherries; the EU has a separate category for it. According to Difford’s Guide, Girolamo Luxardo opened a maraschino distillery in Zara in 1821, and from 1947 the family has grown Marasca cherries near Torreglia; Luxardo maraschino matures for two years in ash-wood vats. The Danish Cherry Heering is another classic cherry liqueur.
Home traditions. In Ukraine and neighbouring countries cherries have long been infused in spirit or vodka with sugar: these are the cherry-based nastoykas, which legally belong to liqueurs or infusions, not to distillates.
Why this matters to you. On a bottle, the word “cherry” can mean either a strong kirsch or a sweet liqueur, so check the category and the strength. The pits of cherries contain compounds that can form hydrocyanic acid during processing, so home infusions made with pits are risky. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.
Facts
| Raw material | sweet cherry (Prunus avium) mainly for kirsch; sour cherry (Prunus cerasus), including Marasca, for liqueurs |
|---|---|
| EU category | fruit distillate (cat. 9), liqueur (cat. 33), maraschino (cat. 37) |
| Alcohol (% vol.) | kirsch — at least 37.5% ABV; maraschino — at least 24% ABV |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Cherry (sour and sweet) → kind of → 🍎 Fruit brandies → kind of → 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Next step
- 🥃 Kirsch (Kirschwasser), 🥃 Maraschino, 🥃 Luxardo Maraschino Originale, 🥃 Cherry Heering, 🥃 Újfehértó sour cherry pálinka (Újfehértói meggypálinka), 🥃 Nagykörű sweet cherry pálinka (Nagykörűi cseresznyepálinka), 🥃 Viru Valge Cherry
- What is made from it
- 🥃 Fränkisches Kirschwasser, 🥃 Ginjinha
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health
- Related to
- 🍸 Liqueurs
- Part of
- 🍎 Fruit brandies, 🥃 Fruit spirit
Frequently asked questions
Is it true that kirsch is made from cherries?
Mostly yes: kirsch is a distillate of sweet cherries. Sour cherries more often go into liqueurs; maraschino is made from Marasca cherries.
How does kirsch differ from a cherry liqueur?
Kirsch is a clear distillate without sugar or flavourings, at least 37.5% ABV; a liqueur is sweetened and usually weaker.
What is Marasca?
A variety of sour cherry from Dalmatia, the base of maraschino liqueur; Luxardo grows it near Torreglia in Italy.
Which cherry spirits have protected names in the EU?
Among others Schwarzwälder Kirschwasser, Fränkisches Kirschwasser, Kirsch d’Alsace, Kirsch de Fougerolles, Trentino and Friuli kirsch, and the Hungarian Újfehértói meggypálinka.
What is Cherry Heering?
A Danish cherry liqueur known since 1818; it is a brand, not a category.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🥃 Kirsch (Kirschwasser) — Clear spirit from fermented cherries: in the EU from 37.5% vol., no colourings, sugar up to 18 g/l; Zuger Kirsch from 40% vol.
- 🥃 Újfehértó sour cherry pálinka (Újfehértói meggypálinka) — Sour cherry pálinka from 17 settlements around Újfehértó: only 5 local sour cherry varieties, strength from 40 % vol.
- 🥃 Luxardo Maraschino Originale — Base Luxardo line: maraschino made from marasca cherries, 32% ABV, bottle wrapped in straw.
- 🥃 Ginjinha — Portuguese liqueur of sour cherries (ginja) macerated in ethyl alcohol with sugar; “ginja” and “ginjinha” are EU legal names, at least 15% vol.; “Ginjinha portuguesa” is a listed GI.
Similar
Sources
- Regulation (EU) 2019/787 on spirit drinks (OJ L 130, 17.5.2019), Annex I: cat. 9 fruit spirit (min. 37.5 %, distilled < 86 %, not flavoured); cat. 33 liqueur; cat. 37 maraschino (marasca cherries, min. 24 %, sugar ≥ 250 g/l)
- Regulation (EC) No 110/2008, Annex III as at 31.01.2020 (legislation.gov.uk): cherry GIs — Schwarzwälder Kirschwasser, Fränkisches Kirschwasser (DE), Kirsch d'Alsace, Kirsch de Fougerolles (FR), Südtiroler Kirsch, Kirsch Friulano, Kirsch Trentino (IT), Újfehértói meggypálinka (HU)
- Difford's Guide: Girolamo Luxardo — marasca cherry, Zara distillery 1821, Torreglia orchard since 1947 (20,000 trees), maraschino aged two years in Finnish ash vats
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)