When you hear "maraschino cherries," you probably picture the electric red sphere floating atop a Shirley Temple. Or maybe the crown jewel on a decadent hot fudge sundae. Or even one on an Easter ham at Grandma's house. Seemingly half fruit, half candy, those sugary orbs sold by the jar were actually born in a university laboratory. According to the Oregon Historical Society, the common maraschino cherry we know today was created by an Oregon State professor in response to a gripe about local cherries. He developed a new process to extend the shelf life of the quick-rotting fruit and improve their consistency once preserved. As a result of his important work, Oregon is now a "world player" in the maraschino cherry game. And the world has Tartufo!
While that might be good news for Oregonians and ice cream parlors, there's another cherry elevating the garnish game to more sophisticated heights. Enter: the Luxardo cherry. With an intensely dark, reddish-brown hue and thick, aromatic syrup, these beauties bear no resemblance to the stemmed, Camaro red variety. Perfectly crafted for cocktails, earthy-sweet Luxardo cherries are definitely for grownup palettes.