Hotel Starlino Maraschino Cherries

Italian cherries preserved in Marasca cherry juice, with a rich fruit flavor and glossy finish. Hotel Starlino’s cherries are ready for an Old Fashioned or Manhattan, and equally good spooned over vanilla gelato or a chocolate dessert.

About Hotel Starlino

Hotel Starlino is an Italian aperitivo house from Turin, the city of vermouth, and these are its cocktail cherries: whole Italian cherries preserved in the juice of the Marasca, the small, dark sour cherry that gives maraschino its name. They are dark, fleshy and fruit-first — nothing like the neon garnish of the same name — with a syrup you will want to keep for the glass.

How to enjoy

• Garnish Manhattans, Old Fashioneds and other spirit-forward cocktails
• Spoon over panna cotta, gelato or chocolate desserts
• Serve alongside an after-dinner bar setup

Details

• Origin: Italy
• Refrigerate after opening

Ingredients

Cherries, sugar, glucose-fructose syrup, Marasca juice, fruit and vegetable concentrate, citric acid, natural flavoring.

Questions

What is a Marasca cherry? A small sour cherry from the Adriatic, the original source of maraschino liqueur. Here its juice preserves the fruit and colors it naturally.

How long once opened? Refrigerated with the cherries under the syrup, several months.

The syrup? A bar spoon in an Old Fashioned in place of sugar, or over vanilla gelato.

Pairs with

FILTHY olives and Dirty Martini Juice for the other side of the bar; dehydrated lemon slices on the rim. Our guide to building an elegant aperitivo.

Lello’s Point of View

Why we chose it. A serious Manhattan or Old Fashioned should not end with a fluorescent red afterthought. These Italian cherries bring real fruit, Marasca juice and a dark glossy finish to the final inch of the drink.

What it makes better. One cherry changes both presentation and the last bite of the cocktail; the syrup is useful too, adding cherry depth without opening another bottle.

How we would use it. One cherry in a Manhattan or Old Fashioned, never a handful. Save a bar spoon of the syrup for the drink—or pour it over vanilla gelato after dinner.

Who will love it. Whiskey drinkers, home bartenders, Italian aperitivo enthusiasts and anyone who already upgraded the spirits but forgot to upgrade the garnish.

Why it earns its place. Italian cherries preserved with Marasca juice give you a fruit-first cocktail garnish and a useful syrup in the same jar, with none of the visual baggage of a standard neon maraschino.