maraschino cherry

Derived from the historical use of the technique of preserving cherries in maraschino liqueur, an alcoholic beverage produced by the fermentation of marasca cherries; the name continued to be used after production methods moved to nonalcoholic forms of preservation during the period of Prohibition in the United States.

maraschino cherry (plural maraschino cherries)

1. A preserved, sweetened cherry.
   • 2014, Marlon James, A Brief History of Seven Killings, Oneworld Publications (2015), page 22:

     The wife called not long ago to tell me she had run out of maraschino cherries again.