Luxardo Il Maraschino Originale 375mL
Pairs with: Fresh strawberries, dark chocolate truffles, roasted duck with cherry glaze, or classic almond biscotti
Good for: Lounging at a moody speakeasy at midnight, or acting as the ultimate, indispensable secret weapon for a classic cocktail revival
Cocktails: A classic Last Word, a soaring Aviation, a complex Hemingway Daiquiri, or a historic Martinez
I am from: Torreglia (Veneto Region), Italy (Originally founded in Zara, Dalmatia)
The Story: Established in 1821 by Girolamo Luxardo in the coastal city of Zara, this iconic, hand-plaited straw-wrapped bottle is the undisputed global benchmark for authentic Maraschino liqueur. The Luxardo family's lineage is legendary because it holds one of the spirits world's most resilient legacies, surviving the destruction of WWII by fleeing to the Veneto region of Italy with nothing but a single surviving sapling of their proprietary Marasca cherry tree. Today, the liquid is meticulously crafted from those very same exclusive, sour Marasca cherries. Disregarding modern shortcuts, the entire cherry bush—including the fruit, skins, pits, leaves, and branches—is infused in larch wood vats for up to three years. It is then distilled in traditional copper pot stills and aged in special Finnish ash wood vats, which deliberately impart no color to keep the spirit crystal clear, before being gently sweetened. It captures a masterful harmony of uncompromised historic resilience and old-world botanical precision.
Why You'll Love Me: It balances a remarkably bright, floral sweetness with an incredibly seductive, dry and nutty edge. Standing out as an absolute necessity for mixologists looking to add a completely unique, bittersweet depth, it bursts from the glass with lively aromas of deep cherry pit, roasted almond, fresh pine resin, and a hint of dark chocolate. On the palate, it delivers a beautiful, uncommonly viscous and syrupy full body that is instantly cut by a laser-beam core of earthy sour cherry tartness, subtle herbaceous greens, and warming black pepper. It gracefully sweeps into a long, complex finish defined by a mouthwatering clean minerality, a touch of rich marzipan, and a signature hint of crisp, lingering botanical dryness.
