Luxardo Maraschino 32%

Drawn from the historic 1821 recipe of the family-owned Luxardo distillery, this Maraschino emerges from carefully selected sour Marasca cherries, macerated with pits (and sometimes branches/leaves), then distilled and aged before sweetening. The result is a transparent, refined liqueur that channels the depth of its raw material without candy-sweetness — instead delivering complexity, subtle bitterness, and refined almond-stone notes.

Luxardo Maraschino can be enjoyed neat (on ice or chilled) as a digestif or night-cap, but its real strength lies in mixology. It works superbly in classic cocktails such as the Aviation, The Last Word, Martinez, or a more genteel Brandy Crusta — there it adds depth, bitter-cherry nuance, and a refined almond-stone backbone that balances botanical or spirit-heavy ingredients.

If you want to pair with food: it pairs surprisingly well with dark chocolate desserts, almond-based pastries, fruit tarts (especially cherry, plum, or dark-berry), or even a cheese plate with mild soft cheeses — the nutty/cherry-stone bitterness complements richer textures.