Luxardo Maraschino Cherries: The Story Behind the Iconic Jar
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Luxardo maraschino cherries are made from marasca cherries — a small, dark, bittersweet variety grown in northeastern Italy — slowly candied in their own syrup with no artificial colors, no thickeners, and no preservatives. That deep, wine-dark color is completely natural. The syrup is nothing more than cherry juice and sugar. If you've only ever known the neon-red cherries sitting in a jar at the grocery store, prepare to be surprised: those two products share almost nothing except a name.
A Brief History of Luxardo
The Luxardo story begins in 1821, in the port city of Zara — known today as Zadar, Croatia, but at the time a jewel of the Venetian-influenced Dalmatian coast under Austrian imperial rule. Girolamo Luxardo, a Genovese diplomat serving as consular representative of the Kingdom of Sardinia, had moved there with his family in 1817. It was his wife, Maria Canevari, who became captivated by a local specialty: rosolio maraschino, a liqueur that Dalmatian convents had been distilling from wild marasca cherries since the medieval period.
Maria perfected the recipe, and Girolamo founded a distillery to produce it at scale. The liqueur was so exceptional that the Emperor of Austria awarded Luxardo an exclusive "Privilege" — an imperial endorsement of superior quality. The distillery proudly carries that recognition to this day under the name Privilegiata Fabbrica Maraschino Excelsior. By 1839, Luxardo Maraschino was being poured in cocktail bars as far away as New Orleans.
By the early 1900s, the third-generation heir Michelangelo Luxardo built what was arguably the largest and most modern distillery in the entire Austro-Hungarian Empire — a grand structure on the Zara waterfront that still stands (though under different ownership) to this day. It was during this era that Luxardo introduced the candied marasca cherries that would eventually become their most recognized product worldwide.
Then came World War II.
Allied bombing in 1943 and 1944 all but leveled the city of Zara and destroyed the Luxardo factory. When Tito's partisans took control of Dalmatia in late 1944, the surviving Italian population was expelled, property was seized, and many were killed — among them Piero Luxardo and Nicolò II with his wife Bianca, who were forcibly drowned by the invaders. Only one brother of that generation survived: Giorgio Luxardo.
Giorgio escaped with almost nothing — some accounts say he carried a single cherry sapling and a colleague had fled with the precious recipe book. He made his way across the Adriatic by boat, eventually reaching the Veneto region of northern Italy. In 1947, Giorgio, together with his nephew Nicolò III, rebuilt the Luxardo distillery from scratch in Torreglia, a quiet village nestled beneath the Euganean Hills near Padova. He planted marasca cherry trees, waited years for them to bear fruit, and revived the full product line to Maria Canevari's original 1821 recipe.
Today, Luxardo is still entirely family-owned and operated by the sixth and seventh generations of the founding family. They cultivate over 29,000 marasca cherry trees in the Veneto region. The distillery at Torreglia has never left family hands.
What Makes Luxardo Cherries Different from American Maraschino Cherries
This is the question that matters most — because the gap between these two products is staggering.
The American maraschino cherry as we know it was largely invented in the 1920s by an Oregon State University professor named Ernest H. Wiegand. Oregon cherry growers wanted to compete with the Italian imports that wealthy Americans had developed a taste for, but their local Queen Anne cherries turned mushy when preserved. Wiegand spent years developing a brining process using calcium salts that firmed the cherries up. The resulting product was bleached white by the brine, then dyed bright red with artificial coloring (most commonly Red 40), sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup, and flavored with almond extract to approximate the taste of the original.
The FDA originally defined "maraschino cherries" as only marasca cherries preserved in actual maraschino liqueur. But a 1940 regulatory shift allowed the term to be applied to any cherry preserved in sugar syrup — effectively erasing the product's origin from its own name. The artificially dyed, corn syrup-packed cherry became the default American understanding of the word "maraschino."
Luxardo cherries are something else entirely:
- The fruit: Actual marasca cherries — the original Dalmatian variety, now grown in the Veneto region of Italy
- The process: Slowly candied in marasca cherry syrup (cherry juice + sugar, nothing else)
- The color: Deep, natural mahogany — the result of the cherry's own pigment and the slow candying process
- The flavor: Complex, bittersweet, lightly tannic, with an almost wine-like depth
- The texture: Firm but not crunchy — they hold their shape beautifully in a glass
| Luxardo Original | American Maraschino | |
|---|---|---|
| Cherry variety | Marasca (Italian-grown) | Queen Anne / Royal Anne |
| Color | Deep dark red/mahogany (natural) | Bright neon red (artificial dye) |
| Sweetener | Cherry juice + cane sugar syrup | High-fructose corn syrup |
| Artificial additives | None | Red 40, artificial flavor, preservatives |
| Flavor profile | Bittersweet, complex, rich | Very sweet, artificial almond |
| Texture | Firm, holds shape | Soft, sometimes mushy |
| Price range | ~$15–$20 per 400g jar | ~$3–$5 per jar |
The difference in flavor is not subtle. Anyone who tries a Luxardo cherry after years of the grocery-store variety consistently describes it as a revelation.
How to Use Luxardo Cherries
The most obvious application is cocktails — and for good reason. A single Luxardo cherry transforms a drink in a way the neon alternative simply cannot.
Classic cocktail pairings:
- Manhattan — The quintessential Luxardo cocktail. The cherry's bittersweet depth plays perfectly against rye whiskey and sweet vermouth.
- Old Fashioned — Drop one in with the orange peel for a garnish that earns its place.
- Negroni — The bitter-forward profile of the Negroni loves the earthy richness of a Luxardo cherry.
- Whiskey Sour / Sidecar — Adds visual elegance and a complex sweet note to citrus-forward cocktails.
In the kitchen:
- Ice cream topping — Spoon a few cherries and some of that incredible syrup over vanilla gelato. That's it. You're done.
- Cheesecake topping — Use the cherries and syrup as a topping over a New York-style or Italian ricotta cheesecake.
- Cheese boards — Luxardo cherries are a stunning addition to any Italian charcuterie or candy cheese board. The syrup pairs beautifully with aged cheeses like Parmigiano Reggiano or sharp pecorino.
- Baked goods — Fold into brownies, chocolate cake, or tiramisù for a sophisticated cherry note.
Straight from the jar. No judgment. The syrup alone is worth the price of admission. Many serious Luxardo fans keep a jar in the fridge specifically for a spoonful when the mood strikes. You'll understand once you try them.
Browse our Italian candy and chocolate collection for more artisan Italian pantry staples to pair with your Luxardo cherries — and if you're curious how Italian confections compare to their American counterparts, our post on Italian candy vs. American candy is a good place to start.
Are Luxardo Cherries Worth the Price?
Yes — and the math actually makes the case better than any quality argument could.
A 400g jar of Luxardo contains approximately 50–60 cherries. At roughly $16–$18 per jar, that works out to about $0.30–$0.35 per cherry. A single cocktail at a craft bar in any major city will run you $16–$22 — and a good bartender will absolutely be using Luxardo (or a comparable premium cherry) in that Manhattan. You're paying bar markup on an ingredient that costs less than 40 cents.
More practically: a jar of Luxardo lasts a long time in the refrigerator (more on that below). Unlike most specialty ingredients that languish after one use, Luxardo cherries are genuinely versatile — cocktails, desserts, cheese boards, snacking. A single jar can elevate dozens of different moments over weeks or months.
The ingredient comparison is equally stark. You're not paying a premium for a fancy label — you're paying for real marasca cherries from Italy, slowly candied in a process the Luxardo family has been refining for over 200 years, with no fillers, no dyes, no corn syrup, and no shortcuts. The American alternative at $4 a jar is, by every objective measure, a different product that happens to share a name.
If you've been on the fence, pick up a jar of Luxardo The Original Maraschino Cherries. The first time you drop one into a Manhattan or spoon the syrup over ice cream, the price question will answer itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do Luxardo cherries last after opening?
Up to 3 years, provided you keep them refrigerated and make sure the cherries stay submerged in the syrup. The sugar syrup acts as a natural preservative — no artificial preservatives needed. Just use a clean spoon each time and keep the jar covered.
Are Luxardo cherries gluten-free?
Yes. Luxardo The Original Maraschino Cherries contain only marasca cherries, sugar, and cherry juice. No gluten-containing ingredients.
What's the difference between Luxardo cherries and Amarena cherries?
"Amarena" is a broader category of Italian candied dark cherries — the word simply means "sour cherry" in Italian. Fabbri is probably the most well-known Amarena brand, and their cherries are also excellent. The key distinction with Luxardo is the specific cherry variety (marasca) and the proprietary candying process the Luxardo family has used since the early 1900s. Marasca cherries are particularly small and intensely flavored, and the Luxardo syrup — made from the cherries' own juice — has a distinctive depth that's hard to replicate. Both are vastly superior to American maraschino cherries, and which you prefer comes down to personal taste.
Can I use the Luxardo syrup for anything?
Absolutely. The syrup left in the jar after the cherries are gone is one of the best cocktail modifiers you can have on hand. Add a barspoon to a whiskey sour, stir it into lemonade, use it as a topping for pancakes or waffles, or drizzle it over panna cotta. Don't waste a drop.
Ready to taste the difference for yourself? Shop Luxardo The Original Maraschino Cherries (400g) at Amalfi Market and see why bartenders, home cooks, and Italian food lovers have been reaching for the iconic dark jar for over a century.