Our quest for the best maraschino cherries ended when we bought a jar of Luxardo cherries. Discover why Luxardo cherries are so special and then discover 5 great ways that you can use them at home.
We’re obsessed with cherries.
This obsession has motivated us to hunt for Vignola cherries in Emilia-Romagna and hike for Romanian cherries in the Cisnădioara Hills in Transylvania.
We don’t mind hiking through hilly forests and exploring ancient villages but doing so isn’t always feasible. Cherry season is limited and cherries are only at their prime for a few weeks each year.
We also have a thing for maraschino cherries. But, even if we had constant access to amazing sour cherries, cooking and candying a cluster would be quite a chore to do ourselves.
So, in most cases, we happily lick cones topped with amarena (sour cherry) gelato instead. We’ve made this sweet sacrifice in Italian cities like Bologna, Florence, Naples, Rome, Venice and Verona just to name a few.
Amarena cherries are great but we’ve upped our cherry love a notch since discovering Luxardo cherries at our local liquor store. Not only are we using Luxardo cherries as part of our lazy mixology journey, but we’ve also found a number of great ways to utilize what we think may be the world’s best candied cherries.
Discover 10 necessary bar tools for home mixologists.
Luxardo Cherries History
“If a man can… make a better mousetrap… the world will make a beaten path to his door.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Luxardo has made a better mousetrap that’s filled with maraschino cherries instead of cheese. Each jar of deep red, practically black beauties sports a juicy origin story to boot.
No overnight sensation, Girolamo Luxardo started producing candied marasca cherries more than a century ago. He made small batches at his family’s distillery in Zara, Italy (now Zadar, Croatia) without using any preservatives or artificial colors.
After suffering hardships during the second world war, the Luxardo family relocated their cherry operation from Croatia’s Dalmatia Coast to Torreglia, Italy with a marasca sapling in tow. In addition to that sapling, the Luxardo family also brought their top quality recipes.
Why Are Luxardo Cherries Special?
Make no mistake – a jar of Luxardo cherries is a luxury item. Priced at 12€ in Lisbon (and double that in the US), the jar’s price is more than four times the cost of a jar of neon-red cocktail cherries at the grocery store. Ouch!
Although we love a good bargain, we actually consider this price to be fair. Not only is the intense flavor in each ebony orb sensational, but the rich flavor of Luxardo’s sweet syrup made with sour cherries is equally divine.
5 Ways To Use Luxardo Maraschino Cherries
It’s no surprise that Luxardo cherries are ideal for cocktails. The jar literally makes this assertion. However, despite this recommended use on their jars, Luxardo’s maraschino cherries aren’t a one trick pony (or should we say one stem cherry?).
Being creative cooks and crafty mixologists, we’ve discovered a range of uses for the versatile Italian food product. Once you buy your first Luxardo jar and are ready to experiment, we suggest you start with the following ideas:
1. Cocktails
Some people buy a jar of Luxardo cherries to garnish cocktails in their home bar and never use the jar for any other purpose. While we don’t agree with this approach, we totally get the motivation.
Luxardo cherries are an ideal finishing touch that makes a great cocktail even greater. We currently use these luxurious cherries to garnish Manhattan and Old Fashioned bourbon cocktails. They’re also great for non-bourbon cocktails like the Aviation, Brooklyn, Hemingway Daiquiri and Mary Pickford.
We see these cherries working in as many alcoholic drinks that our thirsty imaginations allow, plus a Shirley Temple or two. Heck, we could probably add them to any liquor, straight up or on the rocks, and be happy with the resulting drink.
Pro Tip
Take your mixology to the next level with a bottle of Luxardo maraschino liqueur. You can add the sweet elixir into cocktails, drizzle it over fruit or imbibe it in tiny glasses.
2. Breakfast
If you agree with the adage that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, then you’ll surely want to enhance that important meal with a few Luxardo cherries. It just makes sense.
As for us, we like to start some of our days by adding a few cherries to a bowl of Greek or artisan yogurt. Another breakfast idea is to drizzle Luxardo syrup over pancakes or french toast for an extra special start to the day. Daryl even wants to try them with Frosted Flakes.
3. Cheese Board
Adding Luxardo cherries to a cheese plate is a tasty game changer. If you’re wondering which cheese pairs best with maraschino cherries, we recommend that you create a board with your favorite wedges to find out what YOU like best.
Copy us if you’re feeling overwhelmed. We included wedges of funky Cabrales and sheepy Manchego as well as a wheel of washed rind Au lait cru Époisses on our latest cheese plate. They all tasted great paired with Luxardo cherries.
4. Dinner
Savory sauces made with Luxardo’s sweet cherries and even sweeter cherry syrup complement meats like duck and even chicken. When done right, the yin of the savory sauce takes on a sweet yang that will make you say “yum” in glee.
We developed a savory pan sauce recipe using Luxardo cherries, Luxardo syrup, red wine, tarragon, shallots and butter. We then drizzled the sauce over pan roasted duck breast to create a birthday dinner that was nothing short of a celebration on our plate.
5. Dessert
We saved the best for last – dessert.
A spoonful of Luxardo cherries is the ultimate dessert topping. Whether the dessert is a simple bowl of vanilla ice cream or a decadent slice of cheesecake, these cherries just work.
Dedicated dessert lovers will want to go further and add Luxardo cherries to a loaded ice cream float or sundae while bakers won’t resist using leftover Luxardo syrup in their cake recipes.
Buy a jar of Luxardo cherries.
Luxardo Cherry FAQs
It’s obvious that we’ve piqued your interest. If you still have questions, we have answers:
Luxardo Cherries FAQs
Each Luxardo jar has approximately 50 maraschino cherries.
Yes. Each cherry packs a punch. Since these are maraschino cherries on steroids, 30 cents per cherry is a great value in our book. (Price varies by market and is subject to change.)
No. Luxardo uses sugar and marasca cherry juice to create its cherry syrup.
No. However, Luxardo cherries last longer when refrigerated. The difference is 6 to 12 months in the refrigerator compared to 1 to 2 months in the pantry.
No. You can make homemade maraschino cherries but they won’t be Luxardo cherries. Only Luxardo makes true Luxardo cherries.
About The Authors
Daryl & Mindi Hirsch
Saveur Magazine’s BEST TRAVEL BLOG award winners Daryl and Mindi Hirsch share their culinary travel experiences and recipes on their website 2foodtrippers. Since launching the site in 2012, they’ve traveled to over 40 countries in their quest to bring readers a unique taste of the world.
Subscribe to our newsletter unless you’d rather follow us on Facebook, Instagram and/or Pinterest.
View the latest Web Story.
Original Publication Date: February 22, 2021
Marlene
Monday 10th of January 2022
I buy 2 jars a month. I add to my diet coke my daily ritual. I will love to buy the syrup it might save money. It's twenty dollars a jar.