🥃 Luxardo Maraschino Originale
Base Luxardo line: maraschino made from marasca cherries, 32% ABV, bottle wrapped in straw.
Luxardo Maraschino Originale is the classic maraschino and the best-known line from the Luxardo house. It is a liqueur made from marasca cherries at 32% ABV. According to Difford's Guide, it is aged for two years, and the bottle is wrapped in straw by hand; this packaging once protected the glass during transport.
According to the producer, the cherries are harvested in early summer and steeped in spirit together with leaves, stems and pits in larch vats. The infusion is distilled in copper pot stills, keeping only the 'heart'. The distillate rests in vats of white Finnish ash, then it is blended with sugar syrup. Sources differ on how long each stage lasts, so we do not give exact timings.
Why this matters to you. Originale is the benchmark against which other Luxardo liqueurs are compared, including Sangue Morlacco and Amaretto di Saschira, which use different raw materials and strengths. It is a colourless liqueur, not a cherry syrup, so read the label. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.
Facts
| Year founded | Luxardo brand — 1821 |
|---|---|
| Legal basis | Reg. (EU) 2019/787 (liqueurs) |
| EU category | 33 — liqueur |
| Raw material | marasca cherries (with leaves, stems and pits), spirit, sugar |
| Distillation method | in batches in copper pot stills, only the 'heart' of the distillate |
| Cask type | vats of larch and white Finnish ash |
| Alcohol (% vol.) | 32% ABV |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Luxardo Maraschino Originale → kind of → 🍸 Liqueurs → kind of → 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Previous step
- 🥃 Cherry (sour and sweet)
- Packed in
- 🍷 Oak barrel
- What is made from it
- 🥃 Hemingway Special
- What it contains
- 🍷 Ethanol
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Part of
- 🥃 Luxardo, 🍸 Liqueurs, 🥃 Maraschino
- Related to
- 🌍 Western Europe
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Luxardo Amaretto di Saschira, 🥃 Luxardo Amaretto di Saschira, 🥃 Luxardo Sangue Morlacco, 🥃 Luxardo Sangue Morlacco
Frequently asked questions
Is it true that Maraschino Originale is made only from cherry juice?
No. According to the producer and Difford's Guide, the spirit is also infused with leaves, stems, pits and the skin of the marasca cherry.
What is the strength of Maraschino Originale?
32% ABV, according to Difford's Guide and the official Luxardo website.
Why is the bottle wrapped in straw?
Straw once protected bottles during transport. It has since remained a signature feature, and it is still woven by hand.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🍷 Ethanol — The alcohol formed during fermentation that makes you drunk.
- 🍷 Oak barrel — A wooden barrel of oak staves in which wine matures and breathes.
- 🌍 Western Europe — France, the Netherlands, Britain, Ireland, Belgium and Luxembourg: a mild, moist climate, pastures and hundreds of cheeses such as Roquefort, Camembert, Gouda and Cheddar.
- 🥃 Cherry (sour and sweet) — Stone fruits used for kirsch (cherry distillate), maraschino (liqueur from Marasca cherry), cherry liqueurs and palinkas; in the EU kirsch is at least 37.5% ABV.
Similar
🥃 Luxardo Amaretto di Saschira · 🥃 Luxardo Sangue Morlacco · 🥃 Bénédictine Single Cask · 🥃 Bénédictine 1888 · 🥃 Bénédictine B&B · 🥃 Bénédictine D.O.M.
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
Sources
- Difford's Guide: Luxardo Maraschino liqueur (32 % ABV, two years, white Finnish ash vats, straw-wrapped bottle, established 1821)
- Difford's Guide: Girolamo Luxardo, production (marasca orchards, infusion in larch vats, batch pot-still distillation, rest in Finnish ash, hand-plaited straw)
- Luxardo (official site): Maraschino Originale (32 %, marasca cherries, larch and ash vats, copper pot stills, sugar syrup, straw-wrapped bottle)
- Regulation (EU) 2019/787 on spirit drinks (OJ L 130, 17.5.2019), Annex I, category 33: liqueur
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)