Maraschino Liqueur (Luxardo)
The Luxardo family has produced Maraschino in the Dalmatian region since 1821. Their distillery in Zara (now Zadar, Croatia) was destroyed in World War II bombing. The family survived, smuggled a single Marasca cherry sapling to the Veneto region of Italy, and rebuilt the entire business from that one tree. The rebuilt distillery is now in Torreglia, Padua. The bottle design (white wicker covering) dates to the early 20th century to protect glass during shipping — it survived as tradition.
Flavor Profile
Stone fruit and Floral-Aromatic from the Marasca cherry with a dominant bitter-almond finish from pit inclusion. Dry for a liqueur — the sweetness is restrained. Quarter-ounce adds Stone Fruit depth without adding fruit sweetness. More than a quarter-ounce → marzipan territory.
Key Producers
Croatian producer; slightly less refined; same ballpark
The standard; the Last Word and Aviation are built around it; 32% ABV; white wicker bottle