Homemade Luxardo Cherries (aka Maraschino Cherries) can really elevate a cocktail. They add that special *something*. They're the perfect addition to your home bar and to a cocktail. They are particularly good in an Old Fashioned or a Manhattan!
These cherries are sweet and syrupy, but aren't one-note in any way. They have complex flavors thanks to extracts, maraschino liqueur, and spices. I bet you'll find yourself eating them straight out of the jar.
Looking for more drink garnishes? I got 'em! Try my Sugared Cranberries, Bourbon Cherries, or Dried Orange Slices and add a little pizazz to your drinks!
Jump to:
- 🌟 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- 💭 What are Luxardo cherries?
- 💫 What makes Luxardo cherries so special?
- 🍸 What is Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur?
- 📝 Ingredients
- 🍒 What kind of cherries should you use?
- 🔀 Substitutions and Variations
- 👩🏻🍳 How to make Luxardo Cherries
- 🥃 What should you do with these Luxardo cherries?
- 🥫 Can you preserve these cherries?
- 🛠️ What should you make with leftover Luxardo liqueur?
- 🔗 More drink garnish recipes
- ❓ Recipe FAQs
- ✨ Recipe
🌟 Why You'll Love This Recipe
These cherries taste delicious. They're syrupy and sweet, with complex flavors.
They're the perfect cocktail garnish. Use them in any cocktail that you please!
The recipe makes a lot. This recipe makes a big jar of cherries, so you'll have plenty for all of your drinks.
💭 What are Luxardo cherries?
Luxardo Cherries are the OG fancy cocktail garnish cherries.
I bet you have had Luxardo cherries if you've ever ordered a cocktail and it had a really delicious cherry in it as garnish. Either that or maybe it was a brandied or bourbon cherry. They're all quite good.
💫 What makes Luxardo cherries so special?
I think many of us tend to think about the neon pink/red Maraschino cherries that you buy in the grocery store. These cherries are nothing like those.
So what makes them so different? First of all, they're delicious.
To achieve such a high level of deliciousness, Luxardo cocktail cherries take a bit of a warm bath in, and get their distinctive and delicious flavor from, Luxardo Maraschino liqueur. Plus some other really delicious ingredients, of course.
🍸 What is Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur?
According to an article on Epicurious, Luxardo was once a distillery in present-day Croatia (at the time, the area was an Italian province). The company became famous for its cherry liqueur, called Maraschino (pronounced like "mar-uh-SKEE-no" in Italian), made from marasca cherries.
They distilled the liqueur from ripe marasca cherries (a kind of sour cherry), their crushed pits, branches and leaves, honey, and various other secret ingredients.
In the early 1900s, the distillery started selling selling cherries that were candied in a syrup of marasca cherry juice and sugar. And thus, the OG Luxardo cherry was born.
Following World War II, one of the Luxardo family members fled to the Veneto region of Italy, taking with him a marasca cherry tree sapling and the recipe for Luxardo liqueur. Ever since that time, Luxardo liqueurs and cherries have been made in that region of Italy!
While it does have a cherry flavor, you'll also notice floral, piney, and nutty flavors, too. It's really interesting! The pits of the marasca cherries are responsible for the nutty flavors you'll notice.
📝 Ingredients
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantitites.
- Sugar: I used turbinado sugar (a minimally-processed and refined, chunky, brown sugar), though demerara sugar would work well, too. I like the richer, more caramel-y flavors of this sugar, though you could also use white granulated sugar if that's what you have on hand.
- Tart cherry juice: Luxardo cherries are historically made with marasca cherries, which are a variety of sour cherries. This tart juice provides flavor and also helps to preserve the color of the cherries, as the color can start to leach out of them over time if you use water instead.
- Vanilla extract: A little vanilla helps to round out the flavors.
- Almond extract: I think that almond extract is really key in this recipe. Luxardo cherries have a sweet almond flavor to them, and this extract really adds that.
- Cinnamon: Just one whole cinnamon stick will do.
- Nutmeg: You can use store bought, ground nutmeg or you can grate some fresh nutmeg into the mix.
- Luxardo: Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur is an absolute must in this recipe. It's what makes these cherries Luxardo cherries.
- Cherries: I used fresh sweet red cherries for this recipe. Let's talk about other options below.
🍒 What kind of cherries should you use?
I used regular old dark red sweet cherries that you'll find at just about any grocery store. You can use sour cherries if you want, too! It's really just a matter of personal preference. Several readers have commented that they've used sour cherries, with good results. You do you.
If you want to use frozen cherries, please bear in mind that several readers have reported that while the flavor of these cherries will be the same as if you used fresh fruit, the texture will likely suffer. Folks have reported that using frozen cherries often results in mushy Luxardo cherries.
🔀 Substitutions and Variations
- Use frozen cherries. Readers have reported using frozen cherries instead of fresh. It's a tradeoff between convenience and texture, however. The texture won't be quite the same.
- Use a different kind of cherries. You can use pretty much any variety of cherries that you prefer.
👩🏻🍳 How to make Luxardo Cherries
You'll start out by pitting all of your cherries. This isn't mandatory, but using a cherry pitter makes this process so fast and easy. Some other options for pitting can be found here.
After you have pitted all of your cherries, set them aside.
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar, juice, extracts, and spices. Whisk them all together. Bring everything to a simmer and ensure that all of the sugar has completely dissolved.
Once the sugar has dissolved, add the Luxardo liqueur, whisk it to combine, and add the cherries. Bring everything back up to a simmer and allow it to simmer for 10-15 minutes. This will soften the cherries and let the liquid cook down a bit so that it's more syrupy.
After 10-15 minutes, remove and discard the cinnamon stick and allow the cherries and syrup to cool. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge!
🥃 What should you do with these Luxardo cherries?
Personally, I'd recommend plopping them into a strong cocktail. As a bourbon lover, I happen to think that they are particularly good in an Old Fashioned.
If you are looking for a non-boozy drink, you can totally plunk these guys into a Shirley Temple. However, because these maraschino cherries are made with a liqueur, I probably wouldn't recommend serving this to your kids. Maybe make a Dirty Shirley for the adults instead?
Don't tell anyone, but I may also be known for eating them out of the jar.
🥫 Can you preserve these cherries?
I haven't done it personally, but several readers report that these cherries can be canned! Make a bunch, can 'em, and enjoy homemade Luxardo cherries for a long time to come.
🛠️ What should you make with leftover Luxardo liqueur?
Worry no longer! If you have leftovers, please consider making my Cheerwine Sangria. You will not regret it. Or make a classic Last Word cocktail! *chef's kiss*
Or... And just hear me out here... Just make more Luxardo Cherries! They're delicious and great for gift giving. And like I said above, you can can them for later!
🔗 More drink garnish recipes
Need more fun drink garnishes? Click on any of the photos below to be taken straight to the recipes!
❓ Recipe FAQs
I used fresh, sweet red cherries. Use whatever variety of cherry that you prefer. You can even use frozen cherries, though the texture of the cherries won't be quite the same.
I haven't done it, but some readers have said that you can can these cherries in order to preserve them.
As a garnish for cocktails, of course! Use them any time a recipe calls for a cocktail cherry. You can also just pop 'em in your mouth, too.
I'd love to know what you thought of this recipe! Don't forget to leave a comment and ⭐️ star rating below!
✨ Recipe
Homemade Luxardo Cherries
Ingredients
- ½ cup turbinado sugar
- ½ cup tart cherry juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 1 cup Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
- 1 pound sweet red cherries pitted and stemmed
Instructions
- Combine sugar, cherry juice, vanilla and almond extracts, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a saucepan, and bring it to a simmer. Stir occasionally as the sugar dissolves.
- Add the Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur and whisk to combine. Add the pitted cherries. Stir to coat all of the cherries in the syrup. Simmer for 10-15 minutes to soften the cherries slightly.
- Turn off the heat, discard the cinnamon stick, and allow the cherries to cool. Once cooled, store in the fridge in a tightly sealed jar.
Notes
- Readers have let me know that they've used frozen organic cherries in this recipe (instead of fresh) and that it has turned out well! So when cherries aren't in season, or maybe don't look so great, you can still make this recipe and enjoy!
- Readers have also noted that you can make this with sweet or sour cherries, depending on your preferences.
- Though I haven't done it, readers say that you can can these cherries in order to preserve them.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional information is a generated estimate and is not guaranteed to be accurate.
Laura
Where the luxardo flavor is similar the mouth feel and thickness of the syrup wasn’t quite right. I reduced some cherry juice to make a really thick syrup and added that in and the cherry flavor was so much better. I’m still working on the cherry texture thought fresh worked better than frozen. Frozen became very mushy. I plan on trying to candy the cherries which I think will give what I’m looking for texture wise. It may cook all the alcohol out but as long as the flavor is goos I don’t mind!
laurenpacek
Oh, good! Glad to hear that your tweaks worked out. If you do candy the cherries, let me know how it works out.
Krista
OMG! Delicious. Made one batch with frozen organic sweet cherries (costco). Turned out so well I used the remaining sweet cherries mixed with frozen sour cherries for a second batch. Second batch tastes like cherry pie. Probably not Luxardo but soooooo good. Thanks for the recipe. Any idea how long they last? Thinking I might have to can the larger batch.
laurenpacek
I'm so glad that you liked them!! To be honest, I'm not sure how long they last because they tend to go pretty fast in my house ;). Canning sounds like a good idea, though.
Jennie Sharp
Forgot to mention that I will be canning them afterwards.
Jennie Sharp
What do you think about not pitting and stemming cherries? I'm trying to simplify the process, plus having stems on might be fun for the cocktail.
laurenpacek
I haven't tried it this way, so take what I have to say with a grain of salt. My concern is that the flavor may not penetrate into the cherry as deeply since it doesn't have an opening into the fruit like it would if you pitted the cherries. But I agree that having the stems on the cherries would look very nice!
Jennie Sharp
Thanks...that definitely makes sense.
Rose
Use a Straw to pit the cherries, so easy and the stems stay on! The pit is directly under the stem, go sideways
laurenpacek
Good call! You can definitely use a straw (or chopstick, etc.) if you don't have a cherry pitter.
rebecca
If I make these following your directions, how long will they store in the fridge in the tightly sealed container? A week? A month? Thanks in advance, can't wait to try!
laurenpacek
Hi Rebecca,
I'd say a month, to be on the safe side. Though, to be honest, I've had some in the fridge for longer. But my official answer is "a month" =) Cheers!
Tracey
I've read in other recipes to poke the cherries once with a toothpick...hope that helps.
Sean G
Getting ready to make my second DOUBLE batch. I'm obsessed. I made the first batch with dark sweet frozen cherries. I had some syrup left over so I just stored it in a jar in the fridge. I note that I simmered the syrup until it had reduced almost half b/c I like a thicker syrup. Then I added the cherries; took it off the heat and let it cool before pouring into mason jars and storing in the fridge. Once the sweet cherries were getting low (I do love an Old Fashioned after work) I just reheated the leftover juice and threw in frozen sour cherries. Worked perfectly! My wife prefers the sweet ones, but I prefer the sour ones.
Sean G
Getting ready to make my second DOUBLE batch. I'm obsessed. I made the first batch with dark sweet frozen cherries. I had some syrup left over so I just stored it in a jar in the fridge. I note that I simmered the syrup until it had reduced almost half b/c I like a thicker syrup. Then I added the cherries; took it off the heat and let it cool before pouring into mason jars and storing in the fridge. Once the sweet cherries were getting low (I do love an Old Fashioned after work) I just reheated the leftover juice and threw in frozen sour cherries. Worked perfectly! My wife prefers the sweet ones, but I prefer the sour ones.
laurenpacek
I'm so glad that you've been enjoying these!! I love to use them in an Old Fashioned, too 😉
Peter Heil
Please advise how long after making the cherries and putting them in the refrigerator they become Luxardo ‘d?
Peter Heil
Please advise how long after making the cherries and putting them in the refrigerator they become Luxardo ‘d?
laurenpacek
They're Luxardo'd pretty much as soon as you're done cooking them! They'll just get better and better as they sit in the liquid in the fridge, though.
Peter Heil
Thank you
Carol Haas
It's Bing cherry season, so i made a small batch just to try - very good! I will be using these cherries in some summertime cocktails, for sure. Next time, I'll make more liquid in proportion to the cherries so that they are covered by juice in the jar.
Carol Haas
It's Bing cherry season, so i made a small batch just to try - very good! I will be using these cherries in some summertime cocktails, for sure. Next time, I'll make more liquid in proportion to the cherries so that they are covered by juice in the jar.
laurenpacek
So glad that you enjoyed them!! Cheers!
Ron
For an interesting twist I eliminated the water, tripled the sugar, added orange peel and a full cup of bourbon, and did not boil. After 3 months the“hooch” now tastes like cherries and the cherries taste like Luxardo and bourbon! Both are outstanding!
laurenpacek
I like what you've done there! I'll have to try it out this way, too.
Michael
Hi Ron,
You recipe looks like it’ll be really good. Did you cook them at all? Or did you just mix it all together and throw in the fridge for 3 months?
Thanks.
Allison
We love the amarena cherries that are seasonal at Trader Joe’s and I have been looking for a recipe that came close to that perfect flavor. After several other failed attempts this recipe worked out perfect! I did add about twice the amount of sugar to get more of a syrup and it turned out great! Now I have to make another batch for my father. Thank you so much!
Allison
We love the amarena cherries that are seasonal at Trader Joe’s and I have been looking for a recipe that came close to that perfect flavor. After several other failed attempts this recipe worked out perfect! I did add about twice the amount of sugar to get more of a syrup and it turned out great! Now I have to make another batch for my father. Thank you so much!
laurenpacek
I'm so glad that you like them!! Next time I make them, I'll try adding double the sugar, too
Rich
I’m planning on using frozen cherries. To get that dense lime texture that Luxardo cherries have I’m planning on putting the cherries in the dehydrator after I drain the liquid off of them until they firm up a little.
Does anyone have an opinion about this?
laurenpacek
I do not, unfortunately. But as you'll see, some readers have noted that frozen cherries sometimes work out okay, and other times not so okay.
I'd love to hear how things go with the dehydrator method, if you end up trying it!
Rob
I’m currently doing this now. I’ll let you know how the dehydration turns out. I’m doing 2 batches, one dehydrated and one not. With a few additions to the original recipe
Calvin
Hey! Having made these with frozen cherries, I'd definitely recommend using fresh cherries. You don't get that nice crisp snap of the Luxardo cherry with the frozen style. The came out a little on the mushy side. Still delicious by any measure, but it's worth the extra time and effort to use those fresh cherries.