You always remember those sudden bursts of unexpected flavour.  That's just it when you pop a luscious Luxardo Maraschino cocktail cherry into your mouth.  The almond sweetness of these dark red cherries is a flavour from cocktail heaven.  They have been used as a favourite garnish by top bartenders for decades, and now professional chefs and home cooks have discovered them too as a kitchen secret ingredient.  A 400g jar contains 65 cherries on average.  The guide retail price is £6.99 to £7.99, and retail stockists include: Lakeland and specialist delicatessens, farm shops, Amazon, and online drinks suppliers eg. www.TheDrinkShop.com, www.masterofmalt.com, Amathus, Speciality Drinks. 

Winning an exceptional two gold stars in the UK Great Taste Awards [most recently rated in 2018], the cherries are now tumbling into tarts and cakes, baked into chocolate brownies, or crowning a coupette of ice cream.  They transform everyday puddings into dreamy new desserts with their crisp bite and delicate almondy flavour. Once you've used up the cherries, drizzle the last drops of syrup to add a rosy blush to yoghurt or creamy desserts.

Luxardo Maraschino cocktail cherries are from Italy's oldest independent family owned liqueurs company which was founded in 1821.  With over 200 years of gourmet heritage, Luxardo is today known for its classic liqueurs such Limoncello and Amaretto, and its cherry liqueurs & spirits:  Luxardo Maraschino, Sangue Morlacco, Sour Cherry Gin.  The Luxardo Maraschino Cherries are non-alcoholic.

Luxardo maraschino cherry orchards - Luxardo harvests the native, dark, plump Marasca cherries – exclusively cultivated by Luxardo – from orchards in the Torreglian hills near Padua in northern Italy.  At the Luxardo distillery, they prepare them and add sugar syrup, which matures into a deep red syrup to give the cherries a glossy finish.  Once opened, a jar can be kept in a cool place and does not need refrigeration.  These cherries have become so popular worldwide, that Luxardo recently extended its estate by planting 2,000 more trees in a beautiful hillside orchard known as Campo Tramonte.  The orchards grow some 30,000 Marasca cherry trees.  Imagine the sight of their full blown blowsy blossom!

Luxardo Global Brand Ambassador Gareth 'G' Franklin adds, “We have just celebrated our 200th anniversary of Luxardo [2021] and discovered so many wizard ways to use the Luxardo Maraschino Cherries.  Bartenders, chefs, cocktail fans at home and home bakers contributed inventive ideas.  I have seen one, two or even three being used in a single drink, and a whole jar full being generously used in a celebration dessert.  Simple ideas let the cherry flavour shine out.  But I couldn't help myself – I went full-on gourmet and spent hours perfecting Cherry Garnish Shards to decorate desserts, then relaxed with a large, frozen Cherry Sgroppino prosecco cocktail!”   [Recipes are available.]

Dessert ideas – simply

• Spoon 3-4 Luxardo Maraschino cherries over each portion of vanilla or chocolate ice cream; panna cotta; rice pudding; cheese cake; buttery crêpes.  Add a colourful flourish with a swirl of the cherry syrup too.
• Add a few cherries into a fresh fruit salad to make it a dinner party dessert.
• Fold into fresh or chantilly cream and spoon generously over a meringue base for a jewel-studded pavlova.  Drizzle a dessert spoonful of the syrup to give a pretty blush colour.
• Use whole cherries in classic cherry bakes, such as Cherry Bakewell tart or Black Forest gâteau.
• Press a single cherry deep into mini squares of chocolate brownie or blondie before baking.
• Savoury?  Tumble a few cherries over a roast duck quarter and add a spoonful of syrup to your gravy to give a glossy richness.

www.luxardo.it     

Instagram: @luxardo_uk  @luxardoofficial  @luxardo_g

(Twitter: @luxardo_cocktail)

For UK trade enquiries about the Luxardo range: Amber Beverages Ltd: T. 01283 217 703 sales.uk@amberbev.com

For more press information about the cherry products and Luxardo range of diverse liqueurs, heritage, photos, and editorial samples, please contact: 

Su-Lin Ong on behalf of Luxardo 020 8747 4843  

sulinong@slo-london.co.uk