A few weeks ago, I wrote about Luxardo and its almost unbelievable movie-like history. I have to admit that I loved learning their story – it fascinated me almost as much as their products. Miss it the first time around? You can read it here.
To answer the famous question, “What do I do with Luxardo Maraschino liqueur and other Luxardo products?”, I have a few suggestions. Since this weekend will see the New England Patriots battle the Philadelphia Eagles for football supremacy in Superbowl LII, a lot of these drinks can be made in large batches in advance and then either shaken with, or served over, ice for your Superbowl party!
The most famous Luxardo Maraschino drink? This has got to be, hands down, the classic cocktail “The Last Word”. This Prohibition-era cocktail got its start in the early 1920s at the Detroit Athletic Club. Not only does this iconic and famous cocktail contain Luxardo Maraschino, it also is a reason to break out your bottle of our friend Chartreuse! Green in colour, it’s a great drink to say “Go Eagles”!
The Last Word
What you need:
- 1 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
- 1 oz Green Chartreuse
- 1 oz gin (I used Citadelle gin)
- 1 oz lime juice
- Maraschino Cherries (I used Amarena Fabbri)
What you do:
- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice
- Add the Luxardo Maraschino liqueur, gin, Green Chartreuse, Maraschino liqueur and lime juice
- Shake vigorously
- Strain into a cocktail glass, garnish with cherries
Last year, there were Last Words (and riffs on The Last Word) galore as part of a #wehavethelastword campaign started by my friend, and super nice guy, Mike @mmydrinks. For the campaign, I came up with my riff, what I call L’Ultima Parole.
L’Ultima Parole
What you need:
- 1 oz vodka
- 1 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
- 1 oz Luxardo Amaretto
- 1 oz fresh lemon juice
- 1 lemon wheel for garnish
What you do:
- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice
- Add the Luxardo Maraschino liqueur, vodka, Amaretto and lemon juice
- Shake vigorously
- Strain into a coupe glass (or in my case, a very funky coupe glass), garnish with the 1/2 lemon slice
Looking for a way to get more veggies in your diet? Or maybe a few more greens? Why not drink them? Matt over at CocktailChap recently made this beauty from Luxardo’s new #Drinqueur post (“the first monthly cocktail review on Instagram”). Give him a follow if you don’t already, he’s pretty funny and his cocktails look great!
Oh, Snap!
What you need:
- 40 ml (about 1 1/3 oz) Luxardo London Dry Gin
- 20 ml (about 2/6 oz) Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
- 20 ml (about 2/3 oz) lemon juice
- 2 sugar snap peas
What you do:
- Muddle the sugar snap peas in the shaker
- Add the other ingredients and shake with ice
- Fine-strain into a coupe glass
- BREAK THE RULES by garnishing with a sugar snap pea instead of the suggested lemon peel, you absolute rebel.
- Thanks, Matt!
Love a Negroni? What about a White Negroni? This super cool drink is possible using Luxardo Bitter.
White Negroni
What you need:
- 1 oz gin (I used Panarea Italian gin)
- 1 oz Luxardo Bitter Bianco
- 1 oz white vermouth (I used Doulin)
What you do:
- In a rocks glass, add 1 giant round ice cube (thanks, Wintersmiths)
- Add the gin, Luxardo Bitter Bianco and white vermouth
- Stir to chill
- Enjoy
Alex Day, one of the cocktail masters over at Death & Co in New York, came up with “Lucino’s Delight” in 2007, which shows some love for the Luxardo Maraschino. Patriots fans will appreciate the Bombay Sapphire Blue bottle.
Lucino’s Delight
What you need:
- 2 oz London Dry gin (he used Beefeater, I used Bombay)
- 3/4 oz red vermouth (he used Carpano Antica Formula, I used Odd Society)
- 1/4 oz Luxardo Maraschino
- 1/4 oz Lucano Amaro (I used Lucano Anniversario)
What you do:
- Fill a shaker with ice
- Add the London Dry gin, red vermouth, Luxardo Maraschino and Lucano Amaro
- Stir to chill
- Strain into a coup glass
- No garnish
Speaking of Mike @mmydrinks, as you can imagine, anyone who does a whole campaign to celebrate #wehavethelastword has got to be a fan of Luxardo! Mike sent me this Heartbreaker cocktail he came up with (via Sother Teague @creativedrunk). It’s the perfect drink if your team doesn’t win!
Heartbreaker
What you need:
- 1 1/2 oz bonded rye (Mike used Rittenhouse)
- 1/2 oz Luxardo Amaro Abano
- 1/2 oz Punt e Mes
- 7 dashes Angostura Bitters
- lemon (to express)
What you do:
- Fill pitcher with ice
- Add rye, Luxardo Amaro Abano, Punt e Mes and Angostura Bitters
- Stir
- Strain into a coupe glass
- Express the lemon oil and discard
- Enjoy!
- Thanks Mike!
Next time you are at the LCBO, or your favourite liquor store, grab some Luxardo and try some of these cocktails, or make your own house specialty.
