Maraschino Liqueur
Maraschino is a clear Italian and Croatian liqueur distilled from marasca cherries, at 32% ABV on Luxardo’s product page, the bottle most recipes mean. It tastes of cherry stone, almond and flowers more than fruit, but it is sweet: Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 sets a floor of 250g of sugar a litre. It is the backbone of the Aviation, the Last Word and the Hemingway Daiquiri.
Quick Facts
Store upright in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight. Reseal tightly after use.
None of the 14 listed allergens. Recipes vary by brand: check the bottle.
About Maraschino Liqueur
Flavour Profile
Primary Flavours
Tasting Notes
Cherry stone, almond and flowers rather than fruit; sweet, but the bitter edge hides some of it.
It is distilled from marasca cherries, stones and all
Marasca is a small, sour cherry from the Dalmatian coast. Luxardo infuses the fruit in larch-wood vats for up to three years, distils it in copper pot stills, rests the spirit in ash vats and only then sweetens it. The result is clear and 32%.
Maraschino has its own legal definition: at least 24% ABV, at least 250g of sugar a litre, and the liqueur rules on flavourings. It tastes less sweet than that, because the stone and flower notes stand in front of the sugar, but a drink still counts it as sweetener.
Our drinks measure it from drops to 22.5ml
No other liqueur on our shelf covers so wide a range. The table groups our recipes by measure.
How much maraschino our recipes use
Five drops
- Drinks
- IBA Tiki
- What it does
- A trace of stone under rum and passion fruit
2.5ml
- Drinks
- Tuxedo
- What it does
- Rounds Old Tom gin and dry vermouth
5ml
- Drinks
- Martinez, Coronation No. 1, Turf Club, Improved Whiskey Cocktail, El Floridita Daiquiri
- What it does
- Background depth, not a flavour you could name
7.5ml
- Drinks
- Brooklyn, Brandy Crusta, Mary Pickford
- What it does
- Seasons and sweetens a little
10ml
- Drinks
- Casino
- What it does
- The main sweetener against lemon
15ml
- Drinks
- Aviation, Hemingway Daiquiri, Red Hook, Fancy Free, Division Bell
- What it does
- A named flavour, and often the only sugar
22.5ml
- Drinks
- Last Word
- What it does
- One of four equal parts
| Measure | Drinks | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Five drops | IBA Tiki | A trace of stone under rum and passion fruit |
| 2.5ml | Tuxedo | Rounds Old Tom gin and dry vermouth |
| 5ml | Martinez, Coronation No. 1, Turf Club, Improved Whiskey Cocktail, El Floridita Daiquiri | Background depth, not a flavour you could name |
| 7.5ml | Brooklyn, Brandy Crusta, Mary Pickford | Seasons and sweetens a little |
| 10ml | Casino | The main sweetener against lemon |
| 15ml | Aviation, Hemingway Daiquiri, Red Hook, Fancy Free, Division Bell | A named flavour, and often the only sugar |
| 22.5ml | Last Word | One of four equal parts |
Where it is the only sweetener, it sets the balance
The Hemingway Daiquiri uses 15ml as its only sugar against 60ml of white rum, lime and grapefruit, and the Aviation sets 15ml with gin and lemon under a spoonful of crème de violette. The Last Word gives it a full quarter beside green Chartreuse, gin and lime.
In stirred drinks it is a seasoning. The Martinez takes 5ml with gin and sweet vermouth, and the Brooklyn 7.5ml with rye, dry vermouth and Averna. The sweet liquid in a jar of maraschino cherries is another thing entirely, with no alcohol in it.
Using Maraschino Liqueur
Usage
Measured, not poured: five drops in an IBA Tiki, 5ml in a Martinez, 7.5ml in a Brooklyn, 15ml in an Aviation and up to 22.5ml in a Last Word. Small amounts sit in the background; from 15ml it becomes a flavour you can name.
Pro Tip
In a Last Word, shake all four equal parts hard, 10 to 12 seconds, then double strain. Squeeze the lime the same day: with maraschino and Chartreuse both sweet and strong, a tired lime leaves nothing to hold them in line.
Top Tips
- Start at 5ml if you are building a drink by taste. It carries further than the measure suggests.
- A recipe that says maraschino means this clear liqueur, never the sweet liquid in a cherry jar.
- It is sweet. When it is the only sweetener, as in a Hemingway Daiquiri, leave the syrup out.
- Store it capped, away from sunlight; in our experience at 32% it lasts years, but the perfume fades in a warm room.
Possible Substitutions
- Amaretto: Almond, but sweeter and heavier; use half the measure
Production Method
Marasca cherries infused for up to three years, distilled in copper pot stills, rested in ash vats and sweetened (Luxardo, by its product page).
History & Context
Luxardo’s own history dates the distillery to 1821, when Girolamo Luxardo founded it in Zara, now Zadar in Croatia, and its rebuilding to Torreglia, near Padua, from 1947, after the war. Maraska also makes a maraschino in Zadar, by its own site. Luxardo’s product page says the bottles are still hand-plaited in straw, as the Zara bottles once were to protect them in transport.
More to explore
Common Questions
What is maraschino liqueur?
Is maraschino liqueur sweet?
Is maraschino liqueur the same as the syrup from maraschino cherries?
Why does maraschino taste of almond?
What can I use instead of maraschino liqueur?
How much maraschino goes in a cocktail?
Who makes maraschino?
Sources.
Correct as of 16 October 2026.
- Luxardo, “Maraschino Originale” (producer’s product page).
- Luxardo, “History” (producer’s history (Zara 1821, Torreglia 1947)).
- Maraska, “Maraska” (producer’s site (maraschino in Zadar)).
- legislation.gov.uk, “Regulation (EC) No 110/2008, Annex II (retained)”.
Made with Maraschino Liqueur
Featured In These Cocktails
Updated 19 October 2026