In this episode of The Cocktail, we talk about Luxardo Maraschino liqueur and make a Fancy Free.
Luxardo Maraschino isn’t the sugar bomb cherry you put on top of an ice cream sundae. It’s a liqueur distilled from sour marasca cherries. Luxardo is one of a very few distilled liqueurs in the world.
The pit of the cherry is in the mash along with the flesh, which lends Luxardo a nutty flavor that can add a lot of character to a drink. After the cherries have been distilled, cane syrup is added to sweeten it.
Fancy Free
2 oz Whiskey
.5 oz Luxardo Maraschino liqueur
2 dashes Angostura bitters
OrangeStir and strain ingredients into a chilled coupe glass. Express orange peel and drop it into the glass.
Maraschino liqueur is used in classic cocktails like the Fancy Free, Aviation, and Last Word, and is an essential part of your bar if you enjoy these pre-prohibition drinks.
If you’ve seen the Manhattan episode of The Cocktail, you’ll notice that the Fancy Free is basically a Manhattan with the Luxardo playing the part of the sweet vermouth.