Luxardo Amaretto di Saschira Liqueur
-
Enthusiast
Wine
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Distiller Notes
Well-rounded in taste, a fragrant aroma and a hint of vanilla in the end are all characteristics that distinguish Luxardo Amaretto. Brilliantly suited to use in classic cocktails such as Amaretto Sour it can also be enjoyed neat or over ice as an after dinner drink.
This spirit is certified Kosher by the Beth Din of London
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Enthusiast
This is a deeper, darker take on amaretto. Look for a bold marzipan scent and rich toffee, brown sugar and almond extract on the viscous palate. Hints of baking spice and burnt orange peel shore up the finish. Sip or mix; the producer suggests mixing with champagne.
Best Buy
Luxardo is a family-owned company founded in Zara, a port city on the Dalmatian coast of what is now Croatia. Girolamo Luxardo, a Genovese businessman, and his wife, Maria Canevari, moved to Zara in 1817. It was Maria who began perfecting "rosolio maraschino," a liqueur produced in Dalmatian convents since medieval times from special maraschino cherries. Canevari's liqueur was of such high quality that it gained the attention of connoisseurs, and her husband founded the Luxardo Distillery in 1821 to produce her original Maraschino. Not long afterwards, the Emperor of Austria awarded the Luxardo liqueur the highest honor "Privilegiata Fabbrica Maraschino Excelsior." The distillery remained under the family's control and prospered by exporting the liqueur to aficionados around the world. The Maraschino liqueur became an essential cocktail ingredient internationally, and is found in classics such as the Last Word, Martinez and Hemingway cocktails of the late 19th and early 20th century. The distillery also expanded to create other fruit-based and herbal liqueurs such as Bitter, Limoncello and Amaro Abano.
In 1913, Michelangelo Luxardo built the most modern and massive distillery in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This building survived World War I; but was ultimtely destroyed in World War II by Anglo-American bombings. Only one member of the fourth generation, Giorgio Luxardo, survived the World War II invasion and fled to Italy. Escaping with only a cherry sapling, Giorgio crossed the Adriatic Sea to the Veneto region of northeast Italy and reconnected with a colleague who had saved the Luxardo recipe book. Armed with the surviving tools and a desire to reestablish his family's legacy, Giorgio chose the small Veneto city of Torreglia to rebuild the distillery in 1946. At this new home, Luxardo restored its extensive product line of Italian liqueurs and continued to export the products to markets around the world. Luxardo continues to produce Maraschino to Maria Canevari's original recipe, as it was written down in 1821. Today, Luxardo is operated by Franco Luxardo of the family's fifth generation, along with members of the sixth and seventh generations.
First prepared by 13th century Italian monks as herbal medicines and elixirs, Liqueurs are distilled spirits that have been combined with flavoring agents. A range of herbs, spices, nuts, fruits and flowers can be used, and a sweetener such as sugar or corn syrup is often added. While typically rather sweet, some examples are herbaceous or tart and pair exceptionally well with desserts or act as a delightful addition to cocktails.