prunuscerasusprunoideae_sm.JPGSometimes things converge nicely, and sometimes they don’t (see: static electricity + Hindenburg or celluloid + Michael Bay + my eyes) and in this case, they did. I was contacted and subsequently interviewed in October by Jessica Troiano of Columbia News Service on a piece she was researching regarding the resurgence of classic cocktail by both enthusiasts and professionals alike, and specifically, the role Maraschino Liqueur has played (read her fine ‘Maraschino (No, Not the Cherry) Makes a Comeback’ article here). During the course of the interview I told her I had yet to land a bottle of Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur and, unfortunately, had only tried Stock’s liqueur which I understood to be an inferior product. Oddly enough, on a trip to Kansas City, MO the following week and in visiting a couple of liquor stores I came across I happened upon a lone and not-too-dusty bottle of Luxardo Maraschino on a shelf next to Strega and a shady-looking Tequila of dubious origin. Naturally, thrilled with finding such a treasure in an otherwise fruitless venture, I bought it and let it sit in its wicker-wrapped goodness. Now, if you haven’t clicked above and read the article, do so. I even referred her to Darcy who has a bit in there and she takes the trouble to clear up the pronunciation, so check it out and then come back. Finding Luxardo was a really exciting thing for me because, well, I love the Aviation, right? And if the Aviation is that good using a “sub-standard” brand like Stock’s, surely it must achieve levels of divinity sure to cure me of my heathen ills if I use Luxardo… riiiiiiight?! So, there I let it sit, sanguinely waiting for the right time to crack the bottle, relish an elixir of quiet inspiration, and tell all the world via the Internets (hey, that’s you! Hello, world.). Let’s first look at the products side-by-side:

Stock’s Maraschino Liqueur:Stock’s Maraschino Label

My first maraschino liqueur; not what you expect if you’ve never had this liqueur before – nutty, rich, drier than you’d think but with a distinct and slighty tacky sweetness. It doesn’t reek of quality or refinement and has a very heavy body, but it’s not unpleasant by any means, and, in an Aviation33 , Stock’s inherent sweetness harmonizes beautifully with the lemon juice and with the right gin (something more bold than Hendrick’s but less harsh than a Gordon’s – think Plymouth, Bombay, or Broker’s) it all melds wonderfully. This put me on the road to better drinking and researching classic cocktails and it has a special place in my heart. But still, the Luxardo must take this to new heights…

Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur:Luxardo Maraschino Label

Opening and inhaling the Luxardo is a very different experience than the Stock’s. Firstly, it’s much less nutty and more…..earthy…. than the Stock’s. You can almost visualize the stems of the cherries in the liqueur33 . It also comes across less rich and tacky than the Stock’s version. Unfortunately this doesn’t serve the Aviation well. I was expecting bliss and instead got, as my wife put it, latrine. Just bad. The drink becomes a shadow of itself in my opinion; thin with a collision of tart and bitter flavors. I’ve drunk myself many an Aviation and that’s not what this is. Same gin…good lemon…same recipe – bad drink. Which leads me to believe the alternative recipe which greatly reduces the amount of Maraschino might be in order. But, as rare as it’s been for me to find Luxardo and given this piss poor (pun intended) experience, I’m not anxious to go experimenting with it. I’ll stick with Stock’s in my Aviations for now, at least until I can find Marasca or Lazzaroni.

  So, what to conclude from this? That Stock’s is superior to Luxardo? I doubt it. That Luxardo simply sucks in an Aviation? I doubt that too. What I think, and what I keep getting hammered over the head with in these scenarios, is that the ingredients used in cocktails are so unique, even within the same family, that you simply must take into account the subtleties of each brand or manufacturer (and sometimes even batch numbers) when deciding which version to use in conjunction with which other ingredients. Stock’s, lemon, and Plymouth, heaven; Luxardo, lemon, and Plymouth, not so freaking much. And, secondly, you need to adjust your recipes accordingly. I’m so indoctrinated into the 2:1/2:1/2 Aviation recipe that I’m finding it difficult to consider reworking it for the Luxardo liqueur; my mind tells me, ‘But, dammit, it should WORK in that proportion; that’s a great recipe!’ But I have a suspicion that it might make all the difference. And when I’m proven wrong or right, I’ll let you know.

But, Darcy’s of the world, if you’ve not tried the Aviation with the poorly-regarded and much-maligned Stock’s, try again; it might surprise you.3

  1. I go in for Gary Regan’s version: 2 gin:1/2 lemon juice:1/2 maraschino333
  2. whether they include the stems in their distillation process I have no idea, but it’s just awfully damned…”stemmy”333

3

StumbleUpon It!