Luxardo Maraschino Cherries

Aloha all -

I just picked up a jar of Luxardo Maraschino Cherries after enjoying them immensely at the Okolemaluna bar in Kona. My question is: Do you folks refrigerate the cherries after opening? The jar says "keep in a cool dark place after opening" - I don't know if Hawaii pantries qualify as "cool". Anyone out there use these cherries? How do you store them, and how long do they last?

Mahalo!
Henrik

Refrigeration is a safe bet, especially in a warm humid climate. Warmth, moisture and sugar make an enticing environment for all sorts of things. Refrigerated, the shelf life is pert near eternal for candied cherries. Two warnings: if you let the syrup sit around the lid for long, it will require explosives (or hot water) to unsticky it; also, there's normally one little sucker per jar that manages to retain its pit. I envy your selection; Luxardos are delicious. I only get the ones with plain white labels that say "Cherries: Food Service Random."

I put mine in the fridge. Better safe than sorry.

Although it's not good to leave your children out in the cold
I do recommend it for Maraschino Cherries!

How do they taste? Like maraschino liqueur? I made some with cherries from the backyard and Luxardo. They're alright but they wreak havoc in a Manhattan.

Mahalo everyone! They will set up shop in the fridge after opening.

I actually snapped a photo of the jar at Okolemaluna with my phone after being blown away by the flavor of the cherries so I'd remember to order some. Last weekend we were at the local Williams Sonoma store, and I showed a saleslady the photo to see if they carried them. She said no, they only carried their store branded cherries, and that they were "just as good". I thanked her, passed on their cherries, and just as I was about to leave the store Ms. VanTiki found a stack of Luxardo cherries in the corner of the store! They had about 10 jars - but only 1 had its "safety seal pop-top" still secure, so that is the one we snapped up.

Thanks again!
Henrik

I don't know about Luxardo's but the last batch I picked up was the WalMart store brand, I thought "how bad can they be?" Well I found out, they're CRAP! I guess you get what you pay for :lol:

PS Luxardos are also available in a 12 lb can if you really like them :D

Be good to yourself and to the ones you love
Life is short, smile while you still have your teeth.

[ Edited by: MadDogMike 2011-12-06 19:34 ]

Very disappointed in these cherries. The texture is more like a dried fruit. I've been making my own brandied cherries for years, far superior.

On 2011-12-08 05:55, theoutoftownlocal wrote:
Very disappointed in these cherries. The texture is more like a dried fruit. I've been making my own brandied cherries for years, far superior.

Recipe?

Making brandied cherries is easy. I've done it with fresh, but I find that the dried kind work better. Sour cherries work better than sweet ones.

You just dump them in a jar, fill it with brandy, and stick it in the fridge. (You can get more complicated -- simmering them in simple syrup, etc. But I don't think it's necessary.)

On 2011-12-06 18:15, MadDogMike wrote:
PS Luxardos are also available in a 12 lb can if you really like them :D

Wowzers - that is a big can. Is the fellow in the front wearing traditional cherry hunting attire?

Anyone got any other recommendations for marachino cherries? Any of the grocery stores carry a decent brand? My choices are pretty limited - WalMart sells only their store brand which is very bland. Vons/Safeway only carries their store brand, it's a little better but not much. I was in San Diego this weekend and stopped at Cost Plus hoping to find some fancy import - they had only the US Soiree brand which doesn't have much of that distinctive almond/cherry pit flavor either. I put about a tablespoon of almond extract in the Soiree cherries hoping to get some almond flavor, I'll wait and see what happens - I didn't have much to lose. I may have to order something online.

How about Ole Smoky moonshine cherries? 100 proof!

I stored my first jar of Luxardo cherries in the fridge but the sugar crystallized out of solution. I'm storing my second bottle on the counter in the shade and they are still fine after months. I only use them for classic cocktails though. BevMo in California sells two brands of maraschino cherries that are cheaper and better for exotic mixed drinks in my opinion.

Brandied Cherries are super easy to make, and better than enything out of a jar that I've come across. You can even use frozen cherries for this recipe:

http://www.imbibemagazine.com/Lu-s-Brandied-Cherries

Lu's Brandied Cherries

Homemade brandied cherries are a simple and delicious way to dress up your cocktails.

1 lb. sweet cherries, pitted
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tsp. lemon juice, fresh-squeezed
1 stick cinnamon
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup brandy
Tools: cherry pitter, saucepan, ladle, jars with lids

Wash and pit the cherries. In a saucepan, combine all ingredients except the cherries and brandy and bring to a rolling boil. When the liquid begins to boil, reduce the heat to medium. Add the cherries and simmer for 5–7 minutes. Remove from heat, add the brandy and let cool. Transfer the cherries into clean jars and refrigerate, uncovered until cherries are cool to touch. Cover tightly and refrigerate for up to two weeks.

If it's sitting in brandy, wouldn't the cherries last longer than a few weeks? Do they fall apart at some point?

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/692299

check that out

But do the brandy cherries have that distinctive almond flavor that comes from the crushed cherry pits?

I haven't made any myself yet, when cherries come back in season here I am going to try

However if you are talking about the way Luxardo Marachino liquor tastes - i hope nothing tastes like that, i got a bottle and i believe i will have it forever, do not like the stuff :)

I want the cherries to taste like cherries

On 2012-04-12 13:56, MadDogMike wrote:
But do the brandy cherries have that distinctive almond flavor that comes from the crushed cherry pits?

No, they taste like cherries, natural and earthy. And, they do not taste like the syrupy, artificial cherry flavored supermarket type. They work neutrally in a cocktail without dramatically swinging the sugar level up.

Just the other day i was looking up these cherries and it clearly stated not to refrigerate them because the become crystalized and dry out. It said that refrigerating these was neither necessary or recommended.

I'll go take a look at my jar -- just bought it two weeks ago -- and see what it says. They were pricey at Total Wine, $16 or $18 for a small jar. But they seem to be essential for certain flavors in some cocktails. I'm sure they're waaaaay better than the bleached almost-plastic garbage they sell in the supers as "maraschino" cherries.

On 2014-08-09 19:03, mermaid1111 wrote:
Just the other day i was looking up these cherries and it clearly stated not to refrigerate them because the become crystalized and dry out. It said that refrigerating these was neither necessary or recommended.

That's what happened to mine. I put them in the fridge out of force of habit as i know it will be a long time before i finish the jar but i might take them back out now.

And they cost me about $18 for the jar too. Unusual seeing them costing the same for you guys.

[ Edited by: swizzle 2014-08-10 18:06 ]

I ‘ve been using “Badabing” brand. Imho the color is off (plum) but the wife likes em mo betta den the bright red ones. I neva eat em-just use em for garnish.
Cheers

I just bought a jar of Maraschino cherries, cost me $19.99 at Bev Mo.
Ingredients are Cherries, sugar, Marasca Cherry juice, glucose, citric acid, natural color, Marascino flavor.
I had a fine Manhattan yesterday with a maraschino cherry in it at Roy's and couldn't wait to buy the jar and try my own.

I buy Tillen Farms maraschino cherries. I've had the Luxardo, of course, and they're fine. But I don't think they're worth the premium. I'd rather spend the extra on more booze. :)

On 2014-08-10 21:21, nui 'umi 'umi wrote:
I ‘ve been using “Badabing” brand. Imho the color is off (plum) but the wife likes em mo betta den the bright red ones. I neva eat em-just use em for garnish.
Cheers

On 2014-08-17 15:45, djmont wrote:
I buy Tillen Farms maraschino cherries. I've had the Luxardo, of course, and they're fine. But I don't think they're worth the premium. I'd rather spend the extra on more booze. :)

Looks like the "Badabing" cherries are also from Tillen Farms. They have Rainier cherries too. No artificial anything, all natural. Sounds good. Here's a variety pack on Amazon:
http://tinyurl.com/lbohp8x

[ Edited by: Hakalugi 2014-08-17 16:02 ]

A personal preference is to take bing (fresh or frozen, nothing in syrup) and let them soak in maraschino and brandy, the only drawback is that it also needs to soak for a while before use. The jars are just way too sweet and the ones in moonshine may have been able to strip out the cloying sweetness but then you get a stronger chemical aftertaste from the dye.

Below is from the Anchor site who distributes the cherries. Mine are in the fridge and all crusty. The next bottle I will store in the cupboard.

http://www.anchordistillingblog.com/blog/2014/02/04/luxardo-psa-dont-store-your-cherries-in-the-fridge/

Hello world. Today I’d like to offer a valuable piece of information regarding Luxardo Maraschino Cherries.

DO NOT STORE LUXARDO MARASCHINO CHERRIES IN THE FRIDGE AS THEY WILL CRYSTALIZE. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT YOU STORE THEM IN A COOL, DARK PLACE OUT OF DIRECT SUNLIGHT, SUCH AS IN A CUPBOARD.

Easy enough, right? And well worth it, as these cherries are quite spectacular. How spectacular? Well, they serve as the base for Luxardo Maraschino, which legendary cocktail historian David Wondrich describes as, “An object of cult worship among mixologists. Its presence is as good as a sign saying, EXCELLENT DRINKS MADE HERE.”

So these little cherries are quite significant, and they are perfect for garnishing your favorite cocktails. Luxardo owns and manages the largest Marasca sour cherry orchards in Europe, with 30,000 trees located on the Euganean Hills near Padua and Venice in the Veneto region of Northeastern Italy. It is from these orchards that Luxardo Maraschino cherries are sourced, with the final product consisting of whole, pitted cherries packed in pure Marasca cherry syrup. Luxardo Cherries are available in a 400 gram jar (approx. 75 cherries), 3KG tin (approx. 500 cherries and 5.6KG tin (approx. 1000 cherries).

I would imagine the crystalized sugar would go back into liquid state with gentle application of heat, similar to honey.

I’ve had mine in our supercold frig since Thanksgiving. I checked em today and there is no sign of crystalization. I’ll keep em in the cupboard anyhow.
Mahalow for the tips

I'm getting near the bottom of my first jar of Luxardos and was wondering if anyone uses the juice/syrup that it's stored in in any cocktails or for anything else. I love the flavor of these cherries and I'm assuming the juice wouldn't be an appropriate substitute in drinks that call for the liqueur (which I don't have) but maybe someone has found a good use for this yummy stuff cuz pouring it down the drain seems a shame.

I think some of the Hawaiian-style mai tai recipes call for a splash from the maraschino jar...

Ah, found one while reading through Remixed. Sharks Tooth specifically calls for syrup from maraschino jar. Grogalizer ratings are pretty mixed and none are overwhelmingly positive but I'll give it a shot. Seems the Atomic Grog's tribute to the Mai Kai's Shark Bite is the way to go for this drink which uses cinnamon syrup in place of the cherry juice. I'll compare soon and report back.