Jonathan Adler Brings a Modern Edge to Luxardo Maraschino in 3 Standout Cocktails
PARTNER CONTENT WITH
words by EMILY PRICE
photography by JEFF BROWN
Jonathan Adler has spent years working in nearly every corner of hospitality. He trained as a chef, cooked in fine-dining kitchens, honed wine skills as a sommelier, and eventually landed behind the bar, where all of those disciplines finally converged: he is currently the beverage director at a high-end cocktail bar in New York City. His layered background shapes the way he thinks about cocktails, and how some ingredients can be underestimated.
Luxardo Maraschino is one of them. Frequently treated as a background modifier, the liqueur is usually measured in drops rather than ounces. Adler takes the opposite approach. By understanding its stone fruit character, restrained sweetness, and herbaceous and floral notes, he uses Luxardo Maraschino as a structural ingredient, building cocktails around it instead of quietly supporting it.
With three original recipes, Adler shows how Maraschino can anchor everything from a refreshing highball to a smoky stirred cocktail to a balanced sour.
Cherry Chu Hi: A Highball That Lets Maraschino Shine
The Cherry Chu Hi is loosely inspired by Japanese chu-hai drinks, which are typically made with shochu and soda. Barley shochu plays off the start ingredient — Luxardo Maraschino — while keeping the drink light and dry. A small addition of vodka provides some weight, allowing the concentrated cherry and stone fruit flavors of Luxardo Maraschino to take center stage without tipping the drink into sweetness. A dash of absinthe adds an herbal edge, sharpened by saline.
“With a highball, you don’t want a lot of sugar or acidity,” Adler says. “Luxardo gives you that cherry flavor without weighing the drink down.”
It’s refreshing, clean, and more complex than it looks.
This article is sponsored by LUXARDO USA.
CLICK the ingredients to learn more about the Cherry chu hi
Barley Shochu
Keeps the drink light and dry
Saline Solution
Sharpens the drink
LUXARDO MARASCHINO
Gives you the cherry flavor without weighing the drink down
Luxardo Sangue Morlacco
Adds to the cherry flavor of the Maraschino
VODKA
Provides some weight to the drink
Cherry
chu hi
Ingredients
½ ounce Luxardo Maraschino
¼ ounce Luxardo Sangue Morlacco
½ ounce barley shochu
½ ounce vodka
1 dash absinthe
2 dashes saline solution
Soda water
Directions
Combine all ingredients except soda in a chilled highball glass filled with ice and stir briefly to chill.
Top with soda water and gently agitate to combine.
Tips for Using Luxardo Maraschino at Home
Adler’s biggest advice for home bartenders is to measure carefully and think beyond sweetness.
“Maraschino is powerful, so a little goes a long way,” he says. “But it can replace other ingredients, not just support them, especially when you’re thinking about stone fruit flavors.”
He also stresses technique. Cold glassware, good ice, and controlled dilution make a huge difference, particularly in cocktails that rely on balance rather than sugar or citrus to carry them.
Used thoughtfully, Luxardo Maraschino doesn’t just sit in the background. As these three cocktails show, it can shape a drink from start to finish, whether that drink is light and bubbly, dark and smoky, or somewhere in between.
ABSINTHE
Adds an herbal edge
Ingredients
½ ounce Luxardo Maraschino
¼ ounce crème de cacao
1 ½ ounces reposado tequila
½ ounce mezcal
2 dashes aromatic bitters
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir for about 20 seconds.
Strain into a rocks glass over one large ice cube.
OAXACAN
NEW FASHIONED
In the Oaxacan New Fashioned, Adler takes a familiar template and swaps out the expected sweetener. Instead of agave syrup, he leans on Luxardo Maraschino and crème de cacao to do the heavy lifting.
“Chocolate and cherry are a classic pairing,” Adler says. “Once you add smoke from mezcal and the agave notes from tequila, it just works.” The reposado tequila used in the cocktail brings some warmth and barrel notes to the drink, while mezcal adds a touch of smoke.
Adler says the Luxardo Maraschino keeps the drink from feeling too heavy, lifting the chocolate notes and adding brightness without making the cocktail too cloying. The result is rich, balanced, and built for slow sipping.
AROMATIC BITTERS
Balances and adds depth
Crème de Cacao
Takes place of the agave syrup in a classic Oaxacan Old Fashioned
LUXARDO MARASCHINO
Lifts the chocolate notes and adds a brightness
Reposado Tequila
Brings warmth and barrel notes
MEZCAL
Adds a touch of smoke
Hover over the ingredients to learn more about the OAXACAN NEW FASHIONED
Oaxacan New Fashioned: Cherry Meets Smoke
Ingredients
¾ ounce Luxardo Maraschino
¾ ounce Pedro Ximénez sherry
1 ½ ounces Japanese whisky
¾ ounce lemon juice
6 drops saline solution
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin with ice and shake vigorously for about 12 seconds.
Double strain into a chilled coupe glass.
SHUN
The final cocktail, Shun, is named after a Japanese term that refers to ingredients at their peak. While the idea is rooted in seasonality, Adler designed this drink to work no matter the time of year.
Structurally, it’s loosely based on the 20th Century cocktail, but with key substitutions. Japanese whisky provides body and subtle oak. Pedro Ximénez sherry adds richness and dried fruit character. Luxardo Maraschino steps in where crème de cacao might normally appear, adding cherry and stone fruit without extra heaviness. Fresh lemon juice ties everything together.
“Luxardo plays really well with both whisky and sherry,” Adler says. “It adds flavor and structure without dominating the drink.”
Shaken vigorously, Shun comes out bright, aromatic, and textured, with a softness that keeps the acidity in check.
LEMON JUICE
Ties the drink together
Saline Solution
Enhances the flavors
LUXARDO MARASCHINO
Adds cherry and stone fruit notes without any heaviness
Pedro Ximénez Sherry
Adds richness and dried fruit notes
Japanese Whisky
Provides body and subtle oak
Hover over the ingredients to learn more about the SHUN
Shun: A Year-Round Sour With Depth
CLICK the ingredients to learn more about the Cherry chu hi
CLICK the ingredients to learn more about the Cherry chu hi