Girolamo Luxardo
Corporate brand
UnclaimedItalian liqueur producer best known for its Maraschino liqueur, marasca cherries, and cocktail-oriented specialty products.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Girolamo Luxardo is an Italian liqueur producer whose origins date to 1821, when Girolamo Luxardo established a distillery in Zara, now Zadar in Croatia. The company developed from a family liqueur operation into one of the best-known producers of Maraschino, the clear, aromatic liqueur traditionally associated with Dalmatian marasca cherries. Although its historical home was in Zara, the business relocated to Italy after the Second World War and is now based in Torreglia, near Padua, in the Veneto region. The company’s origins are linked to Girolamo Luxardo’s wife, Maria Canevari, who made liqueurs at home, including a Dalmatian drink known as rosolio maraschino. Girolamo used this family activity as the foundation for a commercial distillery. Within the first decade, Luxardo Maraschino had gained recognition as a superior product from the imperial court, and by 1839 it was being consumed in overseas markets such as New Orleans. The brand’s early reputation was built around a combination of marasca cherries, distillation, aging, and a distinctive woven-bottle presentation that remains closely associated with Luxardo Maraschino. Luxardo expanded across generations. After Girolamo Luxardo’s death in 1865, his son Nicolò assumed control. In 1913, Michelangelo Luxardo, a member of the third generation, oversaw the construction of a new distillery in Zara. The plant became one of the largest distilleries in Austria-Hungary and represented the scale reached by the family enterprise before the political and military upheavals of the twentieth century. The company suffered severe disruption during the Second World War. The Zara distillery was almost entirely destroyed by Allied bombing. In 1944, following the end of the German occupation, Yugoslav partisan forces took control of the city, and Zara was incorporated into Yugoslavia after the war. Members of the Luxardo family, including Pietro Luxardo and Nicolò II with his wife, were killed during the violence associated with the postwar foibe massacres. Giorgio Luxardo re-established the business, first in Venice and later in Torreglia. The postwar operation formed the basis of the present Italian company. Today, Luxardo makes a broad range of alcoholic beverages and related food products. Its portfolio includes Maraschino, Sangue Morlacco, Sambuca, Amaretto, Grappa, Passione Nera, Slivovitz, Luxardo Fernet, and Triplum Triple Sec Orange. The company also produces liqueur concentrates, fruit syrups, jams, and preserved marasca cherries used in baking, desserts, hospitality, and cocktails. Its canned marasca cherries, commonly marketed as Luxardo Maraschino Cherries, have become a particularly visible product in international cocktail culture. Luxardo continues to emphasize family continuity, traditional recipes, and control over the marasca cherry supply. The company owns approximately 22,000 marasca cherry trees, described in the reference material as the largest such orchard in the European Union, and holds naming rights to its marasca variety. Its Torreglia distillery covers approximately 6,800 square metres and is reported to have production capacity of about 6,000 bottles per hour. The business employs around 45 people at the distillery and maintains a larger Italian sales organization. The sixth generation of the Luxardo family remains involved in company operations. International recognition has included awards for Amaretto di Saschira and Triplum Triple Sec Orange at the 2011 New York World Wine and Spirits Competition, as well as a gold medal at the 2019 International Spirits Challenge.
History
Girolamo Luxardo’s history begins in 1817, when Girolamo Luxardo moved with his family to Zara, then part of the Kingdom of Dalmatia within the Habsburg Empire. He was serving as the consular representative of the Kingdom of Sardinia. His wife, Maria Canevari, produced liqueurs domestically and specialized in rosolio maraschino, a Dalmatian preparation based on marasca cherries. In 1821, Girolamo formalized the activity by founding a distillery intended to make Liquore Maraschino on a commercial scale. The product gained a reputation quickly. Within eight years of the firm’s establishment, Luxardo Maraschino had received recognition as a superior product from the Emperor. By 1839, the liqueur had reached overseas consumers in New Orleans, demonstrating that the business was already operating beyond its regional market. The family maintained control of the enterprise, and after Girolamo died in 1865 at the age of 81, his son Nicolò took over its management. The third generation expanded the physical scale of production. In 1913, Michelangelo Luxardo directed the construction of a new distillery in Zara. The building was considered one of the largest distilleries in Austria-Hungary and remains an important physical reminder of the company’s prewar history. After the First World War, Zara became part of the Kingdom of Italy, changing the political setting in which the business operated but not its family identity. The Second World War and its aftermath brought catastrophic losses. Allied bombing almost completely destroyed the Zara distillery. In 1944, after German occupation ended, the city was captured by Yugoslav partisans and was subsequently incorporated into Yugoslavia. Pietro Luxardo, Nicolò II, and Nicolò II’s wife were killed by Tito’s forces in the violence remembered in connection with the foibe massacres. These events effectively ended the company’s original Zara operation. Giorgio Luxardo re-founded the business in Italy. The operation was temporarily established in Venice before moving to Torreglia, near Padua in Veneto, where the family built a new distillery. The relocation preserved the company’s recipes, name, and product tradition while creating the base from which the modern enterprise developed. The family is reported to have preserved a marasca cherry sapling and an original Maraschino recipe during the postwar reconstruction. The contemporary company combines liqueur production with fruit preservation and ingredients for baking and cocktails. Its products include Maraschino, Sangue Morlacco, Sambuca, Amaretto, Grappa, Passione Nera, Slivovitz, Luxardo Fernet, and other spirits, as well as concentrates, syrups, jams, and preserved marasca cherries. Luxardo owns approximately 22,000 marasca cherry trees and identifies its cherry cultivation as a central part of its product identity. The Torreglia facility has an area of approximately 6,800 square metres and reported capacity of about 6,000 bottles per hour. Products are sold in roughly 70 countries. Sixth-generation family members remain involved in the company’s activities, extending the family-controlled character that has defined the business since the nineteenth century.
- 2019
International Spirits Challenge recognition
[1]A Luxardo product received a gold medal at the International Spirits Challenge.
- 2011
Competition awards for Amaretto and Triple Sec
[1]Amaretto di Saschira and Triplum Triple Sec Orange received double-gold awards and category recognition at the New York World Wine and Spirits Competition.
- 1945
Business relocates to Italy
[1]Giorgio Luxardo re-established the company in Italy, first in Venice and then in Torreglia near Padua.
- 1944
Zara operation destroyed and family business disrupted
[1]The Zara distillery was nearly destroyed by wartime bombing, and the subsequent transfer of the city to Yugoslavia ended the company’s original operating base.
- 1913
New Zara distillery constructed
[1]Michelangelo Luxardo built a new distillery in Zara, which became one of the largest distilleries in Austria-Hungary.
- 1865
Nicolò Luxardo takes over
[1]Following Girolamo Luxardo’s death, his son Nicolò assumed control of the business.
- 1839
Early overseas distribution
[1]Luxardo Maraschino was being consumed in New Orleans, showing the product’s early reach beyond the Adriatic region.
- 1829
Maraschino gains imperial recognition
[1]Within eight years of the company’s founding, Luxardo Maraschino was recognized as a superior product by the Emperor.
- 1821
Distillery founded in Zara
[1]Girolamo Luxardo established a commercial distillery in Zara to produce Liquore Maraschino, building on Maria Canevari’s home production of rosolio maraschino.
- 1817
Girolamo Luxardo family arrives in Zara
[1]Girolamo Luxardo moved with his family to Zara, where he served as the consular representative of the Kingdom of Sardinia.
Products and positioning
A heritage Italian liqueur house positioned around family continuity, traditional recipes, marasca-cherry expertise, premium presentation, and broad use in cocktails, desserts, and professional hospitality.
Liqueur · 1821
Luxardo Maraschino Originale
The company’s signature clear marasca-cherry liqueur and the product most closely associated with the Luxardo name. It descends from the Dalmatian maraschino tradition developed by the family in Zara and is used both as a classic digestif and as an ingredient in cocktails, desserts, and confectionery.
Preserved fruit
Luxardo Maraschino Cherries
Whole marasca cherries preserved and presented as a premium cocktail and dessert ingredient. The product extends the brand beyond bottled spirits and is widely associated with bar service, pastry, ice cream, and other culinary applications.
Cherry liqueur
Sangue Morlacco
A Luxardo cherry-based liqueur within the company’s broader portfolio of fruit spirits. It represents the producer’s continued emphasis on cherry-derived products while offering a flavor profile distinct from its clear Maraschino liqueur.
Amaretto liqueur
Amaretto di Saschira
Luxardo’s amaretto expression, included among its principal liqueur products. It received double gold and best liqueur in show at the 2011 New York World Wine and Spirits Competition.
Orange liqueur
Triplum Triple Sec Orange
An orange-flavored triple-sec liqueur used in mixed drinks and fruit-forward cocktails. It won double gold and best fruit liqueur in show at the 2011 New York World Wine and Spirits Competition.
Anise liqueur
Sambuca
A sweet anise-flavored spirit in the Luxardo range, extending the company’s portfolio beyond cherry products and into a traditional Italian liqueur category.
Herbal bitter
Luxardo Fernet
A bitter herbal spirit included in Luxardo’s selection of Italian-style specialty liqueurs and digestifs.
Food ingredients
Fruit syrups, concentrates, and jams
Non-spirit products made for baking, desserts, drinks, and food preparation. These products broaden the company’s commercial scope and connect its fruit-processing expertise with professional and household culinary use.
Brand decisions
2011
Compete with Amaretto di Saschira and Triplum Triple Sec OrangeOtherBackground
Luxardo submitted products from its broader liqueur portfolio to the New York World Wine and Spirits Competition.
Action taken
The company entered Amaretto di Saschira and Triplum Triple Sec Orange in the competition.
Aftermath
Amaretto di Saschira received double gold and best liqueur in show, while Triplum received double gold and best fruit liqueur in show.
1945
Rebuild the business in Italy after the Zara disruptionStrategyBackground
The original distillery in Zara had been severely damaged during the Second World War, and Zara became part of Yugoslavia after the war. The Luxardo family therefore had to establish a new operating base outside the company’s historic city.
Action taken
Giorgio Luxardo re-founded the operation in Italy, initially in Venice and later in Torreglia near Padua, where a new distillery was built.
Aftermath
The move created the foundation of the modern Italian company while preserving the Luxardo name, recipes, and marasca-cherry tradition.
Sources2 sources
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