Cherry Heering vs Luxardo: What’s the Difference 2023?
Cherry Heering vs Luxardo: Cherry Heering and Luxardo Maraschino Originale are both all-natural cherry liqueurs.
Cherry Heering is a traditional liqueur that’s made with spices, bitter almond, and Danish Stevens cherries (without the pits) that are lightly crushed with stones.
The mixture is soaked in neutral grain alcohol and then age-matured in vats for a minimum of three years. Sugar is added during the aging process.
Luxardo Maraschino Originale is one of the few distilled liqueurs available today. Luxardo is made from crushed mascara cherries (with skins and pits).
The cherries, spices, and honey are then soaked in neutral alcohol for two years before the mixture is distilled. Then, the liqueur is aged for 12-18 months.
Sugar and water are finally added to dilute the liqueur before it is bottled, shipped, and sold.
Comparison Chart: Is Cherry Heering the Same as Luxardo?
Cherry Heering | Luxardo | |
Introduction | Cherry Heering is an award-winning, Kosher-certified, naturally cherry-flavored liqueur similar to cherry brandy | Luxardo Maraschino Originale is an award-winning, Kosher-certified, distilled cherry liqueur that’s like an eau-de-vie (colorless fruit brandy) kirsch |
Color | Deep red | Colorless |
Taste | Sweet but slightly tart, like plum and cherry jam or stewed cherries with a hint of woody, spicy almond | Smooth but sharply floral and herbal with fruity notes and hints of sweet cherry, vanilla, almond, rosewater, and wood |
Ingredients | Stevens cherries, botanicals, bitter almond, neutral grain alcohol | Marasca cherries with the pits and skins, honey, and botanicals |
Alcohol % | 24% ABV (proof 48) | 32% ABV (proof 64) |
Serving suggestions | Neat | Neat |
Cocktail uses | Singapore Sling | Hemingway Daiquiri |
How to use in cooking | For savory applications, use Cherry Heering in: Salad dressings In sweet applications: Substitute Cherry Heering for cherry brandy/liqueur | For savory meals: Use Luxardo in red wine or cherry-based sauces, glazes, or salsas with a protein like lamb or pork When baking: substitute cherry brandy or other maraschino liqueur with Luxardo in jams, and sauces |
Place of origin lace of origin | Copenhagen, Denmark | Zara, in what’s now Croatia |
History | In 1818, Peter Heering sold the liqueur under the name Heering Cherry Liqueur in his shop at the Copenhagen harbor. The royal cherry liqueur was a favorite in the European royal courts and was used to make the Singapore Sling in 1915 | In 1821 in Zara, Girolamo Luxardo built a distillery to perfect Rosolio Maraschino liqueur. After eight years, Girolamo achieved success when the Emperor of Austria denoted that the liqueur was of superior quality. World War II halted the production of the liqueur, and surviving Luxardo family members fled to Italy. In 1947, the Luxardo family built a distillery in Torreglia, Italy, and started producing Luxardo Maraschino Originale again |
Price | $26.99–$32.99 for a 750 ml (25.36 fl oz) bottle | $32.99–$37.99 for a 750 ml (25.36 fl oz) bottle |
Where to buy | Local liquor store | Local liquor store |
Calories | 80 calories for a 1-ounce serving | 73 calories for a 1-ounce serving |
Cherry Heering Explained
Cherry Heering is a sweet, rich, red cherry liqueur made from crushing Danish Stevens cherries with stones and then adding botanicals (herbs and spices).
The mixture then soaks in neutral grain alcohol. The liqueur is oak cask-matured for three to five years and sugar is added during the aging process.
How to Serve Cherry Heering
Cherry Heering is commonly compared to a cherry brandy because the two are enjoyed in similar forms. Serve Cherry Heering neat, on the rocks (with ice), or in a cocktail.
To make an Old Fashioned Heering, use this recipe:
Ingredients
- 1 ounce Cherry Heering
- 2 ounces rye whiskey like Rittenhouse Rye
- 1-2 dashes Angostura Bitters (orange bitters)
- 1 bar-sized spoon simple syrup (water and white sugar in a ratio of 1:1)
- ce cubes
- Cherry
- Long twist of lemon peel
Instructions
- Mix the Cherry Heering, whiskey, bitters, and syrup in a mixing glass
- Add ice to chill the mixture
- When ice-cold, strain the mixture into a rocks glass (short tumbler)
- Add ice cubes
- Garnish with the lemon peel and a cherry
- Serve and enjoy
Cooking With Cherry Heering
Cherry Heering is also used in cooking and baking. In savory applications, use Cherry Heering in cheese fondue (as a substitute for Kirsch) or as a salad dressing.
Substitute cherry brandy with the cherry liqueur in savory red wine or cherry-based sauce recipes, as it pairs well with tenderloin, pork, and chicken.
Cherry Heering works well with balsamic vinegar to make a glaze for hams and similar proteins.
Or drizzle some of the cherry-flavored liqueur on toast with ricotta cheese, cherries, and pistachios, or over grilled or baked camembert cheese with rosemary and macerated cherries. If you don’t have ricotta, some substitutes for ricotta would also be delicious with Cherry Heering.
When baking, Cherry Heering can be used to make Cherries Jubilee, Chocolate Cherry Liqueur Cake, Zabaione, Cherry and Pistachio Rugelach, Cherry Clafoutis, jams, or sauces.
For Halloween, make Severed Hands with Cherry Heering and cherries for the filling and blood-and-gore component.
The cherry liqueur is ideal for making a syrup and then soaking cake layers. Add a drizzle of the liqueur over fruit or an ice cream sundae with nuts, use it as a filling for donuts or pies, or use to add flavor to whipped cream or buttercream.
Or add some Cherry Heering to an Irish Coffee for an unorthodox but delicious twist, or to a soda ice cream float with chocolate-black cherry flavors.
History of Cherry Heering
In the early 19th century in Copenhagen, Denmark, Peter Heering adapted a cherry liqueur recipe from Mrs. Carstensen, his former boss’s wife. Peter originally called the liqueur Heering Cherry Liqueur.
The liqueur was first sold in 1818 in Peter’s cellar shop that traded colonial goods in the Copenhagen harbor.
The royal, red liqueur quickly became popular on cargo ships that sailed across the world. It is still a favorite among European royalty. In 1876, the liqueur made its way to the Royal Danish Court.
Two years later, it became a staple in the Imperial Russian Court and the Court of the Prince of Wales. In 1901, the liqueur was introduced to the King of England, and ever since, Cherry Heering remains a favorite of Queen Elizabeth II.
Historically, the Peter F Heering company produced Cherry Heering. In 2017, the brand was acquired by De Kuyper, a Dutch spirits group.
Price and Where to Buy Cherry Heering
The price for a 750 ml bottle of Cherry Heering retails at $26.99 to $32.99. Buy the royal cherry liqueur at your local liquor store or order online from:
Cherry Heering Nutritional Information
According to MyFitnessPal, 1 ounce of Cherry Heering has 80 calories and 10 grams in carbohydrates or sugar.
Luxardo Explained
Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur is a cherry-flavored liqueur made from sour, pitted marasca cherries, honey, and botanicals that are soaked in neutral alcohol in larchwood vats for two years.
The mixture is then distilled in small copper pots and aged in Finnish ash wood vats for 12-18 months. The last step is to add water and sugar to dilute the liqueur before bottling.
How to Serve Luxardo
Serve Luxardo Maraschino Originale neat, as a cordial, on the rocks, or in a cocktail.
To make a Hemingway Special, also called a Hemingway Daiquiri or Papa Doble, use this recipe:
Ingredients
- ½ ounce Luxardo Maraschino Originale
- 2 ounces white or light rum
- ½ ounce pink grapefruit juice, fresh
- ¾ ounce lime juice, fresh
- ¼ ounce simple syrup
- Lime zest or lime wheel
Instructions
- Mix the Luxardo, rum, grapefruit juice, lime juice, and syrup in a shaker with ice
- Shake until the mixture is well-chilled
- Double strain the mixture before pouring it into a cocktail or coupe glass
- Garnish with lime zest or a lime wheel
- Serve and enjoy
You can also serve the Hemingway Daiquiri with crushed ice for a more authentic Cuban feel.
Cooking With Luxardo
For savory recipes, use Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur in a cherry or red wine-based glaze, salsa, or sauce for ham, lamb chops, or pork loins.
Add Luxardo to a balsamic-based salad dressing or a cherry chipotle chili. Drizzle Luxardo over grilled toast with ricotta and cherry salsa, or a salad with beets, cherries, feta, and olives.
In sweet applications, use Luxardo when baking a Black Forest Cake, Triple-Cherries Jubilee, Cherry Biscuit Cobbler, Cherry Buttermilk Clafoutis, Sour Cherry Pie, or Maraschino Cherry Parfaits.
You can also add a splash of Luxardo to your cherry jams or preserves or make sauces to dip fruit, cookies, or donuts into.
Luxardo flavors buttercream well, which can be used as a frosting for cakes and cupcakes. Alternatively, drizzle Luxardo liqueur over ice cream, a cherry compote and honey yogurt, pancakes, or waffles.
You can add Luxardo to an adult version of a cherry slushy, in a spiced cherry spritz, or cherry-bourbon ice cream.
History of Luxardo
In 1821 in Zara, a Venetian city located on the Dalmatian coast (modern-day Croatia), Girolamo Luxardo founded a distillery.
It took Girolamo eight years to perfect his recipe to recreate Rosolio Maraschino liqueur, a blend of rose, cherry distillate, and sugar that has been produced in Dalmatia since the 18th century.
Girolamo needed to know his recipe was a success, and he won the ultimate “seal of approval” when the Emperor of Austria himself said the product was of superior quality.
The bombing of Zara during World War II hampered the production of liqueur. The surviving Luxardo family members escaped to Italy and brought with them a sampling of the marasca cherry.
In 1947, Giorgio Luxardo and Nicolò III built a distillery in Torreglia in north-eastern Italy.
Giorgio and fifth-generation family members were soon producing Luxardo Maraschino liqueur. These days, the liqueur is still sold in green glass bottles with a red cap that’s encased in hand-plaited straw.
Initially, the straw encasing was meant to protect the bottles during transportation. Nowadays, the hand-plaited straw is part of the signature Luxardo Maraschino Originale look.
Price and Where to Buy Luxardo
Luxardo Maraschino Originale retails for $32.99 to $37.99. Buy the distilled liqueur from your local liquor store or online at:
Luxardo Nutritional Information
According to fatsecret, a 1-ounce serving of Luxardo liqueur has 73 calories, 9 grams of carbohydrates, and 8 grams of sugar.
Choosing Luxardo vs Cherry Heering
Luxardo Maraschino Originale and Cherry Heering are liqueurs that use all-natural ingredients with cherries as the main ingredient.
Cherry Heering is more like a cherry brandy and rich red (but sweeter), while Luxardo is a clear, distilled liquor that is more kirsch-like.
When making Luxardo, the whole marasca cherry, including the pit, is used. No cherry pits are used when making Cherry Heering from Stevens cherries.
Choose Cherry Heering when you want a rich, sweet-cherry-flavored liqueur, and choose Luxardo when you want a sharper, more floral and herbaceous-flavored liqueur.
Similar liqueurs and alcoholic alternatives to Cherry Heering and Luxardo are Amaretto, cherry brandy, kirsch, cherry vodka, port wine, Cherry Marnier, or cherry-flavored schnapps.
