Luxardo Aperitivo Italian Bitter Aperitif Liqueur 750ml

Luxardo is best known for one thing above almost everything else in the spirits world: maraschino. The family's maraschino liqueur — produced from a recipe Maria Canevari Luxardo began perfecting in the early 19th century, drawing on a tradition of maraschino cherry liqueur made in Dalmatian convents since medieval times — is the most widely used and the most consistently celebrated maraschino liqueur in professional bartending, stocked in virtually every serious cocktail bar on earth. The company was founded in 1821 in Zara, on the Dalmatian coast of what is now Croatia, and has been a cornerstone of Italian liqueur production ever since — surviving the destruction of their distillery in World War II Anglo-American bombings, relocating to Torreglia near Padua in 1947, and rebuilding from the ground up to maintain the same family recipes that have defined the brand for two centuries.

The Luxardo Aperitivo, introduced in 2013, is a different expression of the same family philosophy: a well-balanced Italian bitter aperitif built for the modern aperitivo moment, specifically and deliberately positioned as a lighter, more accessible alternative to the heavier Italian bitters. At 11% ABV / 22 proof — the same low alcohol level as Aperol — it occupies the most specifically and the most broadly approachable end of the Italian bitter spectrum: mildly bitter rather than aggressively so, sweet orange forward with gentian and rhubarb providing the structural bitter backbone that prevents it from reading as simply sweet, and citrus-bright enough to work as the most natural and the most refreshing base for a spritz, a lemonade, or a prosecco cocktail.

The critical community responded immediately and positively. The New York International Spirits Competition awarded a Gold Medal in 2019. The Bartender Spirits Awards gave it both a Gold Medal and Best Packaging of the Year in the same year. Saveur describes it as "pleasantly light with a soft, almost powdery quality alongside its notes of orange and rhubarb." Bishop's Cellar found "bittersweet orange, gentian root, rhubarb and some ripe strawberry with a balanced bitter sweet palate." The Hotaling & Co. team calls it "an ideal complement to fresh-squeezed juice or prosecco cocktails." This is Italian bitter aperitivo at its most specifically welcoming and its most broadly accessible — from one of Italy's most historically significant liqueur families.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Girolamo Luxardo, a Genovese businessman, moved to Zara on the Dalmatian coast in 1817 with his wife Maria Canevari. It was Maria who began perfecting "rosolio maraschino" — a liqueur produced in Dalmatian convents since medieval times from maraschino cherries — and the Luxardo family established their distillery in 1821 to produce it commercially. By 1913, Michelangelo Luxardo had built what was then the most modern and largest distillery in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The distillery was destroyed during World War II, but the family survived — five members of the Luxardo family died in the post-war violence, and Giorgio Luxardo escaped with a small boat, a jar of marasca cherry plants, and the family recipes. He rebuilt the company in Torreglia near Padua in 1947, where it remains today under the sixth generation of the family. Today Luxardo produces a portfolio that spans the flagship maraschino liqueur, sambuca, amaretto, limoncello, grappa, and liqueurs — including the Aperitivo introduced in 2013 as the family's entry into the booming Italian bitter aperitivo category.

The Luxardo Aperitivo is produced as a well-balanced infusion of citrus, gentian, rhubarb, and other herbs in neutral spirit — a maceration-based production approach that draws the most broadly appealing combination of bitter orange brightness and structural herbal bitterness from the botanical blend without the more aggressive bitter profile that higher-ABV expressions deliver. The mild alcohol content of 11% / 22 proof was a deliberate production decision, positioning the Aperitivo at the most accessible and the most specifically spritz-ready end of the Italian bitter aperitivo category.

Critics Reviews

Gold Medal — New York International Spirits Competition 2019

Gold Medal — Bartender Spirits Awards 2019

Best Packaging of the Year — Bartender Spirits Awards 2019

Hotaling & Co. (US importer, confirmed official description):
"Named after the traditional Italian Aperitivo cocktail custom, Luxardo Aperitivo is a well-balanced infusion of citrus, gentian, rhubarb and other herbs. The mild alcohol content and bitter orange flavor make an ideal complement to fresh-squeezed juice or prosecco cocktails. Luxardo Aperitivo has a distinct red color with a lively citrus aroma. Sweet orange flavors are balanced by bitter notes of rhubarb and gentian root."

Tasting Profile

Nose
Distinct red color with a lively, citrus-forward nose — the most immediately inviting and the most specifically fresh aromatic profile in the Italian bitter aperitivo category at this proof level. Sweet orange leads with genuine vibrancy. Bitter orange adds a slightly more complex, slightly more herbal secondary citrus dimension. Rhubarb provides the most specifically tart and the most structurally bitter secondary aromatic quality. Gentian root adds earthy, herbal depth. The overall impression is pleasantly light with a soft, almost powdery quality — approachable and specifically inviting rather than aggressively herbal.

Palate
Bittersweet and balanced — sweet orange flavors carry the entry with genuine citrus brightness before the bitter notes of rhubarb and gentian root build through the mid-palate. Ripe strawberry adds the most surprising and the most specifically memorable secondary fruit quality. The balance tips toward the sweeter side without losing the bitter backbone that makes this functional as a genuine Italian bitter aperitivo rather than simply a flavored cordial. At 11% ABV, the palate is the lightest and the most specifically low-alcohol of any serious Italian bitter expression — genuinely appropriate for daytime, brunch, and extended aperitivo occasions.

Finish
Clean, citrus-tinged, and mildly bitter — the gentian and rhubarb carrying the close with a pleasantly refreshing bitterness that stimulates the appetite without demanding the drinker's full attention. Short to medium in length, carrying the sweet orange and rhubarb through a clean, refreshing close.

Quick Overview

Cocktail Suggestions

Luxardo Aperitivo Spritz (the signature serve)
2 oz Luxardo Aperitivo · 3 oz Prosecco · 1 oz soda water · orange slice and olive. Built over ice in a large Copa glass. The lightest and the most specifically refreshing Italian bitter spritz available at any ABV level.

Luxardo Lemonade
2 oz Luxardo Aperitivo · 4 oz fresh-squeezed lemonade · ice. Saveur's own most enthusiastically recommended non-alcoholic mixer pairing — the sweet orange and rhubarb character aligning directly with fresh lemon.

Tom Collins Variation
1 oz Luxardo Aperitivo · 1.5 oz gin · ¾ oz fresh lemon juice · ½ oz simple syrup · soda water. Saveur's specific cocktail recommendation — the Aperitivo adding Italian bitter complexity to the classic long drink.

Paper Plane (Aperitivo Variation)
¾ oz Luxardo Aperitivo · ¾ oz bourbon · ¾ oz Amaro · ¾ oz fresh lemon juice. Bishop's Cellar's own confirmed recommendation — "combine equal parts Aperitivo, lemon juice, bourbon, and Amaro in a shaker, shake until cold, and serve in a coupe glass with a citrus peel to garnish."