Luxardo Aperitivo 700mL

Brand: Luxardo

Release Name: Luxardo Aperitivo

Spirit Style / Type: Italian Bitter Aperitivo Liqueur

Composition: Infusion of Citrus Fruits, Gentian Root, Rhubarb and Herbs in Alcohol and Water

Age: Non-Vintage

Volume: 700ml Bottle (Also Available in 1L)

Alc / Vol (%): 11.0%

Country: Italy

Region: Veneto (Torreglia, Padova)

Production Method: Traditional Infusion of Herbs, Roots and Citrus Fruits

Limited Edition: No (Luxardo's Standing Flagship Aperitivo Release)

Award Winner: Yes — Gold Medal, New York International Spirits Competition 2019; Best Packaging of the Year, Bartender Spirits Awards 2019

Luxardo is a family-owned Italian distillery originally founded in 1821 in Zara, a port city on the Dalmatian coast of what is now Croatia, by Girolamo Luxardo and his wife Maria Canevari, who perfected the family's celebrated maraschino liqueur recipe. After the original distillery was destroyed during World War II, survivor Giorgio Luxardo fled to Italy's Veneto region, carrying only a cherry sapling, and rebuilt the business using the family's preserved original recipe book. Now operated by Franco Luxardo of the fifth generation alongside members of the sixth, Luxardo remains one of Italy's most respected historic liqueur producers, having expanded its range beyond maraschino into aperitivo, bitter and other classic Italian liqueur styles.

Luxardo carries one of the most remarkable survival stories in all of spirits — founded in 1817 in Zara on the Dalmatian coast (now Croatia), the family distillery was destroyed by Anglo-American bombing during World War II, and only one member of the fourth generation, Giorgio Luxardo, survived the invasion. He fled across the Adriatic Sea to Italy's Veneto region carrying nothing but a cherry sapling, and reconnected with a colleague who had saved the family's original recipe book — a genuine act of preservation that kept over a century of liqueur-making knowledge alive. While Luxardo remains best known for maraschino liqueur, this Aperitivo represents the family's more recent move into the pre-dinner drinking category, built as a genuine alternative to Aperol and Campari with real herbal complexity — independent reviewers have specifically noted it's "a tiny bit drier and with more herbal complexity than the brand-leading Italian aperitivo." That quality has been formally recognised too, winning a Gold Medal at the New York International Spirits Competition 2019 and Best Packaging of the Year at the Bartender Spirits Awards the same year. Its mild ABV makes it exceptionally versatile — perfect mixed into a spritz with prosecco and soda, with fresh juice, or simply over ice with a twist of orange.