{"product_id":"toschi-amarena-cherries-1kg","title":"Toschi Amarena cherries 1kg","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVignola, 1945. The Cherry Capital of Italy.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDrive an hour north of Bologna, into the low green hills between Modena and the Apennines, and you're in cherry country. This is Vignola — same soil, same fog, same slow river valleys that give the world balsamic vinegar. It also gives us the \u003cem\u003eciliegia\u003c\/em\u003e, the sour black cherry that Italians have been putting up in syrup since long before anyone thought to sell it in a jar.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Toschi family started bottling those cherries in 1945. Eighty years later they're still doing it the same way, in the same town, from the same tin: the red-and-white pinstripe with the little \u003cem\u003eT\u003c\/em\u003e on the lid. Every Italian pastry chef and \u003cem\u003enonna\u003c\/em\u003e in the country knows this tin. Now it's on your counter.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat's actually in the can\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhole sour black cherries — glossy, deep-garnet, stems long gone — suspended in a syrup so thick it clings to the spoon and stains your cutting board. The cherries themselves are firm, meaty, sour on the front and sweet on the finish. The syrup is the secret weapon: cherry juice reduced with sugar and glucose until it's almost a coulis. Don't pour it down the drain. It's half the product.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eThe Luxardo Conversation\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIf you're a cocktail person you already know Luxardo Maraschino cherries — the 400-gram jar, the twenty-something-dollar price tag, the reverence. They're excellent. We stock them in spirit. But Amarena and Maraschino are cousins, not twins, and it's worth being honest about what you're getting:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLuxardo\u003c\/strong\u003e are marasca cherries steeped in maraschino liqueur syrup. Darker, boozier, denser, drier finish. A little goes a long way.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eToschi Amarena\u003c\/strong\u003e are sour black cherries in cherry syrup — no liqueur, just fruit and sugar. Brighter, more tart, wetter, more \u003cem\u003echerry\u003c\/em\u003e. And the syrup is a cocktail ingredient in its own right.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eNeither is better. They're different tools. But here's the math a bartender should hear: \u003cstrong\u003e1 kg of Toschi for $29.99, versus 400 g of Luxardo for $22–30 at retail.\u003c\/strong\u003e Two-and-a-half times the volume for the same money. If you're garnishing a bar program, running a supper club, or just making Old Fashioneds every Friday, that's not a small difference.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAnd there's a case where Toschi is the \u003cem\u003eright\u003c\/em\u003e answer, not the value one: when you want the syrup to do work in the glass. A teaspoon of Amarena syrup in a Manhattan sweetens it, colors it, and perfumes it in a way that dry Luxardo can't. That's the move. That's why your Italian grandmother would reach for this tin.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eBeyond the Bar\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe other half of the audience for this cherry is the dessert cook, because Amarena is what Italians actually put on things. Spoon it over vanilla gelato — the cold cream, the warm syrup, done. Layer it into panna cotta. Fold it into ricotta cheesecake batter. Build a proper \u003cem\u003ezuppa inglese\u003c\/em\u003e with sponge, custard, and Amarena in ruby stripes. Drop a spoonful onto plain Greek yogurt with a slick of good olive oil and flaky salt and call it breakfast for a week. Stud a pan of brown-butter blondies with them before baking. Every one of these is a five-minute upgrade from a tin.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStorage note that matters.\u003c\/strong\u003e Once you open the tin, transfer everything — cherries and syrup — into a clean glass jar. Refrigerate. It'll keep for months and the cherries will actually get better as they sit in their own syrup.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpice does the garnishing.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eProduct Details\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNet Weight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1 kg \/ 35.27 oz (2 lb 3.27 oz)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDrained Weight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 500g \/ 17.64 oz\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTotal Weight with Packaging:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2.45 lb\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eServings per Container:\u003c\/strong\u003e ~33 (2 tbsp \/ 30g)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNutrition (per 30g):\u003c\/strong\u003e 90 cal · 0g fat · 0mg sodium · 21g carb · 16g total sugars (14g added) · 0g protein\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIngredients:\u003c\/strong\u003e Sugar, water, sour black cherries, glucose syrup, sour cherry juice, fruit juice (for color), citric acid, natural flavors\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCertifications:\u003c\/strong\u003e ✅ \u003cstrong\u003eGluten-Free · Vegan · Non-GMO\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOrigin:\u003c\/strong\u003e Vignola \/ Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eProducer:\u003c\/strong\u003e Toschi Vignola S.r.l. — family-run since 1945\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eShelf Life:\u003c\/strong\u003e 36 months unopened\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eStorage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Store unopened in a cool, dry pantry. \u003cstrong\u003eOnce opened, transfer cherries and syrup to a clean glass jar and refrigerate\u003c\/strong\u003e — keeps 3+ months chilled.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eChef Dunand's Recipe: The Amarena Old Fashioned\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eServes 1 · 3 minutes · The Luxardo move, done the Italian way\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThere is no shortage of Old Fashioned recipes in the world. This is not a reinvention. It's a small, deliberate swap that changes the drink: instead of muddling a sugar cube or pouring in simple syrup, you use \u003cstrong\u003ethe Amarena syrup itself\u003c\/strong\u003e as the sweetener. The cherry ends up in the glass as garnish, but the syrup is the ingredient. This is what separates a bar Old Fashioned from an \u003cem\u003eItalian household\u003c\/em\u003e Old Fashioned, and once you taste it you don't go back.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eIngredients\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e2 oz bourbon (Buffalo Trace, Woodford, or Weller) \u003cem\u003eor\u003c\/em\u003e rye (Rittenhouse, Sazerac) — see Chef's Note\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e1 tsp Toschi Amarena syrup\u003c\/strong\u003e (straight from the tin — this is the whole point)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e2 dashes Angostura bitters\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e1 dash orange bitters (optional but recommended)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e1 wide strip fresh orange peel\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e2 Toschi Amarena cherries\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e1 large clear ice cube (2\" square if you have the mold; a big single rock otherwise)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eMethod\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIn a mixing glass with regular ice, combine the bourbon, Amarena syrup, and both bitters. Stir 20–30 seconds with a bar spoon until well-chilled and slightly diluted — you want the syrup fully integrated, no streaks.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePlace the large ice cube in a chilled rocks glass. Strain the drink over.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHold the orange peel over the glass, colored-side down, and give it a firm squeeze to express the oils across the surface. Rub the peel around the rim, then drop it in.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDrop in \u003cstrong\u003etwo Amarena cherries\u003c\/strong\u003e — one for eating, one for the finish. Let a few drops of syrup off the spoon fall in with them; the ruby trail through the amber whiskey is the entire visual case for this drink.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eServe immediately. No stirring at the table — let the drinker do it.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ol\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eChef's Note — Bourbon vs. Rye\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBourbon plays sweeter and rounder against the sour cherry; it's the crowd-pleaser and what I pour on a Friday. Rye is drier and spicier, and it lets the Amarena's tartness sit more forward — this is the version cocktail nerds prefer. Try both. If you're using a sugar cube or demerara instead of the syrup, you've missed the assignment: \u003cstrong\u003ethe syrup is the sweetener.\u003c\/strong\u003e That's the whole recipe.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eStorage\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe tin, once opened, goes into a glass jar in the fridge. The syrup keeps as long as the cherries do — 3+ months chilled — and every Old Fashioned tastes exactly the same as the first one.\u003c\/p\u003e\n","brand":"Global Spice Specialty Foods","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46359414014148,"sku":"055315","price":29.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0749\/9196\/0260\/files\/IMG_4936.jpg?v=1783525260","url":"https:\/\/shop.globalspiceco.com\/products\/toschi-amarena-cherries-1kg","provider":"Global Spice Specialty Foods","version":"1.0","type":"link"}