Cherry Blossom Cocktails

Mie N Yu’s Cherry Blossom cocktail. Photograph courtesy of Mie N Yu.

See our full Guide to the Cherry Blossoms in Washington

Cherry-blossom madness is about to hit town, and everyone—including some of our favorite bartenders—is getting into it. Check out our guide to cherry-blossom-inspired drinks around Washington.

Agraria
The Bourbon Blossom, made with Knob Creek bourbon, sweet vermouth, and house-made Cherry Blossom syrup is $12. The cocktail is garnished with a stemmed cherry.

Art and Soul
Art Smith's restaurant is serving the Cherry Blossom ($10), made with St. Germain elderflower liqueur, cherry reduction, orange bitters and Lucien Albrecht Brut rose.

Domaso
Arlington’s Domaso has the Bubbly Blossom cocktail, made with Prosecco and Campari, for $11.

Equinox
Equinox has three cocktails: the Cherry Rum & Cola; the Cherry Pie, made with vanilla-infused vodka, white-chocolate liqueur, and Maraschino cherry juice; and the Cherry Sphere, a combination of sweet vermouth and cherry-infused vodka. All are $10.

Firefly
Alice Gaber has an assortment of drinks: the Spring in Bloom, made with cherry vodka, elderflower liqueur, white wine, and grapefruit ($12.50); the Cherry Bomb, which incorporates cherry brandy with sparkling wine ($12.50); and a drink based on Bing cherries, which Gaber is putting the finishing touches on. Also available during the Cherry Blossom Festival is the Smuttynose Hanami Ale, made with cherry juice ($6).

Founding Farmers
Jon Arroyo's Washington's Bing Delight cocktail ($12) is a blend of organic vodka, peach extract, Prosecco and brandied cherries.

The Gibson
The Japanese Cocktail—made with angostura bitters, brandy, and orgeat, a syrup made of almonds, sugar, and orange-flower water—ranges from $10 to $14 depending on the brandy.

Hudson
At this spot in DC’s West End, the Hudson Sakura cocktail has Skyy Infusions cherry vodka as its base, with agave nectar, Cointreau, and pineapple sorbet ($14).

Ici Urban Bistro
The Cherrilicious Cocktail, a mix of Heering cherry liqueur, rum, simple syrup, and lemon juice and topped with sparkling vodka, will be available at this downtown DC restaurant for $14.

Jackson 20
The Bloom cocktail at this Old Town restaurant is made with Maker’s Mark bourbon, elderflower liqueur, lemon juice, guava nectar, Heering cherry liqueur, and muddled ginger ($11).

Mie N Yu
Georgetown’s Mie N Yu will be serving the Cherry Blossom, made with grape vodka, Fuki Cherry plum wine, and cranberry juice ($10).

Nage
Nage is offering the Crisp Cherry Cooler, for which cherries are muddled with mint and then served with gin ($8); the Cherry Bomb Martini, made with a Kirsch sinker ($9); and the Sundried Cherry Collins, a vodka Collins with sun-dried-cherry syrup ($8).

Poste
The Cerise en Fleur (French for “cherry in bloom”) at this brasserie in DC’s Chinatown is a mix of Skyy Infusions cherry vodka, aloe-vera juice, and shochu, a Japanese spirit distilled—not brewed like sake—from rice or barley. The drink is topped off with kriek, a cherry-fermented Belgian beer ($11).

PS 7’s
For her Salted Cherry Bourbon, Gina Chersevani uses house-made brandied cherries, honey, fleur de sel, and egg white ($10).

Restaurant 3
Ria Freydberg’s Cherry Town has raspberry vodka, a Bing cherry, and rose-infused syrup mixed with fresh orange juice and a dash of cherry bitters ($10).

Tabard Inn
Chantal Tseng will be serving a variation of the Cherry Rum Fizz using Cachaça, a Brazilian rum made from sugar-cane juice. The price isn’t set yet, but Tseng says it’ll be $10 or $11. She’s also working on a concoction featuring sparkling sake and house-made orgeat syrup. More details to come soon.

Urbana
The Hotel Palomar’s restaurant and bar has the Cherry Sour, made with vanilla-and-sour-cherry-infused Basil Hayden’s bourbon and sour-cherry juice and garnished with cherry cotton candy ($11).