23 Mar The Blossom Cocktail Recipe

Posted at 07:00h in Blog, Cocktail Recipes, Cocktail Recipes: R&J Original by Roberts & June

The Blossom Cocktail Recipe

As we mentioned yesterday, it’s cherry blossom season here in DC. Or at least it’s supposed to be. As we sit with crossed fingers waiting to see whether or not the blossoms survived the weird combination of a very warm February and an uncharacteristically wintry March, we’re enjoying cherry blossom-inspired drinks, some at the Cherry Blossom Pop Up Pub, and some of our own design.

Toward the end of last year’s cherry blossom season, we visited Magnus for the first time and thoroughly enjoyed their cherry blossom menu. We were especially enchanted by their cherry blossom infused elderflower liqueur. We asked them how one makes such a thing, and the ever kind and informative Magnus bartenders told us that you could buy dried cherry blossoms on Amazon. We dutifully went home and ordered a packet of them, but spring quickly moved to summer; we moved on to mint drinks without ever breaking into our cherry blossoms.

We opened that packet of dried flowers this year, and discovered to our surprise that the ones we bought were salted. Not exactly right for elderflower infusion. Next time we’ll have to ask for more specifics.

While not suitable for infusion, we thought that our cherry blossoms would make quite an interesting glass rim, both to the taste and to the eyes. So, we designed this cherry blossom variant of a margarita for the occasion.

Ingredients

2 oz shochu
1/2 oz hibiscus liqueur–if you can’t find hibiscus, use another flower liqueur, violet for instance
1/4 oz simple syrup
a few drops of cherry juice
salted cherry blossom rim

Instructions

Wet the rim of a cocktail glass with cherry juice, and then spin it in the cherry blossoms to form a rim.
Combine the shochu, hibiscus, and simple syrup in a mixing glass.
Add ice to the level of the liquid.
Stir until the ice is well-melted.
Carefully strain the drink into the glass, making sure not to disturb the rim.
Drop a few drops of cherry juice into the drink, for color and a little fruity warmth.