If there’s one sight that’s synonymous with Spring throughout the Northern Hemisphere, surely it’s the emergence of fruit blossoms, softly trembling through April’s sun and showers, and none are more celebrated nor prolific than those of the cherry tree.
I can still recall the first time I encountered these delicate flowers. At the nursery I attended as a very small child there was a cherry tree just behind the wall of the playground. I remember it as a pale pink cloud, with one bough that dipped tantalisingly close to the climbing frame, and scattered petals onto the slide. When the playtime assistant wasn’t looking I quickly clambered up to pick a handful of blooms, which I tucked behind my ear for the rest of the day.
This is such an enduring memory that every Spring I experience the same fresh sense of wonderment at the coming blossoms. This year the cherry trees in our own garden have had to contend with blizzards and hail storms, and yet each morning I notice more and more swelling buds, quietly opening into soft, pale flowers.
Of course, it would be remiss to write about cherry blossoms and not to mention Japan, where they occupy a far deeper cultural significance than here in the UK. Throughout the islands millions of people partake in hanami, or ‘flower viewing’ every year. The exquisite but fleeting beauty of the blooms perfectly encapsulates the transience of life, that is at once so precious and precarious, and so people come together beneath the blossoming branches to celebrate the grace of the present moment, and to share music, food and drink with family and friends.
So here’s a recipe to share with your own loved ones as you watch the natural world unfurling, and awakening to all the possibilities of the year ahead.
This cocktail doesn’t deliver the punchy cherry flavour of the ripe fruit, but rather celebrates the floral, slightly ethereal nature of the blossoms themselves. It’s really a play on an Aviation with an extra cherry note, adding a floral vermouth instead of the Creme de Violette.
Ingredients
30ml Gin (I used Rock Rose)
15ml Regal Rogue Wild Rose Vermouth
10ml Maraschino Liqueur
1oml Lemon Juice
A couple of dashes of Grapefruit Bitters
Method
- Combine all of the ingredients and shake over ice. Strain into a coupe or martini glass and top with fresh cherry blossoms.
