There’s a narrow window every spring when the cherry blossoms are out, the air is still cool, and you want a drink that feels like the moment. The Cherry Blossom Bee Knee’s was built for exactly that.

I cover cherry blossom season every year on my DC travel site — the Tidal Basin, the crowds, the peak bloom predictions the National Park Service releases each February.

It’s my favorite time of year in Washington, and I’ve spent enough springs standing under those Yoshino trees around the Jefferson Memorial to know that the season is over before you’ve had time to properly mark it.

DC cherry blossom season typically runs mid-March through mid-April, but peak bloom, when roughly 70 percent of the blossoms are open at once, usually lasts only a few days.

Many people plan their whole spring around it, but be forewarned, no matter when the NPS predicts peak bloom, it can come early or late, but there are usually plenty of blooms to see, so don’t change your plane tickets if they do arrive when least expected.

I started thinking about what a cherry blossom cocktail should actually taste like. I see way too many cherry-flavored cocktails on menus around cherry blossom season. Sakura cocktails shouldn’t be pink for the sake of being pink (or red even, which I see a lot on menus too), or taste like cherries.

I am always looking for ways to capture the floral, fleeting quality of the season itself.

The Cherry Blossom Bee is a gin cocktail with cherry blossom syrup, honey syrup, and fresh lemon juice. It’s a close relative of the classic Bee’s Knees but dressed for spring with a floral, slightly sweet, bright flavor with citrus.

I always shake my bee’s knees cocktails and strain into a coupe, which makes it look like something you’d order at a garden party in Kyoto.

What Does Cherry Blossom Syrup Actually Taste Like?

People always expect cherry blossom syrup to taste like cherries, but it doesn’t. Not even close.

The flavor is closer to a cross between rose water and honey — floral, lightly earthy, with a faint almond note in the background. The 1883 Maison Routin cherry blossom syrup describes it as having notes of honey, almond, and a slight touch of acidity, which is accurate to what I’ve tasted, although a tad more rose and floral.

It’s gentle and works very well in cocktails without crowding out all of the other flavors.

If you can find fresh or salted cherry blossoms, you can make the syrup yourself. The trick is to steep cold and slowly, because heat kills the flowers’ fragrance too quickly.

Learn how to make your own Sakura Cherry Blossom syrup from our recipe HERE.

If cherry blossoms aren’t in season, the Floral Elixir Co. cherry blossom syrup is a decent substitute. It’s made from real sakura extract with no artificial flavors, and it won a gold medal at the LA International Spirits Competition.

All the simple syrups I make and use regularly are on the site, including other floral options if you feel like experimenting more.

Honey Syrup

Honey syrup is just honey thinned with warm water, usually in a 1:1 ratio. The reason you don’t just dump straight honey into a shaker is that it doesn’t dissolve properly when cold — you end up with sticky clumps at the bottom and an uneven drink.

Making it takes about two minutes. Combine equal parts honey and warm water, stir until fully dissolved, let it cool, and store in a sealed glass jar in the fridge. It keeps for up to two weeks, and even longer in the freezer.

I use it in my Lavender Bee’s Knees, the Earl Grey Lavender Bee’s Knees, and the Persimmon Bee’s Knees constantly.

Which Gin to Use

You want to use a gin that is botanical and citrus-forward. A heavily juniper-forward gin will push the cherry blossom flavor into the background, and the whole point here is to let that syrup come through.

Hendrick’s works well thanks to its rose and cucumber notes. Empress 1908 is almost fitting since it already has cherry blossom in its botanical lineup. A good London Dry that leans toward citrus rather than juniper is a reliable choice if you want something more classic.

Whatever you reach for in a French 75 or a gin sour will likely work here.

Add a Twist: Sakura Salt Rim

The twist on this one, because I always need to give you a way to change up a recipe, is a sakura salt rim

Mix flaky sea salt with a small amount of dried cherry blossom petals, or if you can’t find those, a tiny pinch of dried culinary rose petals. Run a lemon wedge around the outside edge of the coupe, then dip lightly into the mixture.

You get a bit of brine right at the start, then a whisper of floral before the drink opens up underneath. It’s also completely optional, the cocktail holds up without it.

Garnish

A lemon twist is a natural choice, but you can also use an edible flower, like a pansy, if you want to keep the flower theme going.

Use a channeling knife or a citrus peeler to cut a long curl, express the oils over the glass, and drop it in. The lemon oil on the surface adds aroma that complements the cherry blossom.

A dehydrated lemon slice resting on the rim also works in a coupe, too.

If you happen to have fresh cherry blossoms from an untreated tree, a single blossom floating on top is gorgeous. I’ve also seen bartenders float a preserved cherry blossom (very well rinsed) in a cocktail. My full cocktail garnishes guide covers working with edible flowers in more detail.

How to Make a Mocktail Version

This version works without the gin. The cherry blossom and honey syrups carry enough flavor that the drink doesn’t feel incomplete.

Combine 0.75 oz cherry blossom syrup, 0.5 oz honey syrup, and 0.75 oz fresh lemon juice in a shaker with ice. Shake, strain into a coupe, and top with a splash of soda water. Same garnish.

If you want more botanical complexity in the zero-proof version, non-alcoholic gin can add it back in.

What Glass to Use

You should use a coupe, because the wider mouth lets the floral aromatics open up before you take a sip.

A few options I use and like:

• These classic coupes — elegant without being fussy
• These have a slightly larger bowl if you prefer more volume
• Nick and Nora glasses also work well in a pinch

A Note on Shaking

Shake hard. You want the drink cold and properly diluted, not just briefly chilled. Twelve to fifteen seconds is the target — until the outside of the shaker is frosted and your hand is genuinely cold.

Double-strain when you pour. Hold a fine-mesh strainer over the pour spout of your shaker as you strain. It catches ice chips and gives you a noticeably cleaner drink.

A Boston shaker handles this kind of hard shake better than a cobbler shaker, which tends to seize up when the metal gets cold.

More Honey Syrup Cocktails

If you make a batch of honey syrup and want more ways to use it:

• Hot Honey Bee’s Knees
• Lavender Bee’s Knees
• Earl Grey Lavender Bee’s Knees
• Persimmon Bee’s Knees
• Citrus Bloom Cocktail

Find more spring and floral cocktail recipes organized by season and ingredient.

Try all of our Cherry Blossom Cocktails

• Cherry Blossom Bee’s Knees
• Cherry Blossom Quiet Old Fashioned
• Falling Petals Gimlet
• Herbal Sakura Garden
• Pear Sakura Collins
• Petal & Stone Sour
• Sakura Drift Martini
• Strawberry Sakura Smash
• Cherry Blossom Green Tea Spritz
• Lychee Blossom Spritz
• Lychee Sakura Martini
• Pink Grapefruit Sakura Sour
• Cherry Blossom French 75 — gin, cherry blossom syrup, lemon juice, topped with Champagne
• Sakura Spritz — cherry blossom syrup, prosecco, splash of soda, over ice

Cherry Blossom Bee’s Knees

Glass: Coupe | Yield: 1 cocktail

How to Make Honey Syrup

Combine 1/2 cup of honey with 1/2 cup of hot water and stir until fully dissolved. Let it cool, then transfer to a sealed jar and refrigerate for up to two weeks.

Ingredients

• 2 oz gin
• 0.75 oz cherry blossom syrup (homemade or store-bought)
• 0.5 oz honey syrup
• 0.75 oz fresh lemon juice

Optional rim: Flaky sea salt mixed with a small amount of dried cherry blossom or culinary rose petals

Instructions

1. If using the sakura salt rim, run a lemon wedge around the outside edge of the coupe and dip lightly into the salt mixture. Stick it in the fridge to chill.
2. Add the gin, cherry blossom syrup, honey syrup, and fresh lemon juice to a cocktail shaker.
3. Add ice and shake hard for 12 to 15 seconds, until the outside of the shaker is frosted.
4. Double-strain through a fine-mesh strainer into your coupe.
5. Garnish with a lemon twist, a dehydrated lemon slice, or a single fresh cherry blossom if you have one.

Mocktail

Add 0.75 oz cherry blossom syrup, 0.5 oz honey syrup, and 0.75 oz fresh lemon juice to a shaker with ice. Shake, double-strain into a coupe, and top with a splash of soda water. Garnish the same way.