If the Falling Petals Gimlet is the cocktail you make when you’re sitting quietly at the Tidal Basin watching petals fall, the Pear Sakura Collins is what you make when you’re outside in the afternoon with people you like and need to cool down.

Ok, but really, no drinking at the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C. It’s still a public space and illegal to drink around.

This Collins cocktail is longer, lighter, and more forgiving than the other cherry blossom drinks I’ve created so far.

The pear juice softens everything, and the soda adds bubbles.

Cherry blossom season in Washington, from the Tidal Basin crowds to the quieter neighborhood trees, runs mid-March through mid-April. Peak bloom usually lasts only a few days, but I say you can drink it as long as your cherry blossom simple syrup lasts.

Pear and Cherry Blossom: Why They Work

Pear is one of those ingredients that I feel like most bartenders figure out how to use and just do the same thing with it over and over again. Now, I love pear martinis, pear cosmopolitans, and pear Moscow mules, but they have a soft, almost floral quality that pairs naturally with cherry blossom syrup.

The two don’t compete. Pear adds body and a gentle sweetness; cherry blossom adds a flowery note. The lemon and the soda lighten it all up.

As a reminder, Cherry blossom syrup doesn’t taste like cherries. The flavor is closer to rose water and honey with a faint almond note.

The Pear Juice

Fresh pear juice is ideal. Blend a peeled, ripe pear with a splash of water and strain through a fine-mesh strainer for a smooth, clean juice. Bartlett and Anjou pears both work well.

The juice keeps in the fridge for a couple of days.

If you don’t want to make your own, pear nectar from a bottle is a solid substitute. Avoid anything labeled “pear drink” or containing added sweeteners, as these will make the cocktail too sweet.

Honestly, I have bought pear puree baby food when I can’t find pear juice. It’s sugar free and I never need a lot, so I don’t have to worry about a bottle of juice sitting around until I crave pear again.

Asian pears also work here if you can find them at the market. They’re juicier and a little more delicate in flavor, and they pair beautifully with the cherry blossom syrup.

I’ve been growing pear trees in pots in my driveway garden for a while now, still waiting on any kind of harvest, but it hasn’t stopped me from buying market pears by the bag every fall and making juice and purée to freeze and use through the winter and spring.

The Pear Ginger Sour and the Juniper Pear Gin Fizz both use pear in different ways, if you end up with extra.

The Cherry Blossom Syrup

Learn how to make your own cherry blossom simple syrup, or you can buy the Floral Elixir Co. cherry blossom syrup, which is made from real sakura extract with no artificial flavors and won a gold medal at the LA International Spirits Competition. I haven’t tried it yet, as it’s really easy to order dried or preserved cherry blossoms to make my own syrup.

Check out all of my simple syrups

Which Gin to Use

In a long drink with soda, you want something with botanical depth and at least some citrus character, so it doesn’t get lost in the bubbles and pear juice.

Hendrick’s works, with rose and cucumber notes complementing the pear and cherry blossom. Empress 1908 is the a good choice for a cherry blossom Collins since it already contains sakura botanicals.

A citrus-forward London Dry is reliable if you want something more neutral.

Try more pear gin cocktails: Pear Lychee Martini and the Juniper Pear Gin Fizz.

Add a Twist: Cardamom

Cinnamon is warm and autumnal. It’sworks really well in my Cinnamon Pear Sour and other fall drinks, but it works against the floral, spring quality of the cherry blossom syrup rather than with it.

Cardamom has a floral-spice quality that naturally bridges the two. Pear and cardamom are already a natural pair, and I use them together in the Cardamom Pear Martini.

To add cardamom: drop 2 to 3 crushed cardamom pods into the shaker with the other ingredients before you shake. Strain well and the flavor will be subtle.

Garnish

Try a thin slice of dehydrated or fresh pear on the rim. Use a mandoline slicer to make a translucent fan rather than a thick wedge, which looks much better in a tall glass.

A cherry blossom floated on top of the soda, if you have one from an untreated tree, would be the best option.

Find more cocktail garnish ideas on the site.

What Glass to Use

Use a Collins glass, filled with ice, before you build the drink. The tall format keeps the bubbles tighter while you sip.

A few I use: these highball glasses are my everyday choice, and these have a slightly more classic profile if you want something that feels more formal.

How to Build It

Shake the gin, pear juice, and cherry blossom syrup with ice for 15 to 20 seconds. You want it chilled before you add the soda.

Strain into the ice-filled Collins glass, top with 2 oz soda water, and give it one gentle stir, just enough to integrate without losing the bubbles.

A Boston shaker and a long bar spoon are both useful here.

The Mocktail Version

Pear soda shortcut: A good sparkling pear juice or pear soda (Martinelli’s sparkling cider, Italian pear soda, or similar) combined with 0.5 oz cherry blossom syrup over ice in a Collins glass. Stir and garnish with a pear slice.

Built version: Combine 1 oz pear juice, 0.5 oz cherry blossom syrup, and 0.5 oz fresh lemon juice in a shaker with ice. Shake, strain into an ice-filled Collins glass, and top with soda water. This one has more structure and reads more like the original cocktail.

Non-alcoholic gin works in either version if you want the botanical backbone.

Cocktails That Use Cherry Blossom Syrup

• 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

More spring cocktail recipes on the site, organized by season.

Pear Sakura Collins

Glass: Collins | Yield: 1 cocktail

Ingredients

• 1.5 oz gin
• 1 oz fresh pear juice (or pear nectar)
• 0.5 oz cherry blossom syrup
• 2 oz soda water
• 0.25 oz fresh lemon juice (optional — taste the drink first and add if it feels flat or too sweet)

Instructions

1. Add the gin, pear juice, cherry blossom syrup, and lemon juice (if using) to a cocktail shaker with ice.
2. Shake hard for 15 to 20 seconds until fully chilled.
3. Strain into a Collins glass filled with ice.
4. Top with soda water and stir once gently.
5. Garnish with a pear slice on the rim (and/or an edible flower if you one).

Mocktail

Pear soda shortcut: Combine 0.5 oz cherry blossom syrup with sparkling pear juice or pear soda over ice. Stir and garnish the same way.

Built version: Combine 1 oz pear juice, 0.5 oz cherry blossom syrup, and 0.5 oz fresh lemon juice in a shaker with ice. Shake, strain into an ice-filled Collins glass, and top with soda water. Or substitute non-alcoholic gin for the gin and build like the cocktail version.