The Strawberry Sakura Smash happened because I grabbed fresh strawberries at the farm stand on the same weekend I made cherry blossom simple syrup. That’s it. That’s the whole story.

I rarely have a specific reason or occasion to make cocktails, but if the flower, vegetable, fruit, or herb is in season, you better believe I’m going to make something.

The combination turned out to be worth making again, especially for my friend who loves fruity drinks.

Strawberries and cherry blossoms share a soft, almost candied sweetness, and when you put them together in a cocktail, neither one overwhelms the other.

Add gin and lemon, muddle, shake, and strain over ice. It’s a rocks glass drink, no foam, no elaborate garnish, and easy enough to make for a group.

If you happen to find yourself with good strawberries and a jar of cherry blossom syrup at the same time, make this cocktail.

Why Strawberry and Cherry Blossom Work Together

Strawberry is one of the few fruits that actually pairs well with floral syrups. The reason is structural: strawberries are sweet but also genuinely acidic, especially good early-season ones, and that acidity keeps the cherry blossom syrup from tipping the drink into something super sweet and cloying.

The fruit also has enough presence to hold its flavor against the gin without being muddled into mush.

Just in case I haven’t shouted it loud enough in other recipes, cherry blossom syrup doesn’t taste like cherries. It’s floral and delicate. In this drink, it provides the sweetness, adds fragrance, and pulls the strawberry flavor into sharper focus.

Gently Muddle

Muddle the strawberries until they’re broken down and the juice is releasing, but stop before you’re left with fine pulp.

You want fruit, not baby food.

The double strain at the end catches seeds and any remaining bits, so the drink comes through clean without losing the fresh strawberry flavor.

The cherry blossom syrup goes in with the strawberries during the muddle, not after. Muddling the fruit directly into the syrup means the sugar extracts strawberry oils more efficiently, keeping the cherry blossom fragrance intact.

If you’d rather skip muddling entirely, strawberry simple syrup is a clean substitute. Use 0.5 oz of muddled strawberries in place of the strawberries, and reduce the cherry blossom syrup slightly so the drink doesn’t get oversweetened.

I’d still just use cherry blossom syrup and strawberries, though. It just maintains a better level of flavor and sweetness.

Which Gin to Use

A smash is slightly more forgiving than a coupe cocktail when it comes to gin selection, because the strawberry has enough flavor to hold its own.

That said, you still want something botanical and not too aggressively juniper-forward. The cherry blossom syrup is delicate, and a heavily resinous (aka juniper-y) gin will overwhelm it.

Any citrus-forward gin you’d use in a Bee’s Knees will work.

The Twist: Basil

Add 2 to 3 fresh basil leaves to the shaker along with the strawberries and cherry blossom syrup before muddling. The basil adds a sweet, slightly peppery warmth that pulls the drink in a more herbal direction.

It’s a small addition with a noticeable effect.

Don’t over-muddle the basil, though. A light press alongside the strawberries is enough to release the oils. You want aroma, not bitterness. Put the basil in before the strawberries if youare worried about overdoing it.

Strawberry and basil are a natural pair. Learn on why and how in the basil in cocktails guide.

Garnish

• A fresh strawberry slice on the rim is the easiest garnish. Fan it thin with a mandoline slicer or a sharp knife and slide it onto the glass edge.
• A small fresh basil leaf on top works nicely if you’re making the basil version.
• A cherry blossom floated on the surface, if you have one from an untreated tree, is a lovely spring touch.

Find more cocktail garnish ideas on the site.

What Glass to Use

Grab a rocks glass, filled with fresh ice, to strain your cocktail into. The short, wide glass keeps it cold and lets the fruit color show through clearly.

I like to use these lowball glasses, or these which have a slightly more modern profile, and these are heavier in hand if you prefer more weight.

How to Make It

Add the strawberries and cherry blossom syrup to your shaker and muddle until the fruit breaks down and the juice releases. Add the gin, lemon juice, and ice. Shake hard for 15 to 20 seconds.

Double-strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a strawberry slice.

A Boston shaker and a cocktail muddler are both useful here. A flat-bottomed muddler gives you more control over fruit than a tapered one. Remember to press, not pulverize.

The Mocktail Version

Muddle the strawberries and cherry blossom syrup as usual. Add 2 oz of lemonade (store-bought or homemade) in place of the gin and lemon juice. Add ice and shake hard for 15 to 20 seconds. Double-strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice and garnish with a strawberry slice.

The lemonade already has the acid and sweetness you’d otherwise get from the lemon juice and sugar in a cocktail build, so the ratios work without adjustment. Use one with real lemon juice, not a heavily sweetened concentrate.

If you want more botanical depth, non-alcoholic gin added to the mocktail build adds it without the alcohol.

This drink batches well for a crowd. Muddle strawberries and cherry blossom syrup in larger quantities, mix with lemonade, and serve over ice in a pitcher. Keep it cold and stir before pouring.

Other Spring Smashes You Might Like

• Earl Grey Peach Smash uses the same muddle-and-shake technique with bourbon and fresh peaches.
• Blackberry Maple Bourbon Smash goes darker and richer.

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

Find more spring cocktail recipes, organized by season.

Strawberry Sakura Smash

Glass: Rocks | Yield: 1 cocktail

Ingredients

• 2 oz gin
• 0.75 oz cherry blossom syrup
• 2 fresh strawberries, hulled (use tool to hull- I LOVE it!)
• 0.5 oz fresh lemon juice

Twist: Add 2 to 3 fresh basil leaves to the shaker with the strawberries and muddle together

Garnish: Fresh strawberry slice on the rim

Instructions

1. Add the hulled strawberries and cherry blossom syrup to a cocktail shaker.
2. Muddle until the strawberries break down and release their juice. If using basil, add the leaves now and muddle gently alongside the fruit.
3. Add the gin, lemon juice, and ice.
4. Shake hard for 15 to 20 seconds until fully chilled.
5. Double-strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice.
6. Garnish with a strawberry slice on the rim.