With the annual return of the cherry blossoms comes the deluge of restaurants offering cherry-themed food and drink specials, often as part of the National Cherry Blossom Festival's official “Cherry Picks” program. It's a nebulous tie-in, since the cherries that most restaurants use come from different families than the cherry trees flowering at the Tidal Basin. (In fact, some popular trees there, such as the Kwanzan cherry tree, bear no fruit at all.) It also doesn't help that most of the featured dishes and cocktails don't get more creative than pink coloring or a cherry compote with dessert. Yawn.
But there are some cherry beverages from local producers worth seeking out, including one that's flavored with fresh blossoms. Here are three you can find now.
New Columbia's Green Hat Spring/Summer Gin
When the owners of New Columbia Distillers decided to make a seasonal Green Hat gin five years ago, they knew their recipe had to include cherry blossoms. Other brewers and distillers suggested it would be easier if they just used whole cherries, but “we wanted to use the actual blossoms,” says co-founder John Uselton.
Every year, Uselton explains, they purchase cherry blossoms on branches from florists and bring the buds to the Ivy City distillery. “As they open up, we take the blossoms off of the branches and macerate them in spirits” before distilling, Uselton says. “We'll do it as many times as we can while the blossoms are blooming.”
The gin, which also contains rose hips and three types of citrus peel, has a vibrant floral aroma mingling with juniper, citrus and stone fruit. It's used in a different spring cocktail every Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. during New Columbia's tasting hours, and can also be found on drink menus around the city. (At home, you should definitely use it in a classic gin rickey.)
Available at the distillery (1832 Fenwick St. NE) and local liquor stores for about $35 per bottle. Cocktails at the distillery are $5-$7.
Old Ox Cherry Blossom FestivAle cherry saison
The National Cherry Blossom Festival has named an official beer for the first time, although this one isn't flavored with actual cherry blossoms. Instead, FestivAle Cherry Saison, brewed by Ashburn's Old Ox brewing, is a bright, effervescent saison that features Michigan sour cherries and a bold cherry color — just a few shades darker than its ultra-Instagrammable pink tallboy can.
Chris Burns, the president of Old Ox, knows that some customers will be wary of FestivAle because “fruit beers can have a cloying sweetness.” But this one doesn't, thanks to a Belgian saison yeast that cuts the sugar while providing a peppery spice note and a dry finish. The cherry flavor isn't too sweet, yet the tartness is light enough that it won't turn off the masses looking to sample a taste of the Cherry Blossom Festival.
Available for about $12-$13 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans in liquor and grocery stores, or $7-$8 on tap in bars.
Craft Kombucha cherry blossom kombucha
As a native of the Washington area, Craft Kombucha founder Tanya Maynigo-Loucks knew she wanted to make a cherry-blossom-flavored kombucha. She just hasn't settled on one recipe for it. Last year, she used tart cherries, but this year, she decided on cold-pressed organic black cherry juice blended with botanicals. The sweet cherry mixes with floral flavors, including elderflower and hibiscus, while the effervescence gives it the feeling of sparkling wine. Maynigo-Loucks says that some customers have told her they use it as a base for cocktails at home, mixing the kombucha with champagne in a quasi-mimosa or spiking it with vodka. At Elle in Mount Pleasant, beverage director Sean MacPherson mixes the kombucha with Japanese whiskey to create the Pachinko Parlour highball.
The first few batches sold out quickly at the kombucha brewery's Union Market stand, but Maynigo-Loucks says it can now be found there and at a number of local stores, including Elle, Pear Plum Cafe and Little Red Fox, and at farmers markets throughout the region. (See the Craft Kombucha website for a full list.)
Available at Union Market (1309 Fifth St. NE) for $9 per 32-ounce growler and $15 per 64-ounce growler.
