Cherry blossom season is here, complete with allergies and the Cherry Blossom martini. Several restaurants and bars around town are offering their own distinctive concoctions of foods and drinks incorporating cherry themes.
Think pink at Oya Restaurant & Lounge
With the Cherry Blossom Festival on March 31, Oya ushers in spring with pink wines and blossom-inspired libations. The month-long promotion will feature a flight of three rose wines from Australia, France and Virginia for $12. Each wine represents a different style and expression of the color pink.
In addition, Oya will offer a special martini, aptly named the “Blossomtini,” made with Effen Black Cherry Vodka, pinot noir wine, sour mix and grenadine. Another offering is the “Rose Bud,” a rose-flavored Cosmopolitan made with Shakers Rose Vodka.
For chocolate lovers, chef Chris Hylton has whipped up a specialty dessert of the chocolate-covered cherry. It features a thin dark chocolate shell filled with chocolate cherry mousse set on a hazelnut biscuit.
And for those who prefer white chocolate? There’s the White Chocolate Cherry Napoleon, a blend of thin white-chocolate wafers layered with a cherry crème chantilly set over a confit of pomegranate cherries.
Cherry blossom at Juniper restaurant
The signature cocktail at the Fairmont’s Juniper restaurant is the Cherry Blossom Cocktail, which consists of cherry vodka, a touch of soda and a splash of cranberry juice, garnished with a tree-ripened cherry.
Each year the restaurant invents a different cherry blossom cocktail. Director of Operations Paul Ohm is so serious about cherry blossom affairs that he held a tasting to develop the Cherry Blossom Cocktail.