Champagne & cherry syrup garnished with Spring cherry blossoms at Sake

In Japan the arrival of blossoms on cherry – or “sakura” – trees is a much anticipated event. It’s a national time of celebration as buds unfurl like delicate little orbs of pink tissue paper to dress bare twigs. Sake are bringing a little of this Springtime joy closer to home with their first Cherry Blossom Festival in Melbourne. Alongside green tea and sakura (their cherry pink Kit Kats are a delight if you do visit), the Japanese have an affinity for Whisky. It’s not hard to stumble across a decent whisky house in Tokyo (and then stumble out again a few fingers later). And so Sake’s in-house festival will feature whisky masterclasses and tastings. A trio of desserts will pay homage to the flower in flavour and hue; how can one resist the likes of cherry blossom ice cream? But most enticingly for me, Sake have concocted two cherry-spiked cocktails to sip and have even added a sakura flight to their sake menu.

Did you know there’s also a cherry blossom festival held annually in the Dandenong Ranges around this time too? Perhaps a mountain day trip followed by cocktails back in the city is in order? Sake’s Cherry Blossom Festival starts this Sunday 1st and runs through September. You can find all the happenings by clicking here.