Cherry-Blossom Vodka, Anyone?

I’m all over spring. There’s rhubarb, there are warming temperatures, there is a soft light and the days are longer, and it is glorious.

I love spring, and I love cherry blossoms – the kind that line my streets and cover the sidewalks with petals that falling your hair when the wind sweeps by and knocks the blossoms off the trees. There is something just so romantic about cherry blossoms, isn’t there?

It’s the soft pink, and that they’re the first thing that comes up in spring, and that smell. It’s that soft floral smell that fills you when you walk by. It is incredible. So incredible that I think we should mix it into cocktails. Don’t you?

To do it, we’re going to just put a whole lot of cherry blossoms into some vodka with a bit of sugar, and let it sit for a bit. And then we’re going to mix it with champagne and get drunk on the romance of it all. At least, that’s my plan.

• 1 750mL bottle vodka
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 cups cherry blossoms

Clean the cherry blossoms carefully. Put them into a one litre jar. Top with the sugar and fill with the vodka. Let sit for at least one week, or up to three. Give it a little sip every couple days to check to flavouring. Once it’s where you like it, strain it and keep it in a tightly lidded jar for up to four months.