Japanese Cherry Blossom

 The Japanese cherry blossom cocktail is inspired by this Bath and Body Works fragrance:

 

About the fragrance

I purchased this shower gel online in 2022 based on a review that said it was similar to Pink Cashmere and You're The One, two fragrances I had enjoyed in the past. It is one of the top selling Bath and Body Works fragrances. It is currently available online as a single wick candle, body wash, body lotion, fine fragrance mist, body cream, foaming hand soap, room spray, eau de parfum, body butter, moisturizing body wash, diamond shimmer mist, creamy body scrub, conditioner, shampoo, shea butter cleansing bar, travel size fine fragrance mist, foaming hand soap refill, hand cream, travel size body wash, hand sanitizer, travel size body lotion, travel size body cream, and four gift sets. It is also available as a wallflower fragrance, 3-wick candle, fragrance booster, laundry detergent, and cleansing gel hand soap, but the fragrance notes are different.

The scent notes listed for this fragrance are:

Japanese cherry blossom

Asian pear

Fresh mimosa petals

White jasmine

Blushing sandalwood

Designing the cocktail

I used club soda for the mixer. I used cherry vodka for the first note. For the pear note, I made a pear syrup from sugar, water, and chopped pear following this recipe from We Are Not Martha. Mimosa flowers (also known as touch-me-not) are not edible, so I did not include that note. For the jasmine note, I used jasmine syrup from Floral Elixir Co. I also included dried jasmine blossoms purchased from a health food store (also used in Coconut Lime Breeze.) I did not know how to replicate the sandalwood note, so I left it out.

Recipe

2 oz cherry vodka

1 oz pear syrup

½ oz jasmine syrup

6 oz club soda

Jasmine blossoms

Place two ice cubes in a glass. Add cherry vodka, pear syrup, and jasmine syrup. Pour in club soda. Garnish with jasmine blossoms. For a non-alcoholic version, omit the cherry vodka and add cherry syrup.

The finished cocktail

 

 I enjoyed this cocktail. It was fruity and sweet without the heaviness of a dessert cocktail. Cherry was the strongest flavor, while the jasmine syrup introduced a delicate contrast. The pear flavor was harder to detect, but the pear syrup provided a thicker texture. The jasmine blossoms had an earthy taste and made the cocktail more visually interesting than it would have been otherwise. I would recommend this cocktail to anyone who likes fruity drinks and is interested in floral flavors and garnishes.