Yozakura

• 1.5 oz. Cerasum aperitivo
• 0.75 oz. Sakura gin
• 0.75 oz. elderflower liqueur

Stir with ice and strain into glass.

Cerasum is a sweeter amaro that features cherries and cherry blossoms. It’s pleasant to sip without the harsh bitterness often found in other amaros. I wanted to use this for a lower ABV drink, so to a healthy base of Cerasum I added Sakura gin, a NY based gin that also uses cherry blossoms. To balance these two I grabbed elderflower, keeping to the floral theme.

The name comes from a Japanese tradition of nighttime viewing of illuminated cherry blossoms. The printing in the photograph is one I picked up in Tokyo years ago that just enraptured me. The drink is a nice complement to that feeling.