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Ask A Boston Bartender: Springtime Sakura Breeze (Cherry Blossom)

The arrival of Spring means the sight of gorgeous but fleeting budding cherry blossoms. Each Spring, the blossoming trees, which are native to Japan, are celebrated around the world.

So, what better way to celebrate springtime than with a cocktail tribute to the gorgeous flowers? Katie Mae Dell Isola, bar manager at the Back Bay restaurant Haru – which is Japanese for "Spring" – dropped the perfect seasonal recipe for a "Sakura Breeze," a cocktail that translates to "cherry blossoms."

Sakura Breeze

Sakura Breeze
Sakura Breeze (photo from Haru)

Ingredients

• 1 Shiso Leaf
• 1.75 oz Grey Goose Cherry Noir
• 0.75 oz St.-Germain Elderflower Liqueur
• .75 oz Ponthier Lemon Juice
• 1 oz POM Pomegranate Juice
• Dash of Club Soda

Method
1) In a mixing glass, muddle shiso leaf.
2) Add the other ingredients and shake vigorously over ice.
3) Strain cocktail into an ice-filled pilsner glass and top off with club soda.
4) Garnish with shiso leaf and a small cherry blossom bud.

Katie Mae Dell Isola
Haru Sushi
55 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02199
(617) 536-0770
www.harusushi.com

Haru will offer the cocktail at a special price of $7.50 during the months of March & April.

Haru - Katie Mae Dell Isola
Katie Mae Dell Isola (Photo from Haru)

Katie Mae Dell Isola began her career in the restaurant industry at the age of 17 as a wedding caterer for Vinwood Caterers (Ipswich, MA). Katie Mae was frequently assigned to the coffee and dessert station which happened to be situated by the company's event bartenders. It was then that Katie Mae fell in love with the idea of a becoming a mixologist which would allow her to use her creativity to craft the classics and to invent her new spin on the art of cocktails. Katie Mae's first position on the bar was at Not Your Average Joe's in Newburyport and she quickly realized her talent in both the restaurant industry and with customer relations. In 2008, Katie Mae accepted a bartending position at Back Bay sushi spot, Haru, and since has become a Manager who oversees the heralded beverage program at their Boston location.

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