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How to make a Fuji Sakura Sour cocktail for cherry blossom season

A drink plucked straight from spring in Japan

By Mark Stock Published March 31, 2026

Fuji Sakura Sour. — Fuji Whisky

It’s peak cherry blossom season. From Japan to Washington D.C., these stately trees are erupting with pink goodness. That means spring is here and calls for a seasonal cocktail recipe.

Fuji Whisky is celebrating. The iconic Japanese whisky brand is raising a glass to the floral affair with a proper cocktail. It’s a whiskey sour recipe tweaked a bit according to spring.

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It’s hard to go wrong with a good whiskey or whisky and some citrus. But this recipe goes the extra distance, setting you up with a cocktail that not only drinks well, but looks the spring part. We love the mix of cherry and yuzu on top of the citrus and spirit.

Feel free to sip that Fuji Whisky on its own as it’s very much up to the task. But if you’re looking for something to help applaud the arrival of spring, this is a fine option. Of the many spring cocktail recipes out there, this has become a quick favorite.

Read on for the full recipe.

Sakura Whisky Sour

As suggested, mess around with the garnish a bit. Spring is all about being showy and flashing your very best. We like throwing actual cherries in the mix, dried or straight out of the jar and skewered.

Ingredients:

2 ounces Fuji Whisky
1/2 ounce Monin Yuzu Purée
1/2 ounce lemon juice
2 Dashes Fee Brothers Cherry Bitters
3 ounces Fever Tree Mediterranean Tonic Water
Garnish of choice

Method:

Shake all ingredients except tonic and bitters over ice and top off with tonic.
Roll/strain into a Collins glass over fresh ice and garnish with Sakura powder dust on the rim and add a dried cherry blossom (n alternative garnish can be a lemon rose with a dusting of Sakura powder).

Contributor

Mark Stock is a writer from Portland, Oregon. He fell into wine during the Recession and has been fixated on the stuff since…

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