“Cherry Blossom Pop-Up Bar Returns March 1st to Celebrate D.C.’s favorite Japanese exports: Trees and Godzilla”

Photo by PoPville flickr user Phil

From a press release:

“Returning for its second year, Drink Company’s Cherry Blossom Pop-Up Bar opens March 1st to usher in springtime with inspiration from both D.C. and Tokyo. This time, Drink Company is partnering with the National Cherry Blossom Festival to further celebrate the Japanese gift that has become unanimous with spring in D.C.

Photo by Farrah Skeiky

“This is our second annual love letter to DC and the, quite literally, beautiful relationship we have to Japan, enshrined in our Cherry Blossom trees,” says Drink Company President Derek Brown. “Last year we had a sensation with Mario Bar and we want to keep the pop-culture element alive by featuring perhaps our second closest association with Japan, Godzilla. While there will be pagodas and blossoms, we know that most Americans think about the famous monster flick when they think Japan and we’ve given it the PUB treatment: giant monster replicas, flashing warnings, Tokyo streets and drinks to match.”

Last year’s Cherry Blossom PUB (Photo by Farrah Skeiky)

The festival partnership also includes a special Festival Night at Cherry Blossom PUB on March 20th, for which guests can purchase tickets for timed entry passes into the bar. 100% of those ticket sales will be donated to the National Cherry Blossom Festival non-profit organization.

THE DRINKS: Says Head of Bar Concepts Paul Taylor, “The cocktail menu for the Cherry Blossom PUB represents a cross-cultural dialogue between Japan and the United States and the flavors and styles displayed in their cocktails. Of course, these cocktails will have the PUB’s playful flair, we are even bringing back the Maneki Neko tiki mugs. We are proud of the evolution of PUB cocktails and this menu is slated to be our best yet.”

The Neko tiki mugs aren’t the only popular item making a fresh appearance: Last year’s I Call Yoshi returns as A God, An Alpha Predator, Godzilla. Composed of Nigori Sake, Shochu, Blanc Quinquina and Fresh Honeydew Juice, it’s a highly crushable drink, monster pun intended. One of Japan’s most beloved beverages, the Chu-Hi, also gets the Cherry Blossom PUB treatment. The effervescent highball of sparkling lemon soda and Shochu consumed in bars and convenience stores alike is transformed with the addition of toasted rice orgeat and Manzanilla sherry, and a garnish of a Citrus Rice Krispies Treat. This style of drink is crisp, delicate, refreshing, and the perfect beverage to welcome spring.

Guests can also sip sake and whisky (including a Nikka Single Malt and Suntori Toki), rosé and other select wines, and non-alcoholic Japanese sodas.

THE ROOMS: Following the success of their enormous trees in Pop-Up Bars past, Special Projects leaders Matt Fox and Adriana Aspiazu have created even grander cherry blossom trees and canopies that connect rooms, boasting five times more blossoms than the year before. A room full of boxwood, lush florals, and over one thousand monarch butterflies pays tribute to D.C. in full spring bloom. The center bar combines the architectural elements of pagodas and tea houses, and brings back thousands of paper cranes from last year’s setup. Guests will step out of that world, and into Drink Company’s tribute to Tokyo’s Memory Lane, an alley that boasts dozens of bars, late night street grub and an excess of bright lights and lanterns. Finally, a 10-foot-tall Godzilla robot (built by Andrew Herndon) occupies the last room, standing in front of a mural of his destroyed city painted by Andrew Funk.

HOURS:

Sunday through Thursday, 5:00 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.

Friday and Saturday, 5:00 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.

LOCATION: 1841 7th Street NW

DETAILS: Cherry Blossom Pop-Up Bar will be open March 1st through April 29th. Guests must be 21 or over to visit. Cocktails are priced at $13 each. Tickets for Festival Night at Cherry Blossom PUB are available at festivalnightcherryblossompub.eventbrite.com.”