Cocktails and Japanese cherry blossom, HarBAR on 6th, Southampton

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I had the most exciting PR trip this week. If you are a regular on our blog, you will already know that I’m a huge fan of the Harbour Hotel chain and I especially love the HarBAR on 6th in Southampton.

HarBAR have teamed up with The Suntory Family to bring you 5 new cocktails in celebration of Japan’s cherry blossom season (Sakura). They have created the most beautiful installation, which can be seen below and we were lucky enough to be invited to try the cocktail menu as part of the Soton Bloggers.
This was gifted by HarBAR but all comments are my own and have not been influenced by them


As you can see from the Blossom Drinks List blow, each of the 5 cocktails has been created using spirits from The Suntory Family brand which includes Haku Vodka, Roku Gin and Toki Whisky.


Above the Clouds 
Haku vodka, ginger syrup, lime, bitter lemon tonic 
I’m torn as to if this or the Pleasant thyme was my favourite cocktail, which is interesting as they are both vodka based and I was sure I would love the gin based cocktails the most. This cocktail was so fresh and the ginger was the defining flavour, but it wasn’t overpowering in any way.

Basil Blast
Roku gin basil, lemon, absinthe, sugar, egg white
This was the first cocktail I tried and I hadn’t noticed it actually also has absinthe in! I was expecting the basil to be much stronger and present, but it was very mellow. For me, I felt that there were other cocktails on the  menu I would rather reach for, but this is very much a nice long cocktail to be sipped while you chit chat about life. Mellow and easy.

Pleasant Thyme 
Haku vodka, thyme syrup, grapefruit, lemon light tonic
As I already hinted at above, this was one of my favourites. I though this would be really bitter because of the grapefruit but it was really smooth and I was surprised at how much I really liked this one, as it wouldn’t have been my first choice. So if you are looking for something light and fresh, this is a good choice for you

Left to right : Pleasant Thyme, Basil Blast and Above the Clouds

Red Roy 
Roki whisky, punt e mes, cherry and orange bitters
First of all, I am not a whiskey drinker, but I thought really I should give it a little try, I didn’t want it to be left out of the mix. A short cocktail which looked so pretty but wowie packs a punch. As I don’t usually drink whiskey, this one seemed really strong, but I will say I actually enjoyed the taste of the cocktail. One of the other ladies with us was a whiskey drinker and she also really liked this one.

Red Roy
Harbar Negroni 
Rosemary infused Roku gin, punt e mes, campari, blossom bitters
First of all, how pretty is this one? I think looks wise, this one appealed to me the most. As you would expect, it is a little bitter but bursting with flavour.  I felt it almost had a bit of a smokey undertone?


Harbar Negroni

I loved trying these new cocktails and I was really surprised that I ended up enjoying the vodka based ones the most. The installation is really so beautiful and the photos really don’t do it justice. If you are around Southampton, I would really recommend popping in to see how stunning it is in real life. I would say gather your girls (or boys!) and get a few cocktails in so you can try the whole range too. I’d love to hear which cocktail was your favourite if you go, so don’t forget to DM us if you do!

 (All pictures taken & owned by SistersDineOut unless otherwise stated)

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