WASHINGTON 鈥� If you鈥檙e looking for an alternative spot to catch the cherry blossoms this year, head over to Seventh Street NW in Shaw. We can鈥檛 guarantee it will be less crowded than the Tidal Basin, but you鈥檒l have a much easier time dealing with people after a few sake cocktails.聽
Derek Brown and his team at Mockingbird Hill and Southern Efficiency are at it again. On the heels of a second successful year transforming the two adjoining spaces into a winter wonderland for a Christmas pop-up bar, the cocktail creatives are celebrating one of D.C.鈥檚 most festive times with a cherry blossom pop-up.
鈥淔or us, a pop-up bar is like a big cocktail. It鈥檚 an opportunity for us to create something really fun and beautiful,鈥� said Brown, president of , which operates Mockingbird Hill, Southern Efficiency, Eat the Rich and Columbia Room.
The Cherry Blossom Pop-Up Bar (or Cherry Blossom PUB) encompasses two themes. At Southern Efficiency, pink and white blossom branches creep up the side wall and hang from the ceiling. A mural of the Jefferson Memorial draped in cherry blossoms covers the back wall.
鈥淪omebody from the National Cherry Blossom Festival was telling us how hard it was to find the fake cherry blossoms because we had snatched them all up,鈥� Brown said.
A few feet away, red and white 鈥減iranha plants鈥� drop down from green pipes, and boxes marked with question marks light up. A cheerful voice that says, 鈥淚t鈥檚 me! Mario!鈥� comes over the speaker. 聽
鈥淵ou鈥檙e in what we affectionately refer to as 鈥楳ario Bar,鈥欌�� Brown said about the temporarily redecorated Mockingbird Hill. 鈥淸On this side of the bar] we wanted to do something that was an homage to Japan and one of its most famous exports: Mario Brothers.鈥�
![鈥淵ou鈥檙e in what we affectionately refer to as 鈥楳ario Bar,鈥欌�� Brown said about the temporarily redecorated Mockingbird Hill. 鈥淸On this side of the bar] we wanted to do something that was an homage to Japan and one of its most famous exports: Mario Brothers.鈥� (Photo by Farrah Skeiky)](/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Mario-Bar.jpg)
![鈥淵ou鈥檙e in what we affectionately refer to as 鈥楳ario Bar,鈥欌�� Brown said about the temporarily redecorated Mockingbird Hill. 鈥淸On this side of the bar] we wanted to do something that was an homage to Japan and one of its most famous exports: Mario Brothers.鈥� (Photo by Farrah Skeiky)](/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Mario-Bar-260x174.jpg)
The creativity and detail that went into the d茅cor, much of which was constructed by family and friends, transfers over to the pop-up鈥檚 cocktail menu, both in terms of drink names and ingredients.
Anyone who鈥檚 uncovered a mini mushroom will find familiarity in 鈥淲hat doesn鈥檛 kill you makes you smaller,鈥� which is made with vodka, mandarin orange, pomelo and apricot liqueur. The neon-green drink 鈥淚 call Yoshi!鈥� features unfiltered sake, midori, green chartreuse, cucumber melon and lemon.
鈥淎ll year round, we really try to bring out artisanal ingredients,”聽Brown said. “We try to bring out craft spirits, and some of the stuff that people have never seen before, whether it鈥檚 sake or Japanese whiskies.聽But in this incarnation, we get to do it in a way that鈥檚 kind of fun and clever.鈥澛�
A selection of Japanese beers is also available; bites such as gyoza, marinated mushrooms and katsu sando round out the food menu.
It鈥檚 safe to say Brown has caught the pop-up bug and the creative license that comes with it. He鈥檚 already mulling over ideas for future themes.
鈥淯ltimately, all we want to do is create a fun environment where people have great drinks, so whatever we do, it will certainly reflect that,鈥� he said.
Cherry Blossom PUB, 1843 and 1841 Seventh St. NW is open 5 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
Insider tip: Get there early.
Get everything you need to know about visiting the Cherry Blossoms via .
