We tried food, drinks made exclusively for this year’s Cherry Blossom Festival. Our review

The 2025 International Cherry Blossom Festival kicked off this weekend as hundreds of people from Middle Georgia and beyond packed downtown Macon for music, rides and — my favorite part — food.

The Pinkest Party on Earth wouldn’t be complete without a slate of cherry blossom-inspired cuisine, and the Macon restaurant scene never fails to deliver.

This year’s menu saw local favorites including the Rookery, Macon Water Ice, Fatty’s Pizza, and Kinjo Kitchen and Cocktails putting on their best at Friday’s Pink Provisions Party, a tasting event spotlighting the festival’s best bites and sips.

I spent the evening sampling some Cherry Blossom Festival fare. Here’s what I thought.

Pink Party Lemonade, Cashman’s Pub

I started with Cashman’s Pub’s Pink Party Lemonade, a cocktail made with Pink Whitney vodka, lemonade and Sprite.

The Pink Party Lemonade delivered a tart, fruity flavor bolstered by a kick of carbonation from the Sprite. However, the drink wasn’t as strong as some of the other cocktails available at the festival.

Maybe for the best as I had an evening of tasting ahead of me.

Specialty pudding from the Parrish

I chased the Pink Party Lemonade with Parrish’s Cherry Bread Pudding.

A riff on a traditional bread pudding, the cherry bread pudding was topped with a sticky and sweet cherry topping that complimented the moist bread pudding underneath. Each bite was hearty and delicious with a cinnamon-flavored finish.

The bread pudding is available at Parrish’s restaurant in addition to being sold at the festival.

Tacos from Satterfield’s BBQ

I moved on to the Cherry Blossom Festival’s savory selections with the Cherry Chipotle Smoked Brisket Taco.

A traditional-style taco with a Southern twist, it was made with brisket, red cabbage and fried onions in a soft tortilla.

The brisket was rich and smoky with a fruity undercurrent imparted by the cherry wood. The fried onions added a bit of a salty flavor on top, and the red cabbage gave it a fresh, crunchy bite.

Overall a medley of complex flavors and textures in a smoky, barbecue package perfect for ringing in long days and warm weather.

Cotton candy flavors from Macon Water Ice

I grabbed Macon Water Ice’s Pink Cotton Candy Water Ice for a hit of sugar after the barbecue.

The Pink Cotton Candy Water Ice comes in perfectly round scoops with an ultra-sweet flavor that lingers on your tongue. While the first few bites were enjoyable, it was a little too sweet for me to eat much more than that.

However, I feel safe saying that this cotton candy-flavored treat will be a hit with the kids.

The Pink Cotton Candy Water Ice is also for sale at the storefront in downtown Macon.

Unique nachos from The Rookery

After a few sips of water to cleanse my palette, I made my way to The Rookery’s stand for their Pink Pulled Pork Nachos.

The nachos are made with queso, shredded lettuce, cilantro, jalapeños and pickled red onions on a bed of pulled pork and pink tortilla chips that the dish derives its name from.

The creaminess of the cheese paired with a fresh, crunchy bite from the lettuce and red onions solidified the Pink Pulled Pork Nachos as my favorite of everything I tried. The jalapeños left a pleasant heat that lingered in my mouth even after the nachos were long gone.

One more cocktail from Kinjo

I was hankering for another cocktail after so much food, so I grabbed the Hibiscus Lychee Flower Sour Cocktail from Kinjo Kitchen and Cocktails.

While its name may be a mouthful, the drink goes down easy with gin and vodka alongside a sour mix.

The cocktail expertly combines complex floral flavors in a strong, pink package perfect for sipping beneath a canopy of cherry blossoms.

Ending on a sweet note

The Sweet Eleanor’s Ooey Gooey Brown Butter Cherry Bar proved a great way to end the tasting.

The bar may be small, but don’t let its size fool you. It packs a punch of melt-in-your-mouth sweetness with butter and syrup flavors that pair well with the whole, juicy cherry baked into its center.

In addition to being available at the festival, Sweet Eleanor’s is selling the bar at its cafe on Poplar Street.

It marked the perfect finish to an evening of festival food that’s sure to please.

This story was originally published March 26, 2025 at 1:12 PM.