The dozens of cherry blossom trees in front of the Buffalo History Museum served as a picture perfect backdrop for the 6th annual Cherry Blossom Festival this past weekend. 

However, after the whirlwind of events are over, and the blizzard of blossoms settles to the ground, they get vacuumed up.

Partnering with the Olmsted Park System, Lockhouse Distillery sucks up the blossoms, about 50 pounds of them during the whole season, and uses them as one of the ingredients for their Sakura Gin. 

"Lockhouse has found a way to use something that is beautiful and just has been thrown out in the past or been blown into nature," said Paula Hinz, Friends of the Japanese Garden.

The seasonal gin also has juniper berries, rose and hibiscus petals, coconut flakes and more mixed in. Once those are blended, the process continues and a unique gin is created.

"After a couple days we let that mellow in the tank for about week. Mellowing and oxidation time helps the flavors congeal and make everything very unified and we package and label each bottle hand by hand one at a time," said Cory Muscato, Lockhouse Distillery Operations Manager.

Muscato has been making the Sakura Gin for the past three years, but he says from the start, the collaboration with Olmsted was the perfect match.

"Traditionally the Cherry Blossoms represent the fragility and beauty of life. As it is with life, so is it with gin, the cherry blossoms in this give this a nice very fragrant and fragile texture, making it perfect for cocktails or over ice," Muscato said.

Lockhouse donates a new cherry tree to the garden each year, and with more blossoms, comes more gin.

"And isn't that a great way to run a business? To think of ways to make a win win for everybody, I think that's the core of Buffalonians, growing Buffalo," said Hinz.