Atlanta, GA
Where to drink cherry blossom-inspired cocktails around Atlanta
These 8 metro area establishments are celebrating the brief, beautiful sakura season.
The Bee and Blossom martini at Capolinea celebrates the blooming of spring’s first cherry blossoms and the bees responsible for the beauty. (Courtesy of Bites and Bevs Media)
By Angela Hansberger – For the AJC
3 hours ago
The fleeting Georgia cherry blossoms reach peak bloom in mid- to late March. One day Atlanta is winter-drab, and the next it’s buried under drifts of floral confetti, the blush of pink so pretty it demands we pay attention. There is a bit of romanticism that arrives with the sakura (Japanese for “cherry blossom”); a petal-strewn urgency to witness beauty so brief. Fortunately, Atlanta’s best bartenders are capturing the floral spirit so we can hold on to the ephemeral in-bloom moment just a little longer.

Lucky Star’s Murphey White designed the aromatic Bouquet cocktail to bridge her memories and the current sakura season. (Courtesy of Lucky Star)
Bouquet at Lucky Star
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Bee and Blossom at Capolinea
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Pink Lotus at Midtown’s Brasserie Lundi is bright and fruity. (Courtesy of Brasserie Lundi)
Pink Lotus at Brasserie Lundi
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Cherry blossom saline is the magic ingredient in Adair Park’s Ryokou’s Petite Prelude cocktail. (Courtesy of Jeff Banks)
Petite Prelude at Ryokou
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Inspired by blooming flowers, Terra Terroir’s Blossom is a thoughtful sipper with perfect balance. (Angela Hansberger for the AJC)
Blossom at Terra Terroir
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Sakura Whisky Sour, using Japanese whisky and sakura syrup, is just one of the offerings on the menu of cherry blossom-inspired cocktails at Nakato. (Courtesy of Nakato)
Sakura Whisky Sour at Nakato
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The first sip of Awa Sakura is like a floral cloud scented with cherry blossoms that gives way to the cold, berry-bright flavor beneath. (Courtesy of O-Ku)
Awa Sakura at O-Ku
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Rumi’s Kitchen turns the concept of a “floral drink” into something timeless, deeply aromatic and incredibly refreshing. (Courtesy of Justin Clay)
Sharbat at Rumi’s
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Atlanta, GA
Braves bring back powder blue with new Nike City Connect jerseys
The Atlanta Braves debuted their 2026 Nike City Connect jerseys Thursday during a launch party at Truist Park.
nspired by the 6 states of the South that make up the Braves fan base, the vibrant powder blue color and bold typography with retro script make these jerseys look incredible
Inspired by the six states of the South that make up the Braves fan base, the powder blue uniforms pay homage to the team’s 1980s SuperStation era while updating the look for today’s fans with bold typography with retro script.
“The fans’ reaction has been great,” said Insung Kim, VP creative director for the Braves. “When we first revealed the jerseys, the sentiment on social media has been like, ‘oh, finally, the Braves are bringing back the powder blue jersey. Those are my favorite jerseyes that I saw growing up,’ so we just love hearing that.”
The jersey features a brighter powder blue, red piping, an updated “Atlanta” script logo, a new “ATL” block letter sleeve patch, and a 3D “ATLANTA BRAVES” wordmark near the jocktag. Players helped select a v-neck style for comfort and performance. A matching powder blue cap completes the uniform.
The team will wear the special jerseys when they face the Cleveland Guardians at Truist Park Friday, throughout the series and then every Saturday home game for the rest of the season.
Fans can purchase the entire City Connect collection, which includes jerseys, hats, jackets, and t-shirts, at the Braves Clubhouse Store, MLBShop.com, Nike.com, and other retail locations.
The Braves are also bringing City Connect to fans across the Southeast with the Out of the Park mobile shop, visiting Kroger and Harris Teeter locations in Georgia and South Carolina.
Atlanta, GA
Reynaldo Lopez’s Suspension Reduced By MLB After Angels-Braves Brawl with Jorge Soler on Video
Atlanta Braves pitcher Reynaldo López reached a settlement with Major League Baseball to have his seven-game suspension reduced to five games upon appeal, according to Chad Bishop of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
López and Los Angeles Angeles outfielder Jorge Soler were initially given identical seven-game suspensions after fighting during Tuesday’s 7-2 Atlanta win.
Soler also appealed his suspension and appeared in Wednesday’s matchup between the teams, homering for a second straight game.
The outfielder felt it was “intentional” when López threw up and in during Soler’s fifth-inning at-bat. He had homered off López in his first at-bat and was hit by a pitch in his second time at the dish. Soler has also raked against López during his career, going 14-for-23 with five homers and three doubles in those matchups.
“Obviously, I have good numbers against him,” he told reporters. “After the home run and getting hit by a pitch after that, and then he missed way too high and close to my head. At this level, you can’t miss like that.”
López denied trying to hit him.
“It’s just a shame, the situation and how things unfolded,” he told reporters. “On my part, there was never any intent to hit him at any point. So again, it’s just a shame.”
Atlanta manager Walt Weiss backed up López’s remarks.
“I know it didn’t look good because of Soler’s numbers against Lopey, and he hit a homer, he hit him. It didn’t look good,” he said. “Lopey’s not throwing at him. I don’t allow our pitchers to throw at people just because they can’t get ’em out. Our job is to get ’em out. But I understand why Soler got angry. And he’s a really mild-mannered guy. So I think the switch flipped for him. … There was no intent there. I just think that Lopey’s just overthrowing, because he’s had a hard time getting him out. But he’s certainly not trying to hit him.”
L.A. manager Kurt Suzuki, meanwhile, backed up his player.
“I don’t blame Jorge one bit,” he said. “You get thrown at your head, you have a family, a career. It’s dangerous. I know it happens. But if you ask any hitter and a ball gets thrown near their head, especially after hitting a homer, it’s not good.”
It remains to be seen whether Soler will have his suspension reduced on appeal. As for López, he’ll be eligible to make his next start on Tuesday against the Miami Marlins.
Atlanta, GA
Checking bags at the Atlanta airport? It just got more expensive
How global conflicts can disrupt your flight — even if you’re not headed there
International conflicts and foreign policy shifts can reshape air travel overnight — forcing longer routes, driving up costs and causing sudden cancellations or delays.
Air travel is back to normal as spring break season brings tens of thousands of travelers to airports across the country.
But now, passengers hoping to check bags for their trips are going to have to pay more with this airline.
Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines is increasing the fees for checked luggage starting Wednesday, April 8. The new fees will apply on any tickets purchased on or after Wednesday, but not to tickets purchased before this date.
Here’s what to know.
New pricing for checked bags with Delta
A price hike on the fee for checked bags with Delta will be applied to domestic and certain short-haul international flights, like those in and around North America, according to Delta Air Lines. Long-haul international bag pricing will not change.
A Delta spokesperson told USA TODAY the changes were “part of Delta’s ongoing review of pricing across its business and reflect the impact of evolving global conditions and industry dynamics.”
Your first checked bag will now be $45 and your second checked bag will be $55, both prices are a $10 increase from the previous fee. There is a $50 increase in price for the third checked bag, now reaching $200.
Delta premium cabin customers, elite frequent flyers and those with co-branded credit cards will keep their free checked bag benefits.
Why are airlines increasing prices?
Delta is now the third airline to announce increase bag prices this spring, following United Airlines and JetBlue. United will honor a lower price for passengers that pre-pay, and JetBlue will have slightly different prices based on whether it’s a peak travel time or not, like spring break season.
The conflict in the Middle East is driving up the price of jet fuel, and travel experts are encouraging people who anticipate flying over the summer to consider purchasing their tickets now before the price of flights also increase. This is also likely a primary driver in the increased bag prices.
A two-week ceasefire was announced Tuesday, but it’s unclear how long it will take for oil and gas prices to come down in the United States.
The airlines are also coming off of a period of chaos inside the airports as TSA agents went weeks without pay as part of a partial government shutdown. While the airlines are not responsible for airport security, many passengers missed their flights waiting in exceptionally long lines, and any flight delay only added to the network of issues.
Irene Wright is following the partial government shutdown and Iran conflict’s impact on Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Find the Atlanta Connect reporter on X @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.
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