Japanese Whisky Highball Recipe

Before you start

The Japanese highball is just whisky and soda water, yet bars in Japan turned it into a precise ritual. Everything is aimed at one goal: the most carbonation and the least dilution. The glass is ice-cold, the ice is large and hard, the soda comes straight from the fridge, and the stir is minimal so the bubbles survive.

Use a light, fruity whisky, Japanese or otherwise; heavily peated bottles get louder, not better, with soda. A ratio of one part whisky to three parts soda is a good starting point, and some people go to 1:4 for a longer, gentler drink. Pour the soda down the side of the glass, never over the ice, and stir once or twice from the bottom. The finished drink should fizz sharply all the way down.

Ingredients

• 45 ml (1½ oz) Japanese whisky — a light, blended style
• 135 ml (4½ oz) soda water — very cold and freshly opened, highly carbonated
• 4 to 5 large, clear ice cubes or 1 long ice spear — straight from the freezer
• 1 strip lemon peel — optional

Method

1. Put the highball glass and the whisky bottle in the freezer for at least 15 minutes. Keep the soda in the coldest part of the fridge, never at room temperature.
2. Fill the glass to the top with large, dry ice. Stir the empty ice for 10 seconds to chill the glass further, then pour off any meltwater.
3. Add the whisky and stir about 10 times so the spirit chills against the ice. Top up with another cube if the level has dropped.
4. Open the soda just before pouring. Tilt the glass and pour slowly down the inside wall, not onto the ice, until the glass is nearly full.
5. Slide the bar spoon down the side to the bottom and lift once or twice to mix the whisky up into the soda. Do not stir round and round.
6. Express a lemon peel over the top if you like, then serve right away while it is at full fizz.

Tips for success

• Small soda bottles or cans stay fizzier than a large bottle that has been opened several times.
• Wet, cloudy ice melts fast and knocks out carbonation. Clear, hard ice gives a crisper, longer-lasting drink.
• Measure the soda once with a jigger to learn where 135 ml sits in your glass, then pour by eye afterward.

Substitutions

Japanese whisky

A light Irish whiskey, a soft Speyside Scotch or a lower-proof bourbon all make excellent highballs.

Soda water

A mineral-heavy sparkling water adds a salty edge. Avoid tonic, which sweetens and changes the drink entirely.

Lemon peel

A strip of grapefruit peel or a fresh mint sprig gives a different, still subtle aroma.

Variations

Shiso highball

Clap a shiso leaf between your palms and tuck it down the side of the glass before adding soda.

Yuzu highball

Add 5 ml yuzu juice with the whisky and garnish with a strip of lemon peel.

Troubleshooting

The drink goes flat in a minute

The soda or glass was not cold enough, or you poured onto the ice. Chill everything and pour down the side.

It tastes watery

Use a larger ratio of whisky, 1:2.5, or bigger, colder ice that melts slowly.

It tastes harsh

The whisky is high proof or heavy. Try a lighter blend or stretch the ratio to 1:4.

Storage

Serve immediately; a highball cannot be made ahead. Keep the whisky in the freezer and soda refrigerated so drinks are ready in seconds. Opened soda loses carbonation within a day even when resealed.

Safety notes

Contains 45 ml of whisky at about 40 to 43% ABV, roughly 1.1 U.S. standard drinks (one standard drink is about 14 g of pure alcohol). Highballs go down easily, so pace yourself. Serve only to adults of legal drinking age, and do not drink and drive.