Yuzu Highball Mocktail

Before you start

A Japanese highball is about restraint: a small measure of whisky, very cold soda and lots of ice, built carefully so it stays crisp and lively. For an alcohol-free version, roasted barley tea (mugicha) takes the whisky's place. Its toasty, nutty, faintly cereal flavor echoes malt surprisingly well, and it is caffeine-free. Yuzu, the fragrant Japanese citrus, gives the drink a floral, tangerine-like top note that lemon cannot quite match.

Technique still matters. Chill the glass, the tea and the soda so the ice barely melts. Stir the base with the ice before adding soda, then pour the soda gently down the side and stir only once. Bottled yuzu juice is concentrated and sometimes salted, so start with a small amount and taste.

Ingredients

• Barley tea10 g (2 tbsp roasted kernels or 1 tea bag) roasted barley tea (mugicha)
• 500 ml (2 cups) cold water
• Highball60 ml (2 oz) barley tea, chilled
• 10 ml (2 tsp) yuzu juice — 100% bottled or fresh
• 10 ml (2 tsp) honey syrup (1:1) — or simple syrup
• 120 ml (4 oz) soda water — very cold, strongly carbonated
• 1½ cups (about 220 g) ice cubes — or one long ice spear
• Garnish1 strip yuzu or lemon peel

Method

1. Add the barley tea to 500 ml cold water, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Strain or remove the bag. The tea should be amber and taste toasty without bitterness.
2. Chill the highball glass in the freezer for 10 minutes. Fill it to the top with ice.
3. Add the barley tea, yuzu juice and honey syrup. Stir with the bar spoon for 10 seconds to chill and mix the base, then top up any ice that has settled.
4. Pour the soda water gently down the spoon or the inside of the glass so it keeps its bubbles.
5. Lower the spoon to the bottom and lift it once to combine. Twist the citrus peel over the drink, drop it in and serve.

Tips for success

• Taste bottled yuzu juice before measuring. Salted versions need less, or a little more honey to balance.
• A highball tastes best with strongly carbonated soda. Use a freshly opened bottle or a fully charged soda maker.
• For a quicker tea, steep the barley in hot water for 5 minutes, then chill over ice. It is slightly more robust.

Substitutions

Roasted barley tea

Hojicha, a roasted green tea, adds a similar toasty flavor with gentle caffeine. Cold-brew it for 2 hours as well.

Yuzu juice

Combine 7 ml lemon juice and 3 ml mandarin juice. It lacks yuzu's perfume but keeps the balance.

Honey syrup

A spoonful of yuja-cha (Korean citron marmalade) gives sweetness and yuzu at once. Stir it into the tea first so it dissolves.

Variations

Ginger yuzu highball

Use ginger ale instead of soda water and skip the honey syrup.

Shiso highball

Clap two shiso leaves between your hands and add them to the glass before the ice.

Troubleshooting

The highball is flat

Warm soda or too much stirring. Chill everything and stir only once after topping.

It is sour and salty

Your yuzu juice is salted or very concentrated. Halve it and add 5 ml more honey syrup.

The barley flavor is weak

Brew the tea longer or with more kernels, up to 15 g per 500 ml.

Storage

Cold-brewed barley tea keeps covered in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Keep opened bottled yuzu juice refrigerated and follow the label. Build the highball right before serving.