Ingredients
- 45 mlJapanese blended whisky, kept in the freezer or at least cold
- 135 mlcarbonated water, sharply chilled and unopened until the moment you pour
- 300 gclear hard ice, either one long spear or 3–4 large cubes
- 1strip lemon peel, or a thin wedge of lemon, optional
Equipment
- 1tall thin tumbler (zombie or highball glass, 350 ml), chilled in the freezer
- 1bar spoon
Directions
- Chill the glass in the freezer until frosted, at least 30 minutes. Warm glass is the single most common reason a home highball goes flat.
- Fill the glass to the brim with hard, clear ice. Underfilling melts faster and dilutes the drink, which sounds backwards but is how izakaya bartenders think about it.
- Pour in the cold whisky over the ice and stir exactly 13 and a half times with a bar spoon, the Suntory instruction, to chill the spirit without bruising the ice.
- Top up the ice if it has settled, then tilt the glass and pour the soda slowly down the inside wall or down the bar spoon so it never splashes onto the ice.
- Give it one single gentle lift from the bottom with the spoon, no more. Every extra stir knocks out carbonation.
- Squeeze the lemon peel oil over the surface if you want it, then drop it in or discard it. Many izakaya serve the kaku-highball completely plain.
- Serve immediately, with the glass beaded and the bubbles rising in a steady column. The ratio is 1 part whisky to 3 parts soda; 1 to 4 is the lighter shokuji-style pour for drinking with food.
- Drink it fast and cold. A highball is the first drink of the night in Japan, ordered with the words toriaezu nama no, and it is not meant to be nursed.
Technique
- The revival of the highball came from Suntory’s Kaku-Hai campaign in 2008, which pulled Kakubin whisky back from near-extinction and made the highball the default Japanese drink.
- Everything must be cold before it meets: glass, whisky, soda and ice. There is no dilution budget for chilling down.
- Use hard, slow-melting ice. Cloudy freezer ice full of trapped air fizzes the soda out on contact.
- Highball machines in Japanese bars serve it at around 3°C (35°F) with the soda pre-carbonated at high pressure, which is why the bar version tastes sharper than the home one.
Substitutions
- No Japanese whisky: a light blended Scotch such as a grain-heavy blend behaves the same way. Avoid heavily peated malts, which turn medicinal under soda.
- Sparkling mineral water works but soda water with a strong charge is better; tonic makes a different drink entirely.
Variations
- Kaku-highball, made with Suntory Kakubin and a squeeze of lemon, the archetype.
- Umeshu highball, plum liqueur and soda, and lemon sour, shochu with soda and fresh lemon, both izakaya standards.
- Kori nashi highball, made with pre-frozen whisky and soda and no ice at all, served in some Tokyo bars.
History
Popular in postwar Tokyo bars, it faded then returned after Suntory’s 2008 Kaku Highball campaign revived whisky drinking among younger Japanese.
Frequently asked questions
What is Highball?
Highball is a cocktail from Japan: whisky and cold soda over ice, the default first drink at izakaya. Popular in postwar Tokyo bars, it faded then returned after Suntory’s 2008 Kaku Highball campaign revived whisky drinking among younger Japanese.
How long does Highball take to make?
Highball takes 3 min of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes 1 drink. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Highball?
Yes, within limits. No Japanese whisky: a light blended Scotch such as a grain-heavy blend behaves the same way. Avoid heavily peated malts, which turn medicinal under soda. Sparkling mineral water works but soda water with a strong charge is better; tonic makes a different drink entirely.
What is the most important thing to get right in Highball?
Top up the ice if it has settled, then tilt the glass and pour the soda slowly down the inside wall or down the bar spoon so it never splashes onto the ice.
