The Art of the Japanese Highball

On the face of it, you’d think that a drink with only two key ingredients would leave little room for error. However, as with many things Japanese, there are a few subtleties that elevate their whiskey highball to the realms of godliness. As a result, this intriguing state of affairs has led me to unpick the secrets to mastering this subtle and deceptive cocktail. So, without a can of ginger beer in sight and only using Nippon sanctioned Whisky from Suntory, let’s see what it takes to craft the perfect Japanese Highball.

The Key Components of the Japanese Highball

A Good Japanese Whiskey

As this is a Japanese Highball, you should really use a Japanese whiskey. However, should there be a problem in the supply chain, you can still craft a decent cocktail with a different type of barley spirit from the drinks cupboard. Either way, you will need a good tasting blended whiskey with a balanced flavour profile, so stay away from those expensive single malts. If you can get your hands on it, grab yourself a bottle of Suntory Kakubin for the most authentic experience available.

A Very Bubbly Soda Water

In order to craft the perfect Japanese Highball, you will need a top quality soda water that doesn’t give up the ghost as soon as the bubbles hit the drinking receptacle. From my experience, I have concluded that glass bottles are the best for holding their carbonation, with plastic bottles and metal cans lagging behind in their soda holding duties. Here in Asia, the bottled stuff shipped in from Thailand (Chang, Leo, Singha) works great, while elsewhere, Fever Tree is a little on the expensive side, but is currently the gold standard for cocktails.

The Lightest of Garnishes

A good Japanese Highball requires only the lightest touches of citrus to sit delicately within the drink. This means that the whiskey flavour should remain at the forefront, with a hint of lemon barely perceptible in its midst. To achieve the desired effect, don’t go overboard, just take a slice of lemon (or grapefruit if feeling adventurous,) squeeze it to release a few drops of juice into the drink, before adding the slice and giving the whole thing a light stir.

Some Rock-Hard Blocks of Ice

You can be forgiven for thinking that there isn’t really much to ice. It’s essentially just a bunch of water that has gotten so cold that it has decided to cling to itself in defiance of its environment. That isn’t the whole story, though, as ice will vary in quality and clarity depending on how you prepare and nurture it.

If you pay a visit to any of the million tiny bars hidden in Japan, you will notice that they take their ice very seriously, always serving impeccable blocks of the stuff. If you have time and determination on your hands, you can create clear, dense cubes that will melt slower and cool your drink for longer. For an in-depth guide to getting the most out of the cold stuff, have a little peruse at my guide to directional freezing.

The Japanese Whiskey Highball Ratio

Usually, when I make these sort of drinks, where I mix a base spirit with a non-alcoholic drink, I go by the rule of thirds. For the Japanese Whiskey Highball, however, the base spirit isn’t fighting with any specific flavours, so I switch this ratio out for a story of quarters. So instead of 50ml spirit to 100ml of mixer, I lighten the load a touch with 40ml Whisky and 120ml Soda Water (club soda for the Americans).