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Japanese highball.
Three ingredients.

Three ingredients, a few quiet rules. The Japanese highball is built around respect for each piece: the whisky is cold, the soda is cold, the ice is one tall clear cylinder, the glass is chilled. It rewards careful pouring more than fancy ingredients. Below is the version Tokyo bars are widely known for.

Ingredients (one drink).

• 45 ml chilled Japanese whisky. Suntory Toki, Hibiki Harmony, Nikka From The Barrel all work. Any blended whisky is fine.
• 120 to 135 ml cold sparkling soda water. The colder, the more carbonation holds.
• 1 lemon peel twist (optional).
• 1 large clear ice cylinder (4 cm by 11 cm).

Steps.

1. Chill the glass. If you have time, a few minutes in the freezer. Cold glass holds the drink longer.
2. Add the cylinder. Temper for 2 to 3 minutes at room temperature, then place gently into the glass.
3. Whisky in. Pour the chilled whisky slowly down the side of the cylinder, not directly on top.
4. Soda in. Top with cold sparkling soda. Again, pour down the side to preserve the carbonation.
5. Stir once. One vertical lift of a bar spoon, just enough to integrate. Over-stirring kills the bubbles.
6. Garnish. Lemon peel twist if you like. Serve.

Why a clear cylinder here.

The cylinder is the right shape because it sits the full height of a highball glass. It chills the whole vertical at once, melts slowly, and does not displace too much volume. A handful of small cubes would dilute the drink within minutes; a single clear cylinder keeps it tight from first sip to last. See the clear cylinder →

More reading.

Whisky on the rocks →
Clear ice for whisky →
Clear ice for cocktails →