Chef Takumi
Awamori Mizuwari (泡盛水割り, awamori with water)
Awamori mizuwari is not a trick of the bar. It is three parts awamori, seven parts cold water, and enough patience to let the black-kōji aroma open.
Culinary Explorer
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Yuzu Highball (柚子ハイボール)
Created by
Whisky, soda, honey, and yuzu: a cold-weather highball that depends on ice, restraint, and one bright pinch of peel over the glass.
Beverages
Japanese
Dinner Party
Date Night
5 min
Active Time
0 min cook•5 min total
Yield1 drink
Yuzu arrives when the air has turned sharp, and that matters. In winter its peel holds a fragrance no orange quite gives you: floral, bitter, bright, and clean enough to make a glass of whisky feel awake. This highball is not difficult. It only asks that everything be cold, and that the yuzu be real.
The one detail that decides it is the build. Don't shake it. Shaking knocks the life out of the soda and clouds a drink that should stand tall and clear. Stir the whisky and honey first, because honey needs a little help to loosen, then add cold soda along the side of the glass and turn it once or twice. The bubbles do the mixing after that. Let them work. They are not lazy.
We drink a highball for refreshment, not heaviness, so keep the whisky measured and the garnish spare. A thin slice of yuzu gives its juice slowly, while the peel pinched over the glass lays its oil on the surface where your nose finds it first. Nothing hidden. Good ice, cold soda, fresh citrus, and a steady hand are enough for honmono.
The whisky highball became a fixture of Japanese drinking culture in the twentieth century, especially through Suntory's bars and later its postwar Torys Highball campaigns. Its modern revival accelerated in the 2000s, when carefully built whisky-and-soda drinks returned to izakaya counters as a lighter partner for food. Yuzu, a winter citrus long used in Japanese cooking and bathing customs, fits the drink because its peel carries strong aroma without needing much juice.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
Japanese whisky
Quantity
45ml
very cold soda water
Quantity
120ml
honey
Quantity
1 teaspoon
hot water (optional)
Quantity
1 teaspoon
only if needed to loosen the honey
fresh yuzu
Quantity
1 thin slice
fresh yuzu peel
Quantity
1 strip
large clear ice cubes
Quantity
enough to fill 1 glass
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Japanese whisky | 45ml |
| very cold soda water | 120ml |
| honey | 1 teaspoon |
| hot water (optional)only if needed to loosen the honey | 1 teaspoon |
| fresh yuzu | 1 thin slice |
| fresh yuzu peel | 1 strip |
| large clear ice cubes | enough to fill 1 glass |
Equipment Needed
- •Tall highball glass
- •Bar spoon, or a long narrow spoon
- •Small sharp knife or peeler
Instructions
- 1
Chill the glass
Put the highball glass in the freezer for a few minutes, or fill it with ice water while you prepare the yuzu. A cold glass keeps the soda lively longer, and this drink is built on that liveliness.
- 2
Prepare the yuzu
Cut one thin wheel of yuzu and one neat strip of peel, avoiding too much white pith. The juice gives brightness, but the peel carries the fragrance. That's why the peel matters more than a heavy squeeze.
- 3
Loosen the honey
Add the honey to the glass. If it is stiff, stir it with one teaspoon of hot water until loose, then let it cool for a moment. Honey won't dissolve cleanly in an icy drink unless you help it first, and a lump at the bottom teaches nobody anything.
- 4
Add whisky and ice
Pour in the whisky and stir it with the honey until the base is even. Fill the glass with large ice cubes. Large ice chills the drink without melting too quickly, so the highball stays clear and sharp instead of watery.
- 5
Add the soda
Pour the very cold soda slowly down the inside of the glass, not straight onto the ice. Turn the drink gently once or twice with a bar spoon. Don't shake it, and don't stir as if you're washing rice. Too much motion breaks the bubbles you were trying to keep.
- 6
Finish with yuzu
Slip the yuzu slice against the inside of the glass. Pinch the strip of peel over the surface, yellow side facing the drink, so the oils spray across the top, then set the peel on the rim or into the glass. Serve at once, while the bubbles are still fine.
Chef Tips
- •Use fresh yuzu in its winter season if you can. Bottled juice can sharpen a drink, but it cannot give the peel oil, and the peel oil is the first thing your nose meets.
- •If you cannot find yuzu, use a small strip of lemon peel and a tiny squeeze of mandarin. Say plainly that it is a stand-in. It will be pleasant, but it won't be the same drink.
- •Keep the soda unopened and cold until the moment you pour. Warm soda dies quickly, and no stirring trick will bring it back.
- •Choose a clean, lighter Japanese whisky rather than a heavily smoky one. The yuzu should meet the whisky, not fight through it.
Advance Preparation
- •Chill the glass and soda up to several hours ahead.
- •Cut the yuzu slice just before serving so the cut face stays glistening fresh.
- •Honey can be loosened with a little hot water up to an hour ahead and cooled, but build the drink only when it will be served.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 175g)
Calories
120 calories
Total Fat
0 g
Saturated Fat
0 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
0 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
5 mg
Total Carbohydrates
6 g
Dietary Fiber
0 g
Sugars
6 g
Protein
0 g
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