I’ll admit that when I was first introduced to a whiskey highball, I was confused as to why fancy characters on TV made it a big deal. I mean, it’s just a whiskey soda right?
But as I learned more about the drink, I found out that the Japanese have made a ritual out of crafting this simple cocktail, executing each step with nearly scientific care and precision. The quality of the ice matters, the whisky matters (the Japanese spelling of “whisky” is the same as the Scottish spelling, not the American “whiskey”), the technique matters, the temperature matters.
So what is a highball exactly? Traditionally, the drink is made with an alcoholic spirit and a nonalcoholic mixer, and the best known version pairs whiskey and soda water.
The Japanese style is called “mizuwari,” according to critically acclaimed mixologist Julia Momose, who is opening a Japanese-style bar called Bar Kumiko in Chicago’s West Loop. You start with a glass filled with ice — the colder the initial vessel, the better, to maximize carbonation. After the glass becomes frosted, the original ice and any water that has melted are discarded to avoid dilution. New ice — large chunks or a spear — is added, then the whisky. Soda water is poured carefully between glass and ice (not on top of the ice), and using a bar spoon, the bartender lifts the ice ever so slightly to allow the whisky and soda to mix. Too large a stir risks releasing carbonation. A little more soda is added to fill the glass, and the final result is a delicately refreshing concoction, with bubbles that dance on your tongue and an earthiness that grounds you.
Suntory, a Japanese whisky company, has taken the highball a step further, streamlining the process with a finely tuned machine. Introduced to the American market in the last few years, the highball machines have grown in popularity, said Gardner Dunn, Suntory Whisky brand ambassador. Chicago only had one at the start of 2017, but 10 restaurants and bars around town now take advantage of the machine’s efficiency.
“When people check it out and taste it, they’re like, ‘I want one of those in my garage,’” he said with a laugh. “I’m really not that cheesy, and I’m not just some guy on an infomercial, but tasting is believing.”
The machine starts with 3 gallons of filtered water that is the same pH as water in Japan, so it doesn’t over-freeze and break copper pipes containing a refrigerant. The water is cooled to the correct temperature, making an ice bank that creates about an inch of ice around all the tubing in the machine.
A filtration system outside of the machine takes in water, which is super-carbonated and chilled as it travels through the tubing. Suntory Toki whisky is pumped in and chilled through another tube. It’s imperative to keep the liquids as cold as possible to maintain carbonation.
When the lever is pulled, the machine is calibrated to mix the right measurements of whisky and carbonated water as it dispenses. Suntory typically recommends a ratio of one part whisky to three parts soda.
The carbonation of a highball made by the machine is audibly different from other soda drinks — bubbles crackle and pop near the surface, lightly splashing your face as you bring the glass toward you for a sip. Dunn said that while normal soda guns deliver a 4.5 carbonation rate and luxury brand Fevertree tonic water has a 5.5 carbonation rate, the machine allows the water to clock in at a whopping 7.5 carbonation rate. This is only possible because of the machine’s cooling mechanism, which allows the bubbles to be sustained for longer.
The machine is certainly a financial investment at $5,000, not including installation, but those who have paid the ticket price say it’s well worth the seemingly high upfront cost. Pan Hompluem, owner of Lowcountry, a seafood boil restaurant in Wrigleyville and the South Loop, said he was skeptical of the machine until he tried it himself, saying it blew him away.
“It took (the highball) to another level,” he said. “The bubbles, the carbonation, it just made it easy to drink and elevated the product. I knew right away it fit well with my food.”
Lowcountry uses the machine for a number of drinks on its menu, both as a blended whisky highball and for the highly carbonated soda water. Hompleum said that once customers are introduced to the drink, it is common for them to order another round or two simply because it pairs well with the spicy seafood boils that his restaurant serves and doesn’t weigh guests down, as drinking a beer would.
This concept of a “whisky Champagne” being a lighter, bubblier and lower-calorie response to beer is exactly what Atsushi “Highball Charlie” Takeuchi wanted to bring to younger drinkers in Japan and, now, the United States. Takeuchi said many Japanese people have a low tolerance for alcohol, so the highball needed to be both refreshing and easy to drink.
Highly skilled bartenders in Japan elevated the drink, honoring the whisky with a focus on ice, temperature, carbonation and ratio, he said. So when he and the Suntory team were creating the machine, he made sure that these key elements were not forgotten.
The company’s traveling teams evaluate potential clients, determining if the whisky brand is compatible with the restaurant or bar’s concept and even if the bar is simply physically big enough to handle the machine. Suntory also requires bars to have the correct kind of ice and glassware to serve the beverage.
The machine can also be connected to other whiskeys. Longman & Eagle dispenses Jim Beam whiskey rather than Toki, focused as it is on American-style whiskeys.
“It’s quality rather than quantity,” Dunn said. “We want to have quality machines pumping quality highballs out there.”
At Prairie School, which closes Saturday, the highball was the linchpin of the beverage program: Frank Lloyd Wright, from whom the bar takes its inspiration, was greatly influenced by the Japanese, said Kristina Magro, head bartender.
“The reason why we enjoy the highball so much is the beautiful simplicity of it,” she said. “We’re not trying to over-complicate it. It’s simple and clean, and the spirits we choose shine.”
Magro pointed out that other restaurants like Momotaro put a spin on the drink by using various aromatics and other elements to customize it. As the highball machine becomes more popular in Chicago, she predicts more restaurants will follow Momotaro’s lead to differentiate among products.
Anna Shin, general manager of Momotaro, said one of the perks of having the machine is the “super clean, super carbonated” water. Currently, the highball is garnished with sage and tangerine peel to create an herbaceous and citrusy quality to the drink, but the garnishes change seasonally.
The aforementioned Momose, who has studied and executes the Japanese highball method regularly, said she sees the machine as a middle ground — not quite to the quality that a person would get from a more ritualistic highball, but there is consistency. However, she doesn’t see it ever replacing the bartender.
“There’s something about that moment when the bartender is making the drink in front of you, there’s time for questions, for stories, that is missed with the machine,” she said. “With the machine, the ice goes in, and for the most part, people are turning their back to fill it, and then they’re ready for payment to finish the transaction. It’s a different flow of service when you’re chilling a glass and maintaining eye contact and doing the whole thing without looking down.”
Momose said she thinks people trying a highball for the first time should seek out a bartender experience, and then, “once they fall in love with it,” they’ll understand that a highball machine can deliver a delicious drink. She believes that this is part of breathing new life into popularizing the highball.
“I think the machines are amazing, but I think it’s important that people, whether they’re using a machine or making it from scratch, still care and are aware and know why each thing is happening and give a great experience every time,” she said.
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