A BRIGHT AND FRUITY TAKE ON A BELOVED CLASSIC: THE JAPANESE WHISKEY HIGHBALL
Rum and coke, vodka and soda, and a good old G+T- all winners in my book for easy-to-order, incredibly sippable beverages while out and about on the town. All excellent highballs but the version that takes the cake for me? The one and only: Japanese whiskey highball. A drink that seems pretty simple but yet, when you take a closer look at all of the components...it's simple just as it is complex.
Do me a favor...next time you find yourself at a Japanese whiskey bar, please order a whiskey highball. I've been lucky to have been to quite a few in the past few months, and boy - are they a work of art. So many Japanese bars have mastered the art, rightfully so, of making one but it never ceases to amaze me how they are perfectly created to ensure the right amount of bubbles + coupled with exactly the right whiskey and of course the beautiful highball glass. Let's not forget the importance of the glass here which makes it easy as ever to assemble the cocktail directly in the glass. Yes, NO COCKTAIL SHAKER REQUIRED FOR THIS ONE. :)
Okay, enough about me nerding out about cocktail science and more to this A++ pairing.
Matcha + mango.
I KNOW. That too in a highball. Using matcha in cocktails/mocktails has always been an easy decision for me. A little goes a long way and the flavor payoff is INSANE. I always loved the idea of matcha in a highball and first started there when developing the recipe. I soon came to realize that I needed some sweetness to round out the powerful flavors of the Japanese whiskey in here as well as the rich earthiness from the matcha. Here comes the mango Maaza - a staple in Indian-American households. :)
There is so much to be loved about this recipe. While I am conveniently sharing this green-hued version on St. Patrick's Day weekend, I promise it will be one that you will find yourself going back to... too often. I made this first months ago and still to this date, find myself reaching for some matcha, mango juice, whiskey, and chilled club soda when I want an easy happy hour at home situation.
Let me know what you think if you have a chance to make it! Cheers! :)
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INGREDIENTS
1/4 teaspoon of culinary-grade matcha powder
3 oz of mango Maaza (or your favorite mango juice)
2 oz of Japanese whiskey (I used Suntory)
4.5 oz of chilled club soda (newly opened I found works best)
Ice
Dehydrated lime slice, optional for garnish
DIRECTIONS
Begin by placing your matcha and mango juice in the glass.
Use a frother or a spoon to make sure the matcha is thoroughly combined and there are no clumps in your glass.
Then, add your whiskey and chilled club soda into a highball glass.
Add ice and stir to make sure everything is combined. I love using a metal straw for this drink specifically!
Last but not least, garnish with a dehydrated or fresh lime slice. Enjoy immediately!
~ Serves 1
Notes
For this recipe, I recommend using a culinary-grade matcha powder. If all of you have is ceremonial grade, feel free to use that for this recipe. It'll work as well even if the flavor of the matcha will be a bit more pronounced.
I mentioned this above, but the trick to a good whiskey highball at home is a chilled, newly opened bottle or can of club soda. A lot of Japanese bars use a machine to make sure it's extra cold and bubbly and the best way to ensure we get the same results at home is to use a bottle that has been chilled for as long as possible before serving AND newly opened.
The preferred ratio for a whiskey highball is 2:1 - ensuring that there is exactly twice as much mixer as there is whiskey. To balance out the matcha and mango juice, I added 0.5 oz more but feel free to add exactly 4 oz of club soda if you prefer to stick to the rules.
If you don't have a handheld frother, you can opt to mix everything other than the club soda of course in a shaker or mason jar first. Once shaken up, you'll just need to add it to a highball glass and top it with club soda and ice.
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