A staple among izakayas around the world, highballs are the perfect pick-me-up to properly end the day. However, the iconic drink consists of more than meets the eye.
The highball is considered by many to be one of the easiest cocktails to make, to the point of it being questioned by my editor if it’s actually a cocktail. But as anything on Earth, there’s an art to crafting it, and there are always little details you can pay attention to in order to make it the best experience you can get. This is why we went over to The Japanese Highball Bar 1923 Krung Thep for help.
The Japanese Highball Bar 1923 Krung Thep, named after the year the oldest whiskey distillery in Japan was established, is a local favourite and a must-visit when you’re in Thonglor. Visitors can grab a variety of their signature serves and cocktails, as well as great whiskeys on the rocks. As the name suggests, highballs are a very serious business for them.
[Hero and featured image credit: The Japanese Highball Bar 1923 Krung Thep/Facebook]
Along with their Chef Shinji Hara dishing out mouthwatering delicacies and an attentive team working behind the bar, the passion that fuels the identity of this place is their Chief Operating Officer “Sho” Shoichi Suzuki. With 15 years of experience in the alcohol industry across countries in Asia, he sure knows his way around a highball.
Working side by side with him is “Neung” Nanthawat Klinhom, a bar consultant with a decade of experience within the Thai bar industry, and winner of ROKU Japanese Craft Gin Takumi Competition 2019. His job is to ensure that each highball is up to the standard, and each little detail is not left unchecked—and he hasn’t disappointed us so far.
We honestly don’t know a better duo to ask about how to make the perfect highball.
Why highball?
“Highball is a culture,” Sho describes. “In Japan, you can go to any bar, any restaurant, and they can offer you one. When we finish work, we can relax by ordering a highball, or celebrate [an occasion] with a highball. Of course, in Thailand, you can easily get one at an izakaya, but we want to offer something different and high quality.”
“Everybody knows highballs—they’re very easy to make.” Neung adds, “After all, it’s whiskey and soda. However, there are a lot of details you need to look at in order to make a perfect highball.”
So what makes the perfect highball?
There are a lot of components to consider when making the drink, as each element influences the taste and texture. One of the major things to note is definitely ratio.
“The ratio between the whiskey and soda has to be just right.” Sho explains, “You don’t want it to be too diluted because you want to taste the whiskey, but if you make it too strong, it won’t be a highball—just whiskey with some soda poured in. We need to make a really nice balance between the two. Our signature features a 1:4 ratio [of whiskey to soda].”
In order to gain that balance, Sho chooses to use a special highly carbonated soda water, which is around 1.5x the strength of your usual bottled soda. Plus, the water used to make the soda is imported from Hokkaido, which has the level of softness very close to the one used in the process of distilling Japanese whiskey. This keeps it as authentic as possible.
The ice is frozen overnight before serving, and cut into pieces just right for the glass. If the ice is big enough for the glass, the temperature is kept cold for longer.
But one of the most important things is to not use the ice as soon as you get it out of the freezer. “These ice blocks [that just came out of the freezer] have white particles on the surface.” Sho says, “These reduces the carbonation when the soda comes in contact with it. That’s why we always make surface smooth ice before using it in a highball.”
“Plus, when you use this ice [with white particles], you can see the ice cracking as your pour in liquid.” Neung adds, “When that happens, the soda goes into the cracked bits of the ice. We want the carbonation to happen outside of the ice, not inside.”
Here’s the trick: if you pour in your soda and you can’t really see the ice, that means there are no cracks, and the highball is good to go.
“All the glasses are also chilled in the fridge before being used.” Sho elaborates, “In fact, every element is chilled before serving. Even the whiskey is sealed and chilled to make sure it’s cold as we’re pouring it into the glass.”
What kind of highball would you recommend?
“Depends on your preference.” Sho notes, “If you like the taste of whiskey, just order our standard, KAKU highball Signature serve. For a highball bar, that is the perfect highball for us, because it’s filled with just simple elements but with attention to detail.”
But if you don’t love the whiskey taste, there are many flavoured highballs and highball-based cocktails you can order.
Whether you’re a lover of highballs, or looking to explore what they’re all about, head to The Japanese Highball Bar 1923 Krung Thep. Treat yourself to one of their signature highballs, relax, and enjoy. Oh, and order that meatball katsu—it’s to die for.
The Japanese Highball Bar 1923 Krung Thep can be found in theCommons Thonglor, 335 Thong Lo 17 Alley, Khlong Toei Nuea, Watthana, Bangkok. They’re open from Mon-Fri, 5pm-12am, Sat-Sun, 12pm-2pm/5pm-12am. You can contact them via their Facebook and Instagram.
Vichayuth Chantan
Digital Writer, Drinks and Dining
Writer by day and skinny legend by night, Vichayuth focuses on the hospitality industry of Thailand. You'll often find him at a bar finding new friends, discovering new drinks, and silently judging you from across the room.
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