“I love a Japanese highball,” declares Stacey Swenson, who puts a seasonal variation of the simple cocktail on every menu at Dante. “Even though the base spirit is whiskey, it still feels like an aperitif,” she says. For this late-summer variant, she calls on a number of Japanese ingredients from umeboshi vinegar to plum cordial, a common ingredient in Japanese cuisine, for a subtle update to the familiar Japanese whisky highball.
Japanese Plum Highball
Stacey Swenson, Dante | New York
Ingredients
Serving: 1
- 1 1/2 ounces whisky, preferably Suntory Toki
- 1/4 ounce Becherovka
- 1/4 ounce plum cordial (see Editor's Note)
- 5 dashes umeboshi vinegar
- sparkling water, to top
Garnish: shiso leaf
Directions
- Combine all ingredients, except the sparkling water, in a highball glass over an ice spear or Kold Draft ice cubes.
- Stir to integrate.
- Top with sparkling water.
- Garnish with shiso leaves.
Editor's Note
Plum Cordial:
6 chopped ripe red plums
2 cups water
2 cups white sugar
Combine plums, water and sugar in a pot. Cook for ten minutes on medium heat until plums are semi-soft. Blend all ingredients. Strain.