Great to see Johnnie Walker launching a campaign to make whisky Highballs the next big thing in bars around the world. It’s a great idea and long overdue.
The campaign will hit ‘trendsetting cities’ around the globe, using digital, in-bar and in-store experiences to highlight the Highball.
It will focus on pairing Johnnie Walker with mixers containing one of five key flavours: peach, lemon, green tea, elderflower and ginger.
My personal favourite here is the ginger, which, when coupled with a matching whisky, makes a steamy day in the tropics worth living. Sipping that long, cool cocktail makes a hard day in the heat that much more bearable.
The campaign forms part of Johnnie Walker’s continuing efforts to popularise the Highball. The five flavours were chosen with a view to both making whisky more accessible to non-whisky drinkers, and encouraging bartenders to create their signature versions of the cocktail.
A good Highball is refreshing, delicate and dry, but can have a subtle complexity to it.
As with all things whisky, the perfect Highball is a personal thing. Blended whiskies are most popular but single malts can work too.
One hot afternoon last week I had a satisfying Bulleit bourbon Highball made with sarsaparilla in the Century bar at Gleneagles.
I was amazed how good it was as I’m not a fan of the evil root.
There are many ways to enjoy Bulleit bourbon, but this is the only way to enjoy sarsaparilla.
I’m all for the Highball making a comeback.
Enjoy!