Esquire

Bartenders are putting a modern spin on this simple, elegant, and refreshing recipe to attract young imbibers. It’s working.

There’s no greater generational divide between millennials and Gen Z than alcohol consumption. According to Gallup data, young adults today are drinking less than young adults in prior generations. Mocktail menus are increasingly popular, and the market for low-ABV spirits is experiencing significant growth, mostly due to younger consumers. So what are they drinking when they do choose to imbibe? Long drinks—the most iconic of which is the highball.

When I hear highball, I picture a quiet Japanese listening bar playing smooth jazz in dulcet tones. But the highball actually has origins in the UK thanks to its predecessor, the Scotch and soda. In Japan, the cocktail is said to have grown in popularity when Suntory Whisky founder Shinjiro Torii opened a chain of Tory’s Bars that featured whisky highballs. In the U.S., an increased interest in Japanese-style bars, as well as booms in whisky and low-ABV and low-sugar drinks, fueled this wave.