Over the years, I’ve realised that I can no longer drink like I did back in university, when I enjoyed the comforts of a limitless metabolism and an apparent immunity to hangovers.
Where I used to down with gusto ungodly concoctions of vodka and whatever mixers we had on hand — including, on one occasion, a sachet of powdered milk tea — it no longer takes very much for my liver to cry uncle.
So these days, I prefer lighter drinks: fancy cocktails, fizzy G&Ts, fruit-flavoured soju.
Basically, stuff that won’t have me dry-heaving over a toilet bowl by 10pm.
For the record, I’m not a lightweight.
I’m just cautious.
Discovering the highball
That’s why when my colleague Berlinda reached out to me, asking if I’d like to spend an afternoon drinking highballs together, I had mixed feelings.
While I’m always up for an opportunity to drink on the company’s tab, a quick Google search informed me that a highball is essentially a spirit-soda, typically mixed with whiskey.
That’s a drink I tend to avoid, because of aforementioned reasons. Plus, it would’ve been pretty embarrassing to black out in front of a colleague.
But Berlinda assured me that it wouldn’t be that bad.
The highballs we would sample were Jim Beam highballs: a mixture of Jim Beam bourbon whiskey, soda, ice, and a lemon slice.
They also came in a whole bunch of flavours, including yuzu, sour plum, and popcorn (????).
What can I say? I’m a sucker for fun, novelty flavours.
Trying out the highballs
The afternoon of our work-approved drinking sesh dawned bright and hot — as usual.
Fortunately, at Gudsht — the neon-lit Cineleisure bar we’d be sampling the highballs at — we were quickly greeted with an array of perfectly-iced drinks.
Our drinks, ft. my colleague doing a quick email check while waiting.
In total, we were presented with eight flavours to sample:
- Classic
- Osmanthus yuzu
- Yuzu
- Pink Grapefruit
- Sour plum
- Popcorn
- Black peach tea
- Lychee
Note: In the interest of our jobs and long-term health, we didn’t finish every single highball. Please drink responsibly.
The classic was the first one we tried, and I could immediately see the appeal.
Refreshing and light, it was served with plenty of lemon and ice, which made it Berlinda’s favourite of the lot. “Because I like citrusy drinks,” she explained.
Pictured with her favourite highball, the classic.
Next was the pink grapefruit.
Despite its bright pink colour, it didn’t taste too strong or artificial, with just the right amount of fruitiness to make it extra-refreshing.
The osmanthus, black peach tea, and lychee flavours came next. They looked pretty similar visually, and tasted quite similar too — perfect for people who enjoy light, subtly sweet floral flavours.
We then sampled the yuzu and popcorn highballs.
I immediately decided that the yuzu was my favourite: the sweet-and-sour citrusy flavour cut right through the smokiness of the whiskey, making it almost too easy to drink.
Me, hogging the yuzu highball.
The popcorn highball was a pleasant surprise. Truth be told, it seemed the most out there of the lot, and I was prepared to be disappointed by an artificial-tasting flavour — or worse, no popcorn flavour at all.
But sure enough, it tasted like freshly-popped popcorn, with its characteristic caramelly sweetness.
It even smelled like popcorn, somehow.
Last but not least was the sour plum.
Perfectly tart and sweet, it tasted like the preserved sour plum snack of my childhood, transmogrified into a cocktail.
The result: a nostalgic drink that warmed me from inside out. In more ways than one.
Reflections
It’s apt to note that despite drinking for a good part of the afternoon, I never felt dizzy or nauseous.
I did, however, feel pleasantly buzzed: just enough for the conversation to flow more easily, but not so much that I felt the need to cancel my evening plans and collapse into bed after.
Or to puke all over my lovely colleague.
At risk of sounding like I enjoy alcohol a bit too much, a light drink like the Jim Beam highball really does go a long way to make social gatherings a little easier and more enjoyable — especially for a socially-inept introvert like myself.
But it’s hard to find a drink that is tasty, refreshing, and that won’t leave me incapacitated.
The Jim Beam highball, however, seems to hit that sweet spot.
It doesn’t hurt that it’s easy to make and mix with other flavours, making it a great party drink.
Either way, I can definitely see myself reaching for a highball whenever I’m in a social situation and just want to loosen up a bit.
Like at our next office gathering. (Human Resources, take note.)
Try it for yourself
Curious about how it tastes IRL? Jim Beam is giving out 8,000 free highballs this June at selected outlets.
You can redeem your first highball for free, and even choose from the flavours available at the outlet of your choice.
More details here.
Writing this Jim Beam-sponsored article opened this writer’s eyes to the world of popcorn-flavoured alcohol.
Photos by Ilyda Chua and Berlinda Ang