Aussie bars Scout, Maybe Sammy, Icebergs, Bar Margaux and Capitano have come together to champion the Johnnie Walker Highball.
Diageo has kicked off new campaign that sees the Sydney and Melbourne bars concoct signature highball cocktails.
Darren Leaney from Capitano said: “We’ve seen an increasing interest in the whisky Highball cocktail over the last few months, it’s the perfect drink for guests seeking depth of flavour, which a blended Scotch Whisky like Johnnie Walker provides, while also being curious about ingredients and flavour profiles.
“We’re so excited to be working alongside some incredible bars in Australia to bring back the highball and show prospective whisky drinkers what Johnnie Walker brings to the table.”
The highball has been around since the 1800s and got a second lease of life in Japan about 60 years ago when Japanese whisky began to take off.
Features of the highball are whisky, soda and ice, with temperature and carbonation levels being regarded as being vitally important in Japanese bars.
Icebergs has created the ‘Walking on Thin Ice’ (above) using Johnnie Walker Black Label, bergamot syrup, verjus, pastis and soda garnished with frozen bergamot skin.
Scout is bringing the ‘Papaya Don’t Preach’ (below) to Surry Hills; a combination of Johnnie Walker Black Label with tea tree distillate, pluot soda and papaya cordial, served with papaya glass.
Maybe Sammy in Sydney’s CBD has designed the ‘Johnnie & Flamingo’ (below), a mix of Johnnie Walker Black Label, citric acid, Peychaud’s Bitter, coconut syrup and house made tropical soda served with a flamingo straw and a kaffir lime leaf.
Newly opened Bar Margaux in Melbourne has created the ‘Tall, Dark and then Some’ (below), a cocktail using Johnnie Walker Black Label, lemon juice, simple syrup, Pommeau de Normandie, Absinthe and soda served with a mortello cherry and a lemon slice.
Capitano in North Melbourne has crafted the ‘Leatherwood Highball’ (below) using Johnnie Walker Black Label, leatherwood and barley cordial (leatherwood honey, barley tea, lactic acid, bergamot tincture), filtered water and saline solution with an orange slice.
Melissa Maidment, Marketing Manager for Johnnie Walker, said: “It’s no secret that the classic gin and tonic has seen global popularity for a while now, but what we’re noticing of late is a real growing appetite for whisky Highball cocktails.
“Where previously whisky drinkers preferred drinking the dark spirit served neat or on ice, we’re now seeing a new breed of whisky explorers who are seeking a more creative and refreshing serve.
“Our new global campaign aims to inspire prospective and new whisky drinkers to try something new and discover the possibilities of blended Scotch Whisky. The cocktails designed by the venues are creative masterpieces in their own right, and we’re so excited to have brought together an ensemble of hospitality heavyweights to showcase the true potential of Johnnie Walker.”
Over the next few months, the Johnnie Walker campaign will utilise disruptive out-of-home, digital, experiential, on- premise, PR and in-store activations to showcase the new Johnnie Walker Highball collection.
