At bar Norva on the 9th floor of InterContinental Sapporo (Sapporo, Hokkaido), guests can now build their own highball together with Nikka Whisky in a new experiential event called Nikka Highball Paradise, which began on Saturday, August 1.
The theme of Nikka Highball Paradise is "a special drink all your own." Guests freely combine whisky, mixer, flavor, and garnish to create an original highball, a new style of highball experience.
At Norva, while watching the view shift from dusk to a glittering night skyline, guests can encounter a highball unlike their usual one.
A highball is a simple combination of whisky and soda, which is exactly why the choice of whisky, mixer, and aroma changes its character so dramatically.
Nikka Highball Paradise offers eight kinds of whisky, including a wide lineup of Nikka Whisky; eight kinds of mixer, such as soda and tonic water; eight kinds of flavor, including lemon juice, lime juice, and fruit syrup; and eight kinds of garnish, such as lemon, orange, mint, and sansho pepper, for guests to choose from.
The Standard plan offers more than 4,000 combinations, and the Premium plan more than 6,000, letting guests craft a drink to match their mood and taste on any given day.
A step beyond the usual highball — the experience invites guests to enjoy free combinations and find their own "best drink."
Four Steps to Build Your Own Highball
Nikka Highball Paradise uses a dedicated order sheet for customizing each highball.
Step 1 is "whisky": guests select a base whisky from a lineup that includes Nikka Frontier, From the Barrel, and Super Nikka.
Step 2 is "mixer": choices include strong carbonated soda, premium natural sparkling water, ginger ale, tonic water, cola, and Co-up Guarana (コアップガラナ), a soda beloved in Hokkaido.
Step 3 adds "flavor," ranging from standards like lemon, lime, and orange to distinctive options such as yuzu, ginger, umami, and hinoki (Japanese cypress).
Step 4 finishes the drink with "garnish," such as lemon, lime, mint, sansho pepper, or cardamom, completing a highball that's entirely one's own.
The flavor and aroma shift widely depending on the whisky, ingredients, and combination chosen, so guests can enjoy the differences between each glass while discovering their own preferences. The dedicated order sheet lets guests record a different combination each time.
Discovering Your Own Taste, One Combination at a Time
Part of the enjoyment of this experience is trying a different combination with each glass and comparing them, discovering whisky characteristics and personal preferences guests may not have known before. For those unsure which combination to choose, a "Bartender's Choice" option is also available, leaving everything from whisky to garnish to the bartender, who proposes a pairing for that particular glass.
While the Standard plan offers more than 4,000 combinations, guests who want to explore a wider range of whiskies can choose the Premium plan, which includes Yoichi, Miyagikyo, and Taketsuru among its selections. The Premium plan expands the possibilities to more than 6,000 combinations, letting guests enjoy each whisky's individual character alongside new pairings of mixer and aroma.
One Shared Experience for Both Drinkers and Non-Drinkers
Nikka Highball Paradise also offers a "Non-Alcohol Highball Paradise," giving guests who don't drink alcohol the same enjoyment of choosing their own combination.
Built on a base of three kinds of non-alcohol whisky, it offers more than 1,500 combinations by freely pairing mixer, flavor, and garnish.
Whether or not they drink alcohol, guests can enjoy a new kind of highball experience at Norva, overlooking Sapporo's night view — choosing freely, tasting, and discovering.
Nikka Highball Paradise Overview
Period: From Saturday, August 1, 2026
Hours: 5:00 PM to 11:00 PM (last order 10:30 PM), two-hour seating
Location: InterContinental Sapporo, 9F, "Norva"
Plans:
- Standard — ¥4,500 per person (two-hour free-flow): Enjoy an original highball of your own from more than 4,000 combinations.
- Premium — ¥8,500 per person (two-hour free-flow): Freely combine carefully selected premium whiskies and special ingredients to create a signature highball from more than 6,000 combinations.
- Non-Alcohol — ¥4,500 per person (two-hour free-flow): Enjoy more than 1,500 combinations of three kinds of non-alcohol whisky with mixer, flavor, and garnish.
Reservations
Reservations can be made through the reservation site. Walk-ins are also welcome.
Images are for illustrative purposes only.
