Here’s How to Make Keanu Reeves’ Favorite Cocktail From the Acclaimed Bar High Five in Tokyo

Pedro WolfeMar 6th, 2023, 2:42 pm

Keanu Reeves showered praise on a smoky mezcal-green tea cocktail he was served at the acclaimed Bar High Five in Tokyo. Here’s what’s in it. (Photo: Press Association via AP Images)

During a Reddit “ask me anything” thread over the weekend, actor Keanu Reeves professed his love for motorcycles, typewriters, Japanese whisky, and an all-time favorite cocktail he tried on a trip to Japan.

“I was recently in Tokyo working, and was taken to a bar owned by a master cocktail maker named Ueno-san called High Five and he made some kind of sublime concoction with a smoky mezcal and green tea and some mysterious sweet liqueur, chilled. Oh my god,” said Reeves.

Bar High Five, headed up by the renowned Hidetsugu Ueno, is a frequent sighting on the World’s Best Bars list year after year. Inconspicuously tucked away in the basement of an office building in Tokyo’s upscale Ginza district, High Five has established itself as a go-to travel destination for cocktail enthusiasts worldwide.

Best known for Japanese whisky and dry gin cocktails, High Five has gained viral traction in recent years for its signature Instagram-friendly ice diamonds.

Though Bar High Five claims to have no menu (“no concept is our concept” once remarked owner Ueno), commenters on Reddit speculated that Reeves had been served a variation of the House Special Ceremony.

According to the High Five website, the Ceremony is made with J’s Whisky, Matcha Green Tea Liqueur, Green Tea Liqueur and Homemade Matcha Green Tea Bitters.

Most likely, the bartender substituted in smoky mezcal in place of whiskey for the special guest. Other commenters speculated that Reeves may have been mistaken.

“Mezcal has its smokiness in common with good scotch, so it’s possible that the whiskey in the Ceremony is scotch and Keanu is misremembering. But who would ever doubt Keanu’s memory?”

Whether with whisky or mezcal, the Ceremony isn’t too difficult too make at home. If you’re willing to stock up on all its special ingredients (listed below), then you can sip on Keanu’s favorite cocktail without making the pilgrimage to Japan.

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Pedro Wolfe

Pedro Wolfe is an editor and content creator at The Daily Pour with a specialty in agave spirits. With several years of experience writing for the New York Daily News and the Foothills Business Daily under his belt, Pedro aims to combine quality reviews and recipes with incisive articles on the cutting edge of the spirits world. Pedro has traveled to the heartland of the spirits industry in Tequila, Mexico, and has conducted interviews with agave spirits veterans throughout Mexico, South Africa and California. Through this diverse approach, The Daily Pour aims to celebrate not only tequila but the rich tapestry of agave spirits that spans mezcal, raicilla, bacanora, pulque and so much more.