No Man's Land: A Melon and Whisky Highball

No Man’s Land: A Honeydew Cocktail

Name: No Man’s Land: A Honeydew Cocktail
Yield: 10
Cuisine: American

Recipe: Cisco Tavira , Raines Law Room , New York City

Photo: John Valls

June 30, 2025

Honeydew and lemongrass highlight the Japanese whisky in this refreshing highball.

Fresh, sweet honeydew melon and botanical lemongrass highlight the brighter characteristics of Japanese whisky without overpowering the spirit’s nuance in this refreshing highball created by bartender Cisco Tavira at Raines Law Room. “The No Man’s Land is meant to be light and bright,” says owner Meaghan Dorman. “The name refers to all the green elements, like walking into a rainforest that no one inhabits.”

Ingredients

2 oz. fresh honeydew melon juice
1 1/2 oz. blended Japanese whisky
3/4 oz. lemongrass syrup
1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice
Chilled club soda, to top

Tools:shaker, strainer
Glass:Collins
Garnish:melon ball

Preparation

Add the first 4 ingredients to a shaker with ice. Shake well, then strain into a Collins glass filled with fresh ice. Top with chilled club soda
and garnish.
Honeydew Melon JuiceSlice, seed, and chop a very ripe honeydew melon, reserving some melon balls for the garnish. Process the melon through a juicer, or purée in a blender and strain the liquid. Use immediately.
Lemongrass SyrupCombine 16 oz. of hot water with 23 oz. of sugar by weight and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Trim and chop 2 or 3 stalks of lemongrass, slicing pieces in half vertically. Infuse the lemongrass in the syrup for 24 hours, then strain and bottle for use within 1 month.