Highballs

Highballing classic cocktails

Words by Simon Difford

Two comments by Mr Highball himself, Jörg Meyer, "you can highball any cocktail", and "a highball is a short drink made long" left me wanting to try highballing previously short classic cocktails.

Mint Julep – The Kentucky Highball

Glass: Highball
Garnish: Mint leaves
Method: Throw first five ingredients with ice. Strain into a chilled glass, fill with ice and top off with Schweppes 1783 Muscovado.

20 ml Rye
30 ml Bourbon
2.5 ml crème de menthe
2 dash Angostura
1.25 ml Muscovado sugar syrup
10 mint leaves
Top with Schweppes 1783 Muscovado

By Mihai Ostafi and Ali Ali from Oriole Bar and yours truly at The Cabinet Room in London.

Presidente Highball

ency 44 image

Glass: Highball
Garnish: Orange zest twist
Method: Fill a mixing glass with first four ingredients, add ice and stir briefly. Double strain into chilled glass, add ice and top off with Schweppes 1783 Muscovado.

30 ml Rum
10 ml Cointreau
15 ml Dry vermouth
1.25 ml Grenadine
Top with Schweppes 1783 Muscovado

By Mihai Ostafi and Ali Ali from Oriole Bar and yours truly at The Cabinet Room in London.

Hemingway Highball

ency 16 image

Glass: Highball
Garnish: Caramelised grapefruit slice and mint leaves
Method: Shake first five ingredients and strain into a chilled glass, fill with ice and top off with Schweppes 1783 Muscovado.

5 ml Luxardo Maraschino
5 dash Bob's Bitters (preferably Bob's Daiquiri Bitters)
50 ml Rum
7.5 ml freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
7.5 ml freshly squeezed lime juice
Top with Schweppes 1783 Muscovado

By Mihai Ostafi and Ali Ali from Oriole Bar and yours truly at The Cabinet Room in London.

Sazerac – New Orleans Highball

ency 43 image

Glass: Highball
Garnish: Lemon zest twist
Method: Build first six ingredients into a chilled glass, fill with ice and top off Schweppes 1783 Muscovado, stir briefly then serve.

1.25 ml Muscovado sugar syrup
3 dash Peychaud's
3 dash Angostura
1.25 ml Absinthe
30 ml Cognac
20 ml Sazerac rye whiskey
Top with Schweppes 1783 Muscovado

By Mihai Ostafi and Ali Ali from Oriole Bar and yours truly at The Cabinet Room in London.

Godfather Highball

Glass: Highball
Garnish: Lemon zest twist caramelised on both ends to resemble a tie.
Method: Build ingredients in a glass, fill with ice and top off with Schweppes 1783 Muscovado.

45 ml Scotch whisky
10 ml Amaretto
10 ml Lagavulin scotch whisky
Top with Schweppes 1783 Muscovado

By Mihai Ostafi and Ali Ali from Oriole Bar and yours truly at The Cabinet Room in London.

Vesper Highball

ency 83 image

Glass: Highball
Garnish: Lemon zest twist
Method: SHAKE first 3 ingredients with ice and strain into ice-filled glass. TOP with salty lemon tonic.

30ml London dry gin
15ml vodka
15ml Lillet Blanc
Top with Schweppes 1783 Salty Lemon Tonic

Created in June 2018 by yours truly with Dmytro Grypachevskyy and Lucian Obreja from L'Ortolan, the Michelin Starred restaurant in Reading, Berkshire. Due to the quinine in the Kina Lillet used in the original Vesper, highballing a Vesper with tonic water really appealed to me and the result, something of a G&T and Vesper lovechild, was indeed both delicious and refreshing.

Corpse Reviver No. Long

ency 83 image

Glass: Highball
Garnish: Orange zest twist
Method: SHAKE first 5 ingredients with ice and strain into ice-filled glass. TOP with Salty Lemon Tonic.

15ml London dry gin
15ml Triple sec liqueur
15ml Lillet Blanc
15ml Freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 dash Absinthe
Top with Schweppes 1783 Salty Lemon Tonic

Created in June 2018 by yours truly with Dmytro Grypachevskyy and Lucian Obreja from L'Ortolan, the Michelin Starred restaurant in Reading, Berkshire.

Largo Margarita

ency 86 image

Glass: Highball
Garnish: Lemon & lime wheels on rim
Method: SHAKE first 5 ingredients with ice and strain into ice-filled glass. TOP with salty lemon tonic.

15 ml Reposado tequila
15 ml Mezcal
15 ml Freshly squeezed lime juice
15 ml Triple sec liqueur
5 ml Agave syrup
60 ml Schweppes 1783 Salty Lemon Tonic

Created by Jayson Jansen van Vuuren and Callum Whitehead from Liquid Chefs and yours truly at The Cabinet Room in London.

Margarita is a Spanish girls name, so it seemed that the elongated highballed version of this classic cocktail should be called "Largo", Spanish for long. Due to its traditionally salty rim and the Mexican custom of adding salt to drinks, Schweppes 1783 Salty Lemon Tonic was a natural choice of carbonate. Remembering a Margarita session with Tomas Estes where we found that 50% lime and 50% lemon juice made a great Margarita, I also liked the lemon notes that the tonic contributes. The finished Largo Margarita is one of the tastiest Margaritas I've encountered and a particularly refreshing version of the drink.

Cosmic Fizz

ency 71 image

Glass: Highball
Garnish: Orange zest twist
Method: SHAKE first 4 ingredients with ice and strain into ice-filled glass. TOP with tonic and briefly stir.

30 ml Citrus vodka
15 ml Triple sec liqueur
7.5 ml Freshly squeezed lime juice
22.5 ml Cranberry juice
60 ml Schweppes 1783 Light Tonic

Created by Jayson Jansen van Vuuren and Callum Whitehead from Liquid Chefs and yours truly at The Cabinet Room in London.

Highballing classic cocktails image 1
Welcome to Difford's Guide

All editorial and photography on this website is copyright protected

© Odd Firm of Sin 2024