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A classic whiskey highball is tall, bubbly, and all about the spirit, but you can play with the fizz if you like yours a little sweeter!
I like my whiskey a little bubbly, and the classic Whiskey Highball is a fizzy way to enjoy the flavors in each sip. While the original is a true classic, I love to experiment with cocktail standards, so I’ve come up with two variations.
One is the straightforward cocktail for whiskey lovers, and the other is a more balanced drink with sweeter notes. You don’t need cocktail shakers or fancy ingredients with either. Here’s how to make it both ways!
The classic version
A whiskey highball is part of the highball cocktails family, mixed drinks that combine alcohol with a larger percentage of a non-alcoholic mixer. Other famous highballs are the gin and tonic or vodka cranberry. The whiskey highball was born in the early 1900s and initially combined Scotch whiskey with soda water in a drink called the “scotch and soda.”
To stick to this cocktail’s roots, the ingredients you’ll need for a classic whiskey highball are:
- Whiskey (bourbon, rye, Scotch, or Japanese whiskey)
- Soda water
- Lemon, for garnish
Mix them together, and you’ve got a bubbly, refreshing mixed drink starring your favorite whiskey.
A sweeter version
I’ll be honest with you here. Mixing whiskey and soda water tastes like watered-down whiskey. It’s nothing like a Vodka Tonic, the light, citrusy vodka version of a highball. If you don’t love cocktails quite so whiskey-forward, you can try a different mixer.
Here’s a little breakdown on the bubbles I use in a whiskey highball:
- Soda water: Stick with soda water if you’re a whiskey lover! It’s a great way to appreciate the complexity of whiskey with no sweetness.
- Ginger ale or ginger beer: If you prefer more balanced drinks like the Whiskey Sour, try this drink with ginger ale or ginger beer. I like that it gives the drink some sweet notes to balance out the dry, spicy whiskey.
Playing with spirits
I think the whiskey highball should be made with whiskey, but some mixologists treat it as a template drink. If you want to tinker with the formula, test it out with other spirits.
Use a ratio of 2 parts soda water to 1 part spirit. Try a vodka highball, gin highball, tequila highball, or whatever strikes your fancy!
More highball cocktails
Highball cocktails happen to be some of the easiest mixed drinks around. After you make this whiskey highball, try these:
- Tom Collins: This tall drink is essentially a gin sour, a sweet and sour drink made with gin.
- Vodka Tonic or Vodka Soda: These two-ingredient cocktails are bubbly and citrusy!
- Gin Rickey: A tasty classic 1920s cocktail featuring gin, soda water, and lime.
- Sea Breeze: Laid-back and refreshing, it tastes just like its name: light and breezy.
- Americano: It’s bitter, complex, and bubbly all at once, starring Campari and vermouth.
- Moscow Mule: This ginger beer cocktail balances fizz with spicy notes of ginger.
Classic Whiskey Highball
Here’s how to make the classic whiskey highball: tall, bubbly, and all about the spirit! This cocktail is a refreshing way to enjoy your favorite whiskey.
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 2 minutes
- Yield: 1 drink 1x
- Category: Drink
- Method: Stirred
- Cuisine: Cocktails
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 2 ounces whiskey
- 4 ounces soda water (or ginger ale or ginger beer, for a sweeter spin*)
- Lemon wedge
- Ice, for serving (try clear ice!)
Instructions
- Fill a glass with ice. Pour in the whiskey and soda water and stir gently.
- Squeeze in the lemon wedge and serve.
Notes
*Soda water is the most traditional and is very spirit-forward. Ginger ale or ginger beer results in a more balanced drink because it adds sweetness.
More classic whiskey drinks
Whiskey is one of my favorite base spirits. Here are more of my favorite whiskey and bourbon cocktails:
- The Whiskey Sour pairs the liquor with lemon and simple syrup as a perfect combination.
- An Old Fashioned is the oldest cocktail there is, a truly timeless drink.
- The Whiskey Smash features lemon juice and mint as a citrusy spin on the Mint Julep.
- The New York Sour is a whiskey sour with a layer of red wine on top.
- A Brown Derby features grapefruit and honey syrup.
- The Paper Plane is a modern classic that mixes bourbon and Aperol.
- Milk Punch is a bourbon cocktail that’s cold and creamy.
- The Penicillin stars Scotch, honey, lemon, and ginger.
- A Vieux Carre is strong and sippable, featuring whiskey, Cognac, and vermouth.
- The Alabama Slammer is a retro highball cocktail full of fruity flavor.
- A Bourbon Sidecar is a variation on a classic sour that swaps brandy for bourbon.
If you use ginger ale (or beer) That’s not a highball