The whiskey highball is the plainest expression of the highball family: a measure of whiskey lengthened with cold soda water over ice in a tall glass, built for refreshment and easy drinking. Its lineage runs through the late-1800s scotch-and-soda — variously tied to New York bartender Patrick Gavin Duffy and to a railroad signal slang for a clear track — and it found a second life in Japan, where Suntory promoted the highball as a modern alternative to beer and sake. Crisp, low-proof, and endlessly adjustable to taste.
Garnish: Lemon Peel
built · Highball · Cubed
build
Fill a highball glass with cubed ice.
add
Pour the whiskey over the ice.
top
Top with chilled soda water (roughly two to three parts soda to one part whiskey).
stir
Stir gently once or twice to combine without knocking out the carbonation.
garnish
Express a lemon twist over the surface and drop it in (optional).