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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.

Whiskey highball
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Here’s a refreshing way to drink your favorite whiskey: the classic Whiskey Highball! This two-ingredient cocktail originated around the turn of the 20th century and it’s still popular to this day. Why? It’s so easy to make: no cocktail shakers or fancy ingredients required!

This bubbly drink is beyond simple and we love it as an intriguing way to enjoy the flavors in a sip of whiskey. It has two variations: one straight classic for whiskey lovers, and one as a more balanced drink. Here’s how to make it both ways!

What’s in a whiskey highball?

A whiskey highball is part of the highball cocktails family: mixed drinks that combine alcohol with a larger percentage of non-alcoholic mixer. Other famous highballs are the gin and tonic or vodka cranberry. The whiskey highball was born in the early 1900’s and initially combined Scotch whiskey with soda water, called “scotch and soda.” The ingredients you’ll need for whiskey highball are:

Mix them together, and you’ve got a bubbly, refreshing mixed drink starring your favorite whiskey. If you’re a whiskey lover, you’ll prefer it with soda water. More great whiskey mixers? Go to What to Mix with Whiskey.

Whiskey highball with lemon slice and bourbon bottle

Use soda water, ginger ale or ginger beer

What does mixing whiskey and soda water taste like? In truth: like watered down whiskey. It’s nothing like a Vodka Tonic: the vodka version of a highball that tastes light and citrusy. Here’s a little breakdown on the bubbles to use in a whiskey highball:

  • Soda water: Use 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. It gives it more sweet notes to balance out the dry, spicy whiskey.

Want more drinks with ginger ale or ginger beer? Try Classic Ginger Ale Cocktails or Ginger Beer Cocktails Worth Making.

Whiskey highball

Make a whiskey highball with any spirit

Some people consider the whiskey highball as a template drink: you can use it as a template to make a highball using any spirit! To us, the whiskey highball should be made with whiskey. But! You can also tinker with the formula and make a highball with any spirit.

Use the ratio 2 parts soda water to 1 part spirit. Try a vodka highball (though we like the vodka tonic), gin highball, tequila highball…whatever strikes your fancy!

Other famous highball cocktails

There are lots of other famous highball cocktails: which happen to be some of the easiest mixed drinks around. After you make this whiskey highball, consider trying:

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Classic Whiskey Highball

Highball cocktails
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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.

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • 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

Scale
  • 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

  1. Fill a glass with ice. Pour in the whiskey and soda water and stir gently.
  2. 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.

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More classic whiskey drinks

Love whiskey? Us too. Here are some of our favorite whiskey drinks (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 is classic cocktail that’s tangy and refreshing, featuring lemon juice and mint (like a citrus spin on the Mint Julep).
  • The New York Sour is a whiskey sour and float 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 bourbon cocktail that’s cold and creamy, and works for brunch or evening.
  • 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 the classic sour cocktail that swaps brandy for bourbon.

About the authors

Alex & Sonja

Hi! We’re Alex & Sonja Overhiser, authors of the acclaimed cookbooks A Couple Cooks and Pretty Simple Cooking—and a real life couple who cooks together. We founded the A Couple Cooks website in 2010 to share seasonal recipes and the joy of home cooking. Now, we’ve got over 3,000 well-tested recipes, including Mediterranean diet, vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, smoothies, cocktails, and more!

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  1. Sunshine says:

    If you use ginger ale (or beer) That’s not a highball