A highball is a
mixed alcoholic drink composed of an alcoholic base
spirit
Spirit or spirits may refer to:
Liquor and other volatile liquids
* Spirits, a.k.a. liquor, distilled alcoholic drinks
* Spirit or tincture, an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol
* Volatile (especially flammable) liquids, ...
and a larger proportion of a non-alcoholic
mixer, often a carbonated beverage. Examples include the
Seven and Seven,
Scotch and soda,
gin and tonic
A gin and tonic is a highball cocktail made with gin and tonic water poured over a large amount of ice. The ratio of gin to tonic varies according to taste, strength of the gin, other drink mixers being added, etc., with most recipes calling f ...
,
screwdriver
A screwdriver is a tool, manual or powered, used for turning screws. A typical simple screwdriver has a handle and a shaft, ending in a tip the user puts into the screw head before turning the handle. This form of the screwdriver has been repla ...
(a.k.a. vodka and orange),
fernet con coca
''Fernet con coca'' ( or , "Fernet and Coke"), also known as fernando, its diminutive fernandito (), or several other nicknames, is a long drink of Argentine origin consisting of the Italian '' amaro'' liqueur fernet and cola, served over ice ...
,
Tom Collins
The Tom Collins is a Collins cocktail made from gin, lemon juice, sugar, and carbonated water. First memorialized in writing in 1876 by Jerry Thomas, "the father of American mixology", this "gin and sparkling lemonade" drink is typically serv ...
, and
rum and Coke
Rum and Coke, or the Cuba libre ( , ; literally "Free Cuba"), is a highball cocktail consisting of cola, rum, and in many recipes lime juice on ice. Traditionally, the cola ingredient is Coca-Cola ("Coke") and the alcohol is a light rum such ...
(a.k.a. ''Cuba libre''). A highball is typically served over ice in a large straight-sided
highball glass
A highball glass is a glass tumbler that can contain . It is used to serve highball cocktails and other mixed drinks. An example size is diameter by in height.
A highball glass is taller than an Old Fashioned glass (lowball), and shorter and ...
or
Collins glass
A collins glass is a glass tumbler which typically will contain . It is commonly used to serve sparkling cocktails, especially long drinks like the Tom Collins or John Collins. Its cylindrical shape, narrower and taller than a highball glass, ke ...
.
Highballs are popular in Japan, often made with
Japanese whisky
Japanese whisky is a style of whisky developed and produced in Japan. Whisky production in Japan began around 1870, but the first commercial production was in 1923 upon the opening of the country's first distillery, Yamazaki. Broadly speaking, t ...
as a haibōru (ハイボール), or mixed with
shōchū as a
chūhai
, an abbreviation of "shōchū highball" (焼酎ハイボール), is an alcoholic drink originating from Japan.
Traditional chūhai is made with barley shōchū and carbonated water flavored with lemon, but some modern commercial variants ...
(チューハイ). Various mixers can be specified by suffixing with -hai (〜ハイ), as in
oolong highball (ウーロンハイ, ūron-hai).
Etymology
The name may refer to the practice of serving drinks in
tall glasses, on the
dining cars of trains powered by steam locomotives, where the engine would get up to speed and the ball that showed boiler pressure was at its high level, known as "highballing". Alternatively, the name may have come from early
railroad signals with raised globes meaning "clear track ahead".
History
Initially, the most common highball was made with
Scotch whisky and
carbonated water,
known simply as a '
Scotch and soda'.
See also
*
List of cocktails
References
{{Lists of beverages
Cocktails
Lists of cocktails