The highball is one of the most straight-forward cocktails in the book. Simply combine one part spirit with two parts soda and throw in an ice cube — your cocktail is served. While it may look ‘easy’, there is more to the highball than meets the eye. The drink’s format allows plenty of creative space for bartenders to experiment with different spirits, mixers, and garnishes.
Hospitality covers highball options at Moku and The White Horse in Sydney, and Molly in Canberra.
The first record of the highball can be traced back to 1895 in The Mixicologist, a book written by US barman Chris F. Lawlor who worked at Burnet House in Cincinnati. The recipe for the ‘High Ball’ listed syphon seltzer, a lump of ice, and a one-half jigger of brandy or whiskey served in a thin ale glass. Iterations of the cocktail continued to pop up in the years following, which typically featured whiskey as well as scotch and brandy.
The highball format experienced a surge of popularity when it was adopted by Suntory in Japan. Owner Shinjiro Torii opened a string of Tory’s bars during the 1950s and ’60s, which served highballs made with Suntory whisky topped with soda water. Highballs went on to become synonymous with post-work drinks and remain popular at izakaya bars across the globe.
Fast-forward to 2024 and the highball largely still revolves around whisky. Charles Chang from Japanese bar Moku believes it’s a cocktail that can help guests become acquainted with the dark spirit. “A highball is the best way to discover different whiskies,” he says. “The highball dilutes the whisky to an enjoyable alcohol level to avoid burning tastebuds and extend the flavours.”
Moku serves a range of Japanese whiskies, which are available as both nips or in a highball. While Chang admits whisky is his go-to spirit for the cocktail, he also uses shochu, gin, Sherry, and wine-based aperitifs such as Lillet Blanc across the seasonal highball menu.
Moku is currently offering a Tomato Salad highball which features bush tomato shochu, kabosu, umeboshi tomato water, kombu dashi, and tomato stem soda. “It’s inspired by Japanese whole cherry truss tomatoes pickled with umeshu and dashi vinegar — [it’s] a super refreshing, umami, herbaceous, and low-ABV [drink],” says Chang.
The drink is served in a cold highball glass with a long, Collins-style ice cube and tomato leather garnish. “I personally love the plummy, umami, and refreshing [qualities of the] drink. It’s a perfect first drink before moving to a whisky highball.”
Highballs are popular at Moku, especially the yuzu option which is made with yuzu juice, marmalade, and shochu. The team are big fans of the format, which allows bartenders to develop different flavour combinations while educating guests on the nuances of Japanese whiskies. “We have been experimenting with local bush food, Japanese herbs, and flavoured soda waters with various CO2 pressures.”
Wintour Phelps from Molly reaches for whiskey when creating a highball. “You can call me biased, but whiskey is the answer,” says the venue manager. “Whiskey is one of the broadest categories of spirits around today and there really is something for everyone.”
Phelps also believes the cocktail is a more approachable option for guests who may not know much about whiskey or usually enjoy it. “Whiskey brings bold flavours that can stand up well to other elements in the drink. It brings its own complexities. I’m particularly fond of bourbon, but won’t pass up a great single malt either.”
The cocktail list at Molly is an extensive one — Phelps cites hundreds of options — many of which are highballs. The venue manager has recently been favouring American-style highballs such as the Bodega Buck which teams bourbon with Amontillado Sherry, ginger, lime, Angostura bitters, and soda. The gin-based Chinatown Ricky (gin, Fino Sherry, lime, sugar, mint, and soda) has also been on rotation. “Both offer vastly different drinking experiences but are equally enjoyable,” says Phelps.
Over at The White Horse, Michael Chiem and the team are using the highball format for a zero-proof option. “We look at non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks in a similar way,” he says. “Highballs are a vessel to showcase flavours in a simple way, although it requires a keen eye for balance.”
The White Horse’s highball features a combination of Seedlip Spice, wild honey, and a pepper berry and quandong soda made in-house. “We extract the flavours over a few hours with some gentle cooking alongside some complementary spices and citrus peels,” says Chiem. “The mixture is then strained finely, which is key to great carbonation, and then chilled before it’s combined with Seedlip Spice, honey for body, and citrus to balance.”
For Chiem, the highball is a chance to showcase the vibrant flavour profiles of two of his favourite native ingredients. “Quandong brings a beautiful, earthy, peach iced tea flavour,” he says, “while pepperberry can be likened to an aromatic cross between allspice and cloves. It has a really beautiful numbing sensation to it.”
While simple to put together, the highball is a vessel for creativity. “When made well, even the simplest of highballs have a great story to tell,” says Chiem. “It should let the main ingredients shine in a subtle, refreshing, and uplifting way and make you want to keep coming back for more.”
The ever-growing list of spirits, sodas, and fresh ingredients that can be used in cocktails means the drink can cater to a wide range of guests, too. “Highballs are cocktails that combine easy drinking with a variation of flavours,” says Phelps. “There really is a highball for everyone — you just have to ask your bartender.”
