If you’re paying attention to the cocktail world lately, you might have noticed an increase in the number of Highballs and Long Drinks on bar menus. This tall drink style comes in many different forms. Some are simple and some are elaborate. All flavorful and noteworthy.
But what exactly is this style of mixed drink, and why is it trending? Keep scrolling as we take a deep dive into the rise of the Highball and Long drink in the contemporary mixology world.
What are Highballs?
I’ve been lucky enough to write about alcohol for almost twenty years. In that time, I’ve imbibed more Highballs than I’d like to count. It’s a classic drink style that often gets confused as a cocktail, but if you’re going by definition, it’s not the same thing. In fact, it’s a drink style all its own.
To be categorized as a cocktail, the drink must be made with a spirit, a sweetener like simple syrup, and a bitter or sour element. A Highball, on the other hand, is simply a base spirit with an alcoholic mixer (often carbonated). That’s it.
“Think simple, but ubiquitous pairings like the tried and true Gin & Tonic, 7 & 7, or Rum & Coke,” says Steve Groom, General Manager & Beverage Director for Costera in New Orleans.
The success of this formula is its simplicity: take the liquor you like and tone it down. The highball invites us to take it easy.
“If you have a boozy base spirit, like rum, whiskey, or even Fernet, add a cola. Vodka, Scotch or Japanese Whisky? Add club soda to dilute or ‘lengthen’ it. Even a lower-proof bitter aperitif like Campari or Aperol takes on a different attitude in a highball or Spritz. Enjoying brunch? Maybe you’ve heard of a Bloody Mary,” Groom says.
“A highball is, in its simplest form, alcohol that has been lengthened by soda water,” adds Rob Scott, head bartender at Almanac in Philadelphia.
Whisky & Soda seems like the purest form of expression of the Highball. But you can get so much more complex with it.
“It has the ability to really highlight different flavors of the underlying spirit simply by lowering the overall ABV and adding a very lightly acidic flavor via carbonic acid in the CO2 that is in sparkling water (or soda),” says Scott.
“Unlike cocktails such as Sours, which balance spirits with citrus and sweet ingredients, or classics like the Dry Martini, Highballs are built around refreshment and balance,” adds Andrey Bolshakov, Beverage Director at NAHATÉ Dubai.
As we mentioned, the Highball is most often served in a “long or “tall” more accommodating glass similar in size to a pint glass. In fact, if all you have on hand are pint glasses, use them to make your Highballs. We won’t tell anyone.
Why are they gaining in popularity lately?
According to Groom, it owes its recent uptick in popularity to a few different things. It’s light on the palate, lower in alcohol thanks to the large percentage of mixer, effortlessly customizable, and very easy to make.
“Many drinkers today are conscious of the benefits lower-proof options offer,” he says. “While non-alcoholic options are a must in bar programs everywhere in 2025, there should be plenty of options between ‘no-proof’ and high proof.”
“This isn’t restricted to bars and restaurants — Highballs are easy to make at home, at parties, or wherever you want, so long as you can keep them cold.”
Highballs tend to, first and foremost, be easy drinkers and appeal to someone who is potentially intimidated by a lot of ingredients (in the case of a simple 1&1 such as Rum & Coke, for example).
“It’s highly reliable to be enjoyable and be a drink with a relatively low skill floor to make properly, so you know at any bar you’re going to get a good one, and for those drinking at home, it’s simple to make, says Scott.
What are some popular Highball drinks?
There are a handful of well-known Highball drinks. These include the iconic Gin & Tonic, Vodka Tonic, and of course the Whiskey Highball. The latter can be made with bourbon, single malt Scotch, or any other whiskey.
“One of the most famous Highballs is the Whisky Highball,” says Bolshakov. While you can make this drink with any of the aforementioned whisk(e)y styles, the classic version is most well-known for its use of Japanese whisky.
“Japanese whisky paired with highly carbonated soda has become so popular that vending machines at metro stations even sell ready-to-drink canned Whisky Highballs in different proportions: 1:2, 1:3, or 1:4. In contrast, in Western culture the Vodka Soda has recently risen to prominence. Its appeal lies in being light, crisp, and low in sugar, additives, or other elements that weigh heavy on the body.”
But there are more Highballs than just those already mentioned. Many of which come from different parts of the world, proving that the Highball is truly a global drink style.
“Mexico brings us the Paloma (tequila, lime and Squirt Grapefruit Soda), which you can make a ‘fresh’ version, but honestly, Squirt or Jarritos Grapefruit just hit different, as well as the Batanga (Tequila, lime, cola, and mandatory salt rim),” says Scott.
“Argentina has the ever-divisive Fernet con Coca, which is a Fernet Branca and Coca-Cola highball. The divisiveness really comes from those who enjoy and don’t enjoy Fernet, and for the Argentinians, the ‘proper’ ratio of Fernet Branca to Coca Cola, and they would know, they drink nearly 80% of the world’s supply of Fernet Branca.”
