Highball

This article is about the type of mixed alcoholic drink. For other uses, see Highball (disambiguation).

Sheet music cover for a 1915 song by William J. McKenna celebrating the drink

A highball is a mixed alcoholic drink composed of an alcoholic base spirit 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, screwdriver (a.k.a. vodka and orange juice), fernet con coca , and rum and Coke (a.k.a. Cuba libre with the addition of lime juice). A highball is typically served over ice in a large straight-sided highball glass or Collins glass.

Highballs are popular in Japan, where the term haibōru (ハイボール) is synonymous with a whisky and soda (rather than an umbrella term for assorted mixers). Shōchū is used to make chūhai (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 have come from early railroad signals with raised globes meaning "clear track ahead", i.e., "you're good to go". ^{[1] [2]}

History

Initially, the most common highball was made with Scotch whisky and carbonated water, ^[3] known simply as a Scotch and soda.

See also

• Liquor portal

• List of cocktails

References

1. Bianculli, Anthony J. (2001). Trains and Technology: The American Railroad in the Nineteenth Century. Vol. 4: Bridge and Tunnels Signals. University of Delaware Press. p.  134. ISBN   0-87413-803-5.
2. "In Railroading, A 'Highball' Means You're Good To Go". NPR . 2004-10-03. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
3. "The 'Scotch Highball'" (PDF). The New York Times. March 25, 1904. p. 8.