Whiskey Highball

By
Colleen Graham
Photo of Colleen Graham
Colleen Graham
Freelance writer and cocktail book author Colleen Graham is a seasoned mixologist who loves sharing her knowledge of spirits and passion for preparing drinks.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 06/19/22
Tested by
Tom Macy
Photo of Tom Macy
Tested by Tom Macy
Tom wears many cocktail hats. He is a professional bartender, bar owner, recipe creator, and drink writer, though he prefers the title "obsessive cocktail nerd."
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Classic highball cocktail in a glass with ice

The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck
Prep: 3 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 3 mins
Serving: 1 serving
Yield: 1 cocktail
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
191 Calories
0g Fat
16g Carbs
0g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories 191
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 13mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 16g 6%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 16g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 5mg 0%
Iron 0mg 2%
Potassium 3mg 0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

The whiskey highball is a simple, classic, and popular way to enjoy your favorite whiskey. This recipe is one that every aspiring bartender should know, and it is quite simply, whiskey and ginger ale. That makes it very easy to memorize. And you don't even really need to mix it, because the carbonation of the soda naturally mixes in the alcohol.

This tall mixed highball drink is a refreshing way to enjoy any style of whiskey. Blended, bourbon, Canadian, and rye whiskeys all work very well. If you pour Irish whiskey, you'll have a drink called the Irish buck (sometimes called whiskey ginger).

The highball was originally mixed with plain soda water in the late 1800s, but ginger ale is the most common mixer used today. The soda's sweet and snappy flavor is a nice accent to whiskey and ginger ales can vary. Between the two ingredients, you can create a nearly endless array of tastes, which is one of the reasons it's so popular.

This mixed drink, however, should not be confused with the class of drinks called "highballs," which include most tall drinks that combine a shot of a base spirit and one or two nonalcoholic mixers—think of timeless combos such as rum and Coke. To take it a step further, the word "highball" is also used when referring to the tall glasses that these drinks are served in.

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Click Play to See This Classic Whiskey Highball Recipe Come Together

"The highball is probably the simplest drink you can make and the most satisfying. A high-quality mixer makes a big difference, so be sure to measure it. Or at least have a sense of how big your glass is. A 16-ounce water glass is probably too big!" —Tom Macy

Whiskey Highball in a glass with ice
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces whiskey

  • 4 to 6 ounces ginger ale, or club soda, to taste

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Classic whiskey highball ingredients gathered

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  2. Fill a highball glass with ice.

    Highball glass filled with ice

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  3. Pour the whiskey into the glass.

    Whiskey poured into glass with ice

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  4. Top with ginger ale. Serve and enjoy.

    Whiskey topped with ginger ale in a glass

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

Recipe Variations

If you're looking for a refreshing way to drink your favorite whiskey, there are many common drinks that follow this formula of whiskey and soda in a highball glass.

  • With a bottle of ginger ale, you can make a Mamie Taylor with scotch and add a little lime juice.
  • For a drink that's just as sparkling but not quite as sweet as the highball, try the Presbyterian, which cuts the ginger ale with club soda.
  • When you want to get a little more complex, go for the Irish gold: Irish whiskey, peach schnapps, and orange juice. 
  • A classic favorite is the one and only John Collins, a mix of bourbon, lemon juice, simple syrup, and club soda.
  • It's very similar to the whiskey fizz, which opts for sugar over syrup and is generally made with blended whiskey.
  • One of the easiest highballs is the branded Seven and Seven: Seagram's 7 Crown Whiskey and 7-Up.
  • When you want to take your whiskey to the drier side, mix up the leprechaun. With Irish whiskey and tonic water, it's an excellent dinner companion.
  • The Japanese love a highball at dinnertime and in social settings. They make it with fine attention to detail, mixing Japanese whiskey with sparkling water.

How Strong Is the Highball?

The highball can be a very light drink, and that's why it is ideal for happy hour. It all depends on how much soda and whiskey you pour.

For example, if you pour an 80-proof whiskey and follow the recipe as given, your drink would have an alcohol content of about 9 percent ABV (18 proof). Then again, if you double up on the whiskey, opt for a high-proof whiskey, or pour less ginger ale, the drink can almost double to 18 percent ABV. 

Why Is It Called a Highball?

Cocktail origin stories are sometimes difficult to sort out, and the highball falls into that category. The drink emerged in the late 1890s, and several sources indicate that bartenders in England called whiskey drinks "balls," and tall or "high" glasses were used for such drinks. Another theory says the name comes from a 19th-century railroad signal. When the ball was high or raised on the signal post, the train could pass through without stopping. In "The Joy of Mixology," Gary Regan writes that the drink mimics the train signal that it was time to go: two short whistles followed by one long one, as the drink consists of 2 ounces of whiskey and a long pour of ginger ale or soda.