What Did You Drink Last Night?

[Annixter]

Currently sipping on a highball (whiskey and ginger ale). Here's a conundrum for thought:

Living on the West Coast and prior to my stint in Buffalo, every decent bartender I came across called a gin and tonic a highball. For a good while gin and tonics were at the top of my soda-cocktail list. While in Buffalo, I found the best watering hole of my life with a seasoned, vintage-loving bartender, and when I ordered a highball, he gave me a whiskey and ginger. My bartender's book defines a highball as any liquor mixed with soda. So do we have a West Coast-East Coast variation in terminology, or are bartenders simply confused? No matter what, this drink's hitting the spot.

 

[Annixter]

A few Sierra Nevada Pale Ales after a long day.

A nice choice. While you will find Sierra Nevada on tap in just about every bar in my neck of the woods next to some excellent micro brews (Speakeasy Brewery out of San Francisco comes to mind), I still find myself ordering a Sierra every now and then.

 

[O'Sully]

WT 101
My favorite everyday bourbon

 

[jamespowers]

Currently sipping on a highball (whiskey and ginger ale). Here's a conundrum for thought:

Living on the West Coast and prior to my stint in Buffalo, every decent bartender I came across called a gin and tonic a highball. For a good while gin and tonics were at the top of my soda-cocktail list. While in Buffalo, I found the best watering hole of my life with a seasoned, vintage-loving bartender, and when I ordered a highball, he gave me a whiskey and ginger. My bartender's book defines a highball as any liquor mixed with soda. So do we have a West Coast-East Coast variation in terminology, or are bartenders simply confused? No matter what, this drink's hitting the spot.

It should be a whiskey and ginger ale cocktail by definition. Then again, I am a purist as a bartender so….

 

[dnjan]

It should be a whiskey and ginger ale cocktail by definition. Then again, I am a purist as a bartender so….

Growing up in the Midwest, my Aunt made "highballs" which were whiskey-based. Can't remember which clear mixer she used.

 

[jamespowers]

Growing up in the Midwest, my Aunt made "highballs" which were whiskey-based. Can't remember which clear mixer she used.

Moonshine?

 

[dnjan]

Moonshine?

Not that far south.

 

[jamespowers]

Not that far south.

Darn!

 

[1mach1]

It should be a whiskey and ginger ale cocktail by definition. Then again, I am a purist as a bartender so….

I agree. That is what I have always considered as a Highball.

 

[dnjan]

Currently sipping on a highball (whiskey and ginger ale). Here's a conundrum for thought:

Living on the West Coast and prior to my stint in Buffalo, every decent bartender I came across called a gin and tonic a highball. For a good while gin and tonics were at the top of my soda-cocktail list. While in Buffalo, I found the best watering hole of my life with a seasoned, vintage-loving bartender, and when I ordered a highball, he gave me a whiskey and ginger. My bartender's book defines a highball as any liquor mixed with soda. So do we have a West Coast-East Coast variation in terminology, or are bartenders simply confused? No matter what, this drink's hitting the spot.

Perhaps there are more paranoid drinkers on the west coast? If one were paranoid, it would be preferable to have a clear drink in a clear glass in order to not have one's vision impaired while drinking (at least not before the drink is consumed).

 

[BGC1963]

Perhaps a newbie may shed a little light on this subject. A highball is a glass. Also known as a Collins glass. Any drink of liquor and a mixer (ice is optional) served in a highball/Collins glass may be called a highball. Google it.

 

[dh66]

I'm trying the Holland 1839 Lager from Aldi tonight because they were out of the German pilsener that I normally buy from there. It's really good beer for the price.

 

[SurfGent]

Jim Beam Black 8 year old and Sprecher brand soda, PUMA KOLA. I get these ingredients at my local BEVMO. Just a higher end version Jack and coke

 

[Annixter]

It should be a whiskey and ginger ale cocktail by definition. Then again, I am a purist as a bartender so….

I'm there with you; what the heck is a vodka martini?

Perhaps there are more paranoid drinkers on the west coast? If one were paranoid, it would be preferable to have a clear drink in a clear glass in order to not have one's vision impaired while drinking (at least not before the drink is consumed).

If there isn't some danger of dying, it's not worth drinking it.

Perhaps a newbie may shed a little light on this subject. A highball is a glass. Also known as a Collins glass. Any drink of liquor and a mixer (ice is optional) served in a highball/Collins glass may be called a highball. Google it.

I humbly disagree with this reasoning for a couple reasons; first, a Collins glass is of a smaller diameter than a highball glass, so the two aren't synonymous by traditional standards. Second, I believe a highball glass was named after the drink--not the other way around. To put my understanding in action, if you place stout in a Pilsner glass, you'd error in calling the stout Pilsner.

 

[Annixter]

It should be a whiskey and ginger ale cocktail by definition. Then again, I am a purist as a bartender so….

So here's something for you. I felt like digging around and found a website with some great PDF scans of vintage/antique bartending books. Approved Cocktails (1937) calls out a "highball" recipe as "1 glass any spirit, liqueur, or wine desired; fill glass with syphon water or split of soda water; Ginger Ale can be used if preferred." American Bar (1904) has only a "White Label 'Highball'" recipe as a mixture of Dewar's "white label" whiskey and soda water. The Artistry of Mixing Drinks (1936) calls out a group of highballs made with either brandy, peach brandy, gin, whiskey, rum, or bacardi mixed with syphon or Schweppes soda water. My 1997 Mr. Boston calls out a gin and a whiskey highball as a mixture of either spirit with ginger ale or club soda. Here's that website for those interested--free downloads.

So my conundrum continues because while I've read in newer books that a highball is a mixture of spirits and soda water or ginger ale, and now I've read in serveral vintage books similar info, I've almost always had a highball defined as whiskey and ginger ale by humans--not books--of the vintage inspiration/generation. I wonder if convention quickly evolved to know a highball as whiskey and ginger and the books simply didn't stay parallel to convention, whereas one would order whiskey and soda or gin and soda rather than calling either a highball?

 

[1mach1]

what the heck is a vodka martini?

A what?

 

[1mach1]

So here's something for you. I felt like digging around and found a website with some great PDF scans of vintage/antique bartending books. Approved Cocktails (1937) calls out a "highball" recipe as "1 glass any spirit, liqueur, or wine desired; fill glass with syphon water or split of soda water; Ginger Ale can be used if preferred." American Bar (1904) has only a "White Label 'Highball'" recipe as a mixture of Dewar's "white label" whiskey and soda water. The Artistry of Mixing Drinks (1936) calls out a group of highballs made with either brandy, peach brandy, gin, whiskey, rum, or bacardi mixed with syphon or Schweppes soda water. My 1997 Mr. Boston calls out a gin and a whiskey highball as a mixture of either spirit with ginger ale or club soda. Here's that website for those interested--free downloads.

So my conundrum continues because while I've read in newer books that a highball is a mixture of spirits and soda water or ginger ale, and now I've read in serveral vintage books similar info, I've almost always had a highball defined as whiskey and ginger ale by humans--not books--of the vintage inspiration/generation. I wonder if convention quickly evolved to know a highball as whiskey and ginger and the books simply didn't stay parallel to convention, whereas one would order whiskey and soda or gin and soda rather than calling either a highball?

You are on to something there. I never hear anyone these days order a highball. They usually just call out the spirit and mixer, as you stated. Scotch and soda, bourbon and ginger, etc.

 

[jamespowers]

So here's something for you. I felt like digging around and found a website with some great PDF scans of vintage/antique bartending books. Approved Cocktails (1937) calls out a "highball" recipe as "1 glass any spirit, liqueur, or wine desired; fill glass with syphon water or split of soda water; Ginger Ale can be used if preferred." American Bar (1904) has only a "White Label 'Highball'" recipe as a mixture of Dewar's "white label" whiskey and soda water. The Artistry of Mixing Drinks (1936) calls out a group of highballs made with either brandy, peach brandy, gin, whiskey, rum, or bacardi mixed with syphon or Schweppes soda water. My 1997 Mr. Boston calls out a gin and a whiskey highball as a mixture of either spirit with ginger ale or club soda. Here's that website for those interested--free downloads.

So my conundrum continues because while I've read in newer books that a highball is a mixture of spirits and soda water or ginger ale, and now I've read in serveral vintage books similar info, I've almost always had a highball defined as whiskey and ginger ale by humans--not books--of the vintage inspiration/generation. I wonder if convention quickly evolved to know a highball as whiskey and ginger and the books simply didn't stay parallel to convention, whereas one would order whiskey and soda or gin and soda rather than calling either a highball?

They are just wrong. No problem.

 

[jamespowers]

A what?

They need to call it something else----like a WRONG cocktail.

 

[1mach1]

They need to call it something else----like a WRONG cocktail.

I like that. Let's go with that name.