Some cocktails take a lot of work. There can be juicing, shaking, stirring, and straining in even the most classic of recipes like the negroni or margarita. More intense drinks involve making custom syrups and infusions which take even more effort. And while I think the juice is usually worth the squeeze for these drinks, sometimes you just want something quick and delicious.
Personally, that’s usually when I grab a beer or open bottle of wine, because I love both of those things. But, ever since we went to Japan last summer, I’ve been making and enjoying highballs much more. They’re easy to make to fit the season, so I’ll be talking about a few of my favorites that fit winter over the next few weeks.
Context
At it’s core, the highball is just about watering-down booze. Humans have probably been doing that since we realized what booze was, so a highball, at least in concept, almost certainly predates the cocktail by centuries (if not millennia…).
The Scoth & Soda is (probably) the original highball that would have actually been ordered at a bar. In fact, whisky and soda is so ubiquitous with the category at this point that it’s synonymous in Japan.
There’s no fixed ratio for any highball as none are “official” cocktails, but there’s always more sparkling mixer than spirit. The insurgence of trendy sparkling beverages, from craft sodas to fancy tonics to hip sparkling water, make adding additional flavor to a base spirit easier than ever.
Nothing in this category is as helpful on the quest to a flavorful, cheap, quick drink as La Croix. With 21 different flavors, 9 of which are usually available at Costco, it does wonders to add pure flavor to a spirit without adding a ton of sugar (which can be delicious, but not with Scotch…).
Making the Drink
This is the very easy part (even less than a flask cocktail)!. I start with a tall glass filled with ice to get it cold (as always), and then I add 2 ounces of the spirit.
I’m using Talisker Skye here, which is a smoky, fruity Scotch without being extremely peaty. It’s not available in the US, but it’s common and cheap duty-free if you fly through Heathrow any time soon.
Then, I add ~4 ounces of Tangerine La Croix. This is my favorite La Croix flavor because it has all of the essence of fresh citrus without any hint of artificial flavoring that you get in the orange or a bit too much acid you get in the pamplemousse.
I usually add a citrus peel, express it over the drink, and stir it all together. That’s it! I like drinking mine out of a metal straw because there’s so much ice in the drink.
Tasting Notes
You get the Scotch right away here, which is exactly what I want in a highball. Even if you’re watering down the booze, you want to know what the booze tastes like. You taste the sweetness and fruit notes immediately along with the smoke.
That gives way to the mild acidity and citrus notes in the La Croix as the drink finishes (you taste the bubbles most on the back of your tongue), so the fruit in the Scotch is amplified here which means you might like this drink even if you don’t like how deep and earthy Scotch can be.
On the finish itself, the drink is most obviously a blend of the two ingredients. The finishing candy-sweetness from the Scotch meets with the acid in the soda and it tastes a bit like a good orange-infused, high-cacao dark chocolate bite. I love it.
Riffs
There are, obviously, millions of them. I’ll be talking about more of my favorites on this blog about each month. If you really want a spruced-up Scotch & Soda but really dislike the tangerine La Croix, I recommend a simple lemon-infused sparkling water.