10 Highball Recipes Every Man Should Know

A cocktail is a mixed drink that contains at least one base spirit and a modifier (liqueurs, bitters, fortified wines) mixed with something to give the cocktail a little flavor, such as another spirit, fruit juice, etc.

A highball, on the other hand, is much more basic. It’s a single spirit and a non-alcoholic mixer, and rather than being built in a shaker or a mixing glass, they’re typically assembled in the very vessel in which you’ll drink it. The name comes from the first highball ever created – the scotch and soda in the 1890s. A bartender in New York City placed a serving of whiskey (a ball) in a tall glass (high), and covered in with ice and club soda. Done.

Last month, I shared the magic ratio for making great highballs every time: 4 oz of mixer, 1.5 oz of spirits. That post included a promise for a list of ten essential drinks that every guy should commit to memory, to add to those “ingredients in the name” drinks like gin and tonic, whiskey and ginger, etc.  

To make it easier to keep on hand, I decided to whip up a free downloadable sheet. You can keep one on your fridge, in your liquor cabinet, on your bookshelf, in your glove compartment for a quick reference if you wanna impress someone on a date night… Whatever you like.

There are two ways to snag your copy:

• It’s available on the “Fan Downloads” tab on the ManMade Facebook page (you’ll just need to “Like” us first)
• You can sign up for the ManMade newsletter, which we sent out every month-ish. It’s got all kinds of good stuff, and we promise we won’t sell your address or spam you. Ever. 

If you have any favorite recipes to share (I have a friend who swears by Jack Daniels and Orange Crush soda), let us know in the comments below.