Highball Cocktails
Explore highball cocktails ranging from simple spirit-and-mixer combinations to citrusy, fruity and sparkling long drinks. Choose a recipe below to see the ingredients, measurements and step-by-step preparation.
See what you can make
Add the ingredients you have at home to My Bar and Drinks On Hand will show you which of these cocktails you can make right now — and which ingredients you’re still missing for the others.
Add ingredients to My Bar →Highball cocktail recipes
Chilcano
A refreshing Peruvian highball combining pisco, lime and ginger ale.
Dark 'n' Stormy
Dark rum layered over spicy ginger beer and lime.
El Diablo
A refreshing tequila highball combining crème de cassis, lime and ginger beer.
Gin & Tonic
Classic highball combining gin with crisp tonic water.
Harvey Wallbanger
A Screwdriver-style drink finished with herbal Galliano.
Long Island Iced Tea
A potent multi-spirit highball balanced with citrus and cola.
Matador
A tropical tequila cocktail combining pineapple juice and fresh lime.
About highball cocktails
Highball cocktails are tall mixed drinks typically served over ice. The style covers everything from simple combinations of a spirit and a carbonated mixer to more elaborate long drinks with citrus, fruit juice, herbs or additional modifiers. Their tall format and generous mixer component often give highballs a refreshing character.
What makes a cocktail a highball?
Highballs generally combine a spirit with a larger proportion of mixer and are served as a long drink over ice. Carbonated mixers are common: ginger beer gives the Moscow Mule and Dark 'n' Stormy their lively, spicy character, while soda water lengthens drinks such as the Mojito and Tom Collins.
Not every highball relies on carbonation. Fruit juice can also provide the longer, refreshing format. The Sea Breeze combines vodka with cranberry and grapefruit juices, the Bay Breeze uses cranberry and pineapple, and the Tequila Sunrise pairs tequila with orange juice and grenadine.
Highball cocktail styles to explore
For crisp and sparkling highballs, try the Moscow Mule, Dark 'n' Stormy or Paloma. These drinks use ginger beer or grapefruit soda to add both flavor and effervescence. The Cuba Libre takes another classic approach by pairing rum with cola and lime.
Fruit-forward highballs offer a different style. The Sea Breeze, Bay Breeze and Sex on the Beach use vodka with combinations of cranberry, grapefruit, pineapple or orange juice. For something more herbaceous, the Mojito and Mint Julep bring fresh mint into the highball format.