Courtesy Jamie Webb, co-owner, Strangeways, Brooklyn, NY
If there’s any drink that absolutely, positively can’t be screwed up, it’s the highball. The template is an ounce or two of a core spirit, often whiskey, and a nonalcoholic mixer, either effervescent or still. It doesn’t get any simpler or more flexible.
“I’ve been taking any spirit I have on hand and dumping a can of LaCroix on it,” says Willey. “Bubbly water on anything is pretty wonderful. I have mezcal, Tequila, whiskey. A highball is such a lovely, refreshing thing. It always surprises me.”
The drink is so accommodating that he often lengthens it as he goes with more sparkling water as he sips. It creates what he refers to jokingly as “an infinity highball.”
At Brooklyn’s Strangeways, co-owner Jamie Webb uses fresh Granny Smith apple juice to give the “Sigh of Relief” highball a vibrant bright-green hue and zingy flavor.
“Everything works in it,” he says. Here are some ideas:
- Use spiced rum, vodka or gin instead of whiskey.
- Try nonalcoholic cider and a squeeze of lemon instead of fresh-pressed juice from Granny Smiths.
- Top it up with club soda or ginger ale for a lower-alcohol afternoon sipper.
Sigh of Relief Highball
Last Updated: June 1, 2023
Ingredients
Directions
Scoop ice into highball glass. Pour in whiskey and apple juice. Serve with straw. Fan out apple slices and secure with toothpick, then balance on edge of glass to garnish.
