Food - Drink
Highball Vs. Whiskey Soda: Is There Really A Difference?
BY LAUREN CAHN
A highball refers to a spirit-and-soda cocktail served over ice in a tall, slim highball glass often comprised of just whiskey and soda the two ingredients that make up a "whiskey soda." This may lead one to wonder if there’s a real difference between the two.
Differentiating between the two could boil down to your definition of a highball, which some, like Difford’s Guide, believe is any "short drink served tall." Still, others might invoke history to point out that despite current variations, when the highball recipe was first conceived it was as a whiskey soda.
The main difference that most people can agree on is that the highball is crafted to be slightly more distinguishable from your basic whiskey and soda. From the proportion of whiskey to soda, the shape of ice, glass temperature, and various garnishes a highball goes beyond the level of aiming a soda gun into any old glass of whiskey on ice.