THE ANATOMY OF A HIGHBALL
As hotter months beckon, the highball is without doubt one of the best and most refreshing serves to succeed in for, day or night time.
The highball is a straightforward cocktail consisting of a spirit and a mixer served in a tall, ice-filled glass. Whereas not solely whisky-based, highballs are mostly made with whisky, excelling at making the spirit much more approachable throughout a wider vary of events and occasions of day.
So why do one? What makes one? How are you going to make our favorite one? We’re handing the reins over to our Whiskymaker (and award-winning bartender) Michael for all of the solutions…
WHY DO A HIGHBALL?
Once we create a highball at Compass Field, it’s much less about guidelines and extra about flavour. Primarily we’re getting down to both lengthen the whisky, subtly soften its depth, or complement its profile. A mixer can spotlight what’s already occurring within the whisky, or coax out nuances which may not be obvious while you drink it neat.
The selection of highball mixer opens up countless potentialities. Actually nice high quality water provides texture; soda or glowing water brings effervescence and generally salinity and mineral elements; inexperienced tea delivers freshness and tannins; and coconut water offers you sweetness, notably with a smoky peated whisky.
Like chef James Sharp talked about lately with food and drinks pairings, each the whisky and the mixer have to convey one thing to the desk. You may soften the whisky to create area for the flavours, or attempt to distinction and evolve its profile with shared compounds, aromatics or fruits. Ginger, for instance, does this effectively because it’s an actual enhancer, particularly for warming, spicy notes.
THE ORCHARD HOUSE HIGHBALL
For me, Orchard Home’s inherent stability makes it ideally suited for a highball as it may lead you in lots of instructions. It possesses a dominant fruit profile, with an outlined construction and depth, however you continue to have a beautiful honeyed shortbread, malty high quality and trace of citrus.
A fruity mixer will naturally complement its character, whereas a fragile zest of lemon over soda will render it extremely refreshing. Each approaches will brighten the whisky whereas nonetheless connecting you to the flavour profile.
The essential factor to remember is basically your ratio of whisky to mixer. For the standard-size highball glass, with ice, I’d counsel 40ml of Orchard Home somewhat than a full double shot as some discover it a bit too boozy at 50ml. Once more, have a play.
RECIPE: CLASSIC PEAR HIGHBALL
Straightforward to make – very simple to get pleasure from – our Basic Pear Highball has a crisp, layered brightness with only a contact of sweetness.
INGREDIENTS
40 ml Compass Field Orchard Home
10 ml Pear Eau de Vie
10 ml Sugar Syrup
20 ml Lemon Juice
20ml Apple Juice
Soda Water
METHOD
Pour the primary 5 elements into an ice-filled highball glass. Prime with soda water, stir, and add a garnish of pear slices.
