Whiskey Highball

Both work, and they pull in different directions. Bourbon's corn sweetness stacks on top of the ginger ale's sugar, so cut the mixer back to about 90 ml. Blended Scotch stays leaner and drier. A peated Scotch will fight the ginger rather than sit with it.

It matters a lot. Ginger ale is sweet and mild, closer to a soft drink than a spice. Ginger beer is brewed, thicker and genuinely hot on the finish, and it will take over a 45 ml pour of Irish whiskey. Use ale here and save the beer for a Mule.

Warm glass, not enough ice, and stirring. Fill the glass to the rim with cold cubes, pour the whiskey first, then run the ginger ale down the side of the glass. One slow lift with a bar spoon is all the mixing it needs.

The opposite. A glass packed with ice melts slower than three lonely cubes, because the cubes shield each other and the drink drops to temperature faster. Half-empty glasses are how highballs turn watery. Big cubes beat small ones for the same reason.

A classic Whiskey Highball calls for 45 ml (1.5 oz) Irish whiskey, 120 ml (4 oz) Ginger ale. That single-serve spec scales cleanly — the recipe above converts it to oz and multiplies it for 2–4 drinks.

A standard Whiskey Highball is roughly 11% ABV once mixed (before ice melt softens it further). That makes it a relatively light, sessionable drink — similar in strength to a beer.

A Whiskey Highball is built directly in the glass over ice — no shaker required. Add the ingredients in order and give it a brief, gentle stir.