The Whiskey Highball Is Summer 2026's Easiest 2-Ingredient Cocktail: How to Make It (and 8 Bottles for It)
If there's one drink that defines how people are drinking whiskey in summer 2026, it's the highball. Two ingredients, thirty seconds, and a tall glass of something cold and effervescent that lets good whiskey shine without burying it. Bartenders call it the spirit of the "afternoon society" — lighter, lower-proof, daytime-friendly drinking — and it's the easiest cocktail you'll make all season. With the Fourth of July cookout two weeks out, it's also the perfect serve for a crowd: no shaking, no straining, no fuss.
The formula couldn't be simpler: a generous pour of whiskey over plenty of ice, topped with soda water (or ginger ale, or even a crisp lemon-lime soda), and a citrus twist. The magic is in the bottle you choose and how cold you keep it. Below are eight in-stock, ready-to-ship whiskeys built for the highball, from value mixers to a Japanese splurge — plus exactly how to build the perfect one.
Eight whiskeys for the perfect highball
How to make a whiskey highball
Fill a tall glass to the top with ice — more ice means less dilution, not more. Add 1.5 to 2 ounces of whiskey, then top with 4 to 5 ounces of chilled soda water. Give it one gentle stir (the bubbles do the mixing for you), express a lemon peel over the top, and drop it in. That's it. The single most important rule: everything must be cold before it hits the glass. A warm bottle and warm soda melt the ice and leave you with a flabby drink. Keep your mixer in the fridge and your glass in the freezer if you can.
The value mixers: built to pour all afternoon
The beauty of the highball is that it makes affordable whiskey taste like a million bucks, so this is no place to crack the special stuff. Bulleit Bourbon ($37.09) is the high-rye workhorse bartenders reach for — its peppery backbone cuts through soda beautifully and is even better with ginger ale. Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond ($38.09) brings a genuine 100 proof for the price of a value blend, so it holds its flavor even when stretched tall over ice. Four Roses Small Batch ($37.99) adds easy fruit-and-spice charm that plays nicely with a lemon twist, and for the absolute budget pour, Wild Turkey 81 ($28.99) is a softer, lower-proof Wild Turkey that practically begs to be lengthened with soda.
The smooth sippers: when you want it a little softer
Some whiskeys are made to be mellow, and they translate that gentleness straight into the glass. Maker's Mark ($37.09) is wheated and round, giving a highball a soft, almost honeyed edge that's lovely with a splash of lemon-lime soda. Legent Bourbon ($38.99) is a fascinating one for the format — it's a Beam-Suntory collaboration that marries Kentucky bourbon with Japanese blending know-how, so it was practically engineered for the highball, the serve the Japanese perfected. For a richer, slightly older pour that still mixes clean, Knob Creek 9-Year ($49.99) adds depth without turning heavy.
The rye and Tennessee route: for a drier, spicier glass
If you like your tall drink dry rather than sweet, reach for rye. High West Double Rye ($39.99) blends two ryes for a bold, baking-spice profile that is outstanding topped with ginger ale — a riff that's halfway to a Kentucky Mule. On the Tennessee side, George Dickel Bottled-in-Bond ($48.99) is a 100-proof, charcoal-mellowed sleeper that punches well above its price and stays crisp and clean in a highball. Both are versatile enough to anchor a whiskey sour or an Old Fashioned later in the evening, too.
The splurge: where the highball was perfected
The modern highball is a Japanese invention — in Japan, a "haibōru" of blended whisky and soda is the default after-work drink — so it's only right to include one Japanese bottle. Hibiki Harmony ($99.99) is a gorgeous, floral blended whisky that makes arguably the most elegant highball there is: delicate, honeyed, and impossibly smooth over ice. If you prefer a whisper of smoke, Hakushu 12 Year ($199.99) brings a gentle green, herbal peatiness that turns a simple soda highball into something memorable. These are special-occasion pours, but a highball is a wonderful way to enjoy them without losing the nuance.
Three ways to dress it up
The classic is whiskey and soda, but the highball is a template, not a rule. Swap the soda for ginger ale for a sweeter, spicier drink (rye and ginger is a classic for a reason). Use lemon-lime soda for a brighter, more sessionable cooler. Or go the cookout route and stretch your whiskey with iced tea and lemonade for something closer to a bourbon Arnold Palmer. Whatever you top it with, a fresh citrus twist is non-negotiable — that little hit of oil from the peel is what ties the whole thing together. For more warm-weather ideas, see our roundup of summer bourbon cocktails beyond the Old Fashioned.
Stock the bar for highball season
The highball rewards good, honest whiskey and plenty of ice, so order a versatile mixer or two and keep the soda cold. Browse the full bourbon collection for your everyday pour, the broader whiskey collection for rye and Tennessee options, or our best sellers for crowd-tested bottles. New to mixing whiskey at home? Start with our best bourbons for beginners guide, then build yourself something tall and cold. It's summer — keep it simple.
