While there’s a place for intricate, multi-ingredient cocktails, sometimes a simpler sip is what’s called for. And there’s no better class of drinks for the job than the highball. A straightforward formula of liquor poured into a carbonated beverage over ice, it’s a refreshing — yet aromatic — sling. Plus, it can be reinterpreted into a wide array of forms.
Sure, you can work to perfect the ideal ratio for a Japanese whisky highball, but don’t miss out on the appeal of an easy whiskey fizz. The cocktail mixes together lemon juice, sugar, soda water, and blended whiskey to craft an extra carbonated, endlessly sippable affair. Its lemonade-like composition is relatively straightforward to craft, but there is one useful tip to keep in mind.
That tip is to reach for superfine sugar for the cocktail, since it’ll more readily dissolve in cold water. Also called caster or baker’s special sugar, it’s composed of broken down granulated crystals. If you don’t have any on hand, you can make it yourself. Just place granulated sugar in a food processor or blender for a few minutes. Then, you’ll have a batch ready to shake up into several rounds.
Employ superfine sugar for a vibrant whiskey fizz
As part of the highball family, the whiskey fizz is similar to an array of classic drinks, like the John Collins, and whiskey soda, which is a slightly different whiskey highball. A similar palate can also be achieved by making an easy cocktail of lemon soda mixed with whiskey. However, mixology is all about keeping an eye on the details — so if you want to achieve that extra bubbly pop, you should construct carefully.
The fizz drink category, which also includes gin and tequila builds, is all about drinkability. To achieve this, you need to blend the flavors, so combine the booze, sugar, and lemon in a shaker beforehand, pour over ice and then top with the soda water. Since you’re shaking, you’ll need to make sure that sugar gets mixed thoroughly, hence the necessity for the superfine variety.
Using bartenders’ beloved sugar syrup is a workaround, but it doesn’t possess quite the same quality and is more syrupy. Superfine sugar lends added vibrancy of flavor, to make the whiskey fizz all the more lively and refreshing. It’s these small details that elevate a good whiskey cocktail to a great one.
