It’s Christmas time yet again (seems to happen every year by my calculations), which means trying to shoe-horn some of my favorite spirits into cocktails that help me feel festive. In this case, I’m throwing some delicious local gin into a highball for some carbonated, spice infused cranberry apple goodness that I call a Christmas Gin Highball. My wife calls it “not her thing”.
What Is A Highball Cocktail?
So I define a highball as any cocktail that is served over ice in a tall glass like the above picture, typically utilizing a source of carbonation, in this case club soda. I suppose a classic Gin & Tonic would also qualify, although they have become so ubiquitous that they’re kind of their own thing. But I digress. A highball usually contains a spirit, a juice or sweetener of some sort, and the soda. They’re extremely refreshing, and I usually pound these suckers like it’s my job in the summer.
What Makes This A Christmas Gin Highball?
To add some seasonal flair to this cocktail, I added some apple cider, cranberry juice, and some delicious homemade clove syrup. It ends up having a very pronounced apple/cranberry flavor and that wonderful clove-y warmth on the back end. The Christmas Gin Highball is a perfect cocktail for those that enjoy gin year-round.
How To Layer A Cocktail So The Colors Separate
While this looks super fancy and difficult, it’s actually really freakin easy. When you build the cocktail, just throw the cider, gin, and syrup in with the ice right in the glass and stir it up. The cider and syrup are so thick, the club soda will sit on top when you add it in. After that, just hold a barspoon (or regular spoon) over the glass and pour a tiny bit of cranberry juice very slowly over it. It’ll gently mix with the club soda, but is still thin enough that it will sit on top of the syrup/spirit/cider mixture.
Christmas Gin Highball Recipe
- 2oz gin
- 2oz apple cider
- 1oz clove syrup
- .5oz cranberry
- ~3oz club soda (to top it off)
Add the gin, cider, and syrup to highball glass 3/4 filled with ice. Stir to combine. Next slowly pour the club soda until you have about 1/2″ of glass remaining. Hold a bar spoon over the glass and gently pour a tiny bit of cranberry juice over the top and watch it trickle down through the soda. Freakin cool. Now stir it up after snagging a pic for the gram and drink that bish.