The gin & tonic, the whisky soda, and the rum & coke are all incredibly well-known two-ingredient highballs, and for good reason. They are simple, effective, and delicious ways to enjoy a good drink that even the laziest of home bartenders can execute well.
There are, however, many a two-ingredient highball that are lesser known for their polarising nature of “that shouldn’t work, but it does.” In fact, these highballs more often than not, are some of my favourites!
FERNET & COKE
This iconic highball goes by many names (Fernet con Coca, Fernando, Fernandito, 70/30, Bladis, and more) and is a firm favourite of many bartenders. The drink originates from Argentina, specifically the college town of Cordoba, where in the 1980s, college students would choose to drink it on their nights out. The drink gained traction owing to an advertising campaign from Fratelli Branca.
But how did an Italian amaro become a staple in Argentinian drinking culture? In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, there was a mass immigration of Europeans to Argentina, and Italian immigrants brought with them a taste of home in the form of the potent bittersweet profile of amari.
This 2 ingredient highball packs a punch, with Fernet Branca bringing bracing bitterness and endless complexity to the party. The Coca-Cola alleviates the harsh bitterness with a syrupy sweetness and the notes of oak, coffee, and sarsaparilla compliment the fernet incredibly.
RECIPE:
50ml Fernet Branca
Top with Cola of choice
Serve in a highball glass with ice and garnish with a lime wedge.
LAGAVULIN & COKE - SMOKY COKEY
Legendary whisky writer Dave Broom created this two-ingredient drink while researching for his 2014 book Whisky: The Manual. The drink arose during a larger project of finding the best mixer for each malt whisky. Broom tested highballs with everything from still and soda waters to various teas.
While Dave Broom is correctly accredited for the creation of this cocktail, it was Colin Dunn, former Diageo Whisky Ambassador who made this drink the contemporary classic it has become today. At 2000 Feis Ile (Islay Whisky Festival), Dunn served 35ml of Lagavulin 16 topped with almost flat, room-temperature Coca-Cola in a martini glass with a twist of lemon. Then at the 2016 World Class Global Finals, he served the Smoky Cokey as a highball.
Nowadays, it is drunk by whisky lovers across the globe and has evolved from strictly Lagavulin (although it remains the correct choice for traditionalists) to any Single Malt or Blended Scotch with a strong peated character.
Recipe:
50ml Lagavulin 16
Top with Cola of Choice
Serve in a highball glass filled with ice.
Top Tip:
Adding a dash of Angostura Bitters and serving with a lemon twist adds extra complexity and freshness to the nose respectively.
CAMPARI & ORANGE JUICE - GARIBALDI
Like many other drinks that have stood the test of time, the Garibaldi has unknown origins. Although we may not know how, we do know why the two-ingredient drink came to be. The Garibaldi is named after Guisseppe Garibaldi, a figurehead in the Italian unification and independence. The vibrant red-orange hue of the drink matched the red shirts of the Garibaldini and heroes two icons of Italian drinking culture - the red bitter aperitif, and the humble orange.
The drink was not well known outside of Italian drinking and was on a downturn on home soil as well. On the verge of falling into obscurity, it was Naren Young who brought this drink back from the clutches of the void by starring the drink on the menu of Dante during its 2015 opening. The drink has since been enjoying another moment in the spotlight, but this time, on a global scale.
While the bracing bitterness and bright red colour of Campari are backbones to the appeal of this drink, the real star of the show is the orange juice. The orange juice is blended to make it fluffy, and helps in tempering the bitterness of the red aperitif.
RECIPE
50ml Campari (Or Italian Red Bitter aperitif of choice)
Top with Fluffy Orange Juice
Garnish with an Orange Wedge
NEGRONI & LAGER - NEGRONI PERFECTA
Although not technically a two-ingredient drink, the way I have always been taught to drink one is to order a negroni and a beer as a boilermaker. Once your negroni is about ¾ ways finished, you pour your remaining beer into the negroni glass to create a third drink out of your original two.
No one knows where this tradition comes from, but rumour has it that construction workers having a liquid lunch are responsible for its creation. As is the case with many highballs featuring beer, the origin is normally blue-collar workers finding a way to expedite the inebriated effects of their post-work tipples.
Regardless of its murky origin, the Negroni Perfecta is a juicy, refreshing beer cocktail that deserves much more love than it receives.
Recipe:
1 Negroni
1 Beer
Sip on both drinks until there is only about a quarter of the Negroni left. Top residual negroni with remaining beer. Best enjoyed after a busy Friday night bar shift!
APEROL & MILLER HIGH LIFE
Another beer-based highball with similar - if not much more modern - origins. American bartenders recently (around 2017) started adding a shot of Aperol into their post-shift bottle of Miller High Life. This eventually caught on and has now been published in several cocktail menus across North America.
Adding a splash of lemon juice makes it a “Spaghett”, while adding a splash of orange juice makes it a “Bromosa”. All three variations of this are delicious, refreshing, and ever so slightly bitter, with just enough dryness from the citrus to make you go back for another sip.
Even if Miller High Life is not available where you are, this drink is delicious with any light, crisp lager that sits around the 4.5% ABV mark.
Recipe:
25ml Aperol
1 Bottle (12 Oz) Miller High Life
Add the Aperol to the beer and serve
TENNESSEE WHISKEY & MOUNTAIN DEW
Now, before anyone raises any eyebrows at me, this is the way the creators of Mountain Dew intended for it to be drunk. Mountain Dew was created by Tennessee Whiskey sibling duo, Ally and Barney Hartman in the early 1940s who were irked by a lack of availability of good quality mixers. In fact, Mountain Dew is named as such because Moutain Dew was a 19th-century slang term for Highland Scotch Whisky.
The drink was originally a citrus-flavoured, caffeinated, and carbonated beverage only sold in one flavour, as opposed to the plethora of options we have today.
This left-of-field whisky and lemonade number runs on the sweet side of the balance and can definitely be imbibed as a corpse reviver, however, more than one can be a touch sickly, so it is one to be enjoyed in moderation.
Recipe:
50ml Tennessee Whiskey of choice
Top with Mountain Dew
Serve in a highball with ice and garnish with a lemon wedge.
If you enjoyed this, make sure to read more of Fowwaz’s articles, including ‘Do you Remember These Forgotten Classic Cocktails?’ and ‘Weird Food and Drinks Pairings That Taste Great’.
