Mondays on the BottleBlog will feature a cocktail recipe that is sure to be just the thing to get you through the rest of the work week. Though we don't expect you'll bring in all the fixins into your place of employment, we hope you'll try our recipes responsibly at home! Today on Mixology Monday, General Manager Mike Brenner shares one of his favorite Highball recipes.
Greetings and welcome to Mixology Mondays! This blog feature will be written by several of us at Joe Canal's who are students of Cocktail Culture and whenever possible, especially with a "Retro" cocktail, we will provide some history about the libation. For our first entry, I thought I would keep it nice and easy and introduce Joe Canal's customers to the simplicity and graceful beauty of the Highball.
A Highball is really just one measure of any particular spirit poured in a tall glass over ice and topped with a mixer. Gin & Tonic, 7&7 and Jack & Coke are all common examples of Highballs. The Online Etymology Dictionary suggests that the name originated around 1898 and probably derives from ball meaning a "drink of whiskey," and high because it is served in a tall glass. However, I have always heard it came from the way railroads gave the signal for "Full Speed Ahead." The Encyclopaedia Britannica states that one early form of railroad signal "simply consisted of a large ball that was hoisted to the top of a pole to inform the engineman that he might proceed." Hence the name "Highball." Regardless, Highballs are certainly amongst the easiest cocktails to make, with endless possibilities of variations.
I know that the calendar is telling me that it's Autumn, but I just can't seem to be able to let summer go. I know I should present a recipe that is appropriate for the season, but we're still getting some hot days and I'm in the mood for something refreshing. I also just got back from vacationing on Cape Cod and as I thought back on the massive quantities of "Chowda and Lobsta" I consumed, it hit me: Let's make a simple drink, with a classic fall fruit, yet crisp and refreshing for those warm days we're still having. Enter the noble Cranberry, and one of my favorite summer sippers, the Cape Codder.
Being from Beantown, I admit to having a bias, but New Jersey certainly does boast a huge Cranberry industry. Just look at the Ocean Spray bottling plant right down the street in Bordentown, which produces a whopping 32 million gallons of Ocean Spray beverages every year!
The exact origins of the Cape Codder are shrouded in mystery and well disputed, but more than likely it's named after the resort on the Massachusetts coast where the earliest European settlers discovered the indigenous North American berry on which this drink is based. However, since Ocean Spray introduced the Cranberry Juice Cocktail in 1930, the cocktail was almost certainly invented after that. After all, the cranberry is not exactly a fruit you would ordinarily squeeze at home.
Ingredients:
Preparation:
1.) Pour the vodka unto a highball glass with ice cubes
2.) Top with cranberry juice
3.) Stir thoroughly
4.) Drop the lime wedge into the glass
There are many recipes with differing proportions, but this is the one I favor. I also happen to like to run the lime wedge around the rim of the glass, and squeeze a little fresh juice from the lime into the drink - it makes it just a little more tropical.
For variety, cut down the cranberry juice and top with club soda for a Cape Cod Cooler. Top instead with 1 oz. orange juice and you have yourself a Madras. Enjoy!
Do you have any other variations on the Cape Codder that you like? Post a comment below and let us know!
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