Anejo Highball
Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 17% ABV ∙
The Añejo Highball is a tall rum drink built from aged Caribbean rum, orange curaçao, lime, and ginger beer, shaken and topped in a highball glass. Ginger spice and citrus lead, with the aged rum's caramel warmth settling underneath and a dry, fizzy lime finish — an easy, long sipping drink.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake the first 4 ingredients with ice: Caribbean aged rum 45 mlOrange curaçao liqueur 15 mlLime juice 10 mlAngostura aromatic bitters 1 dash
- Strain into the ice-filled glass charged with half the Ginger beer
- Top with the rest of the Ginger beer
- Garnish with a lemon slice and an orange slice
Tips
- Shake hard with ice, then strain into a highball over fresh ice to keep dilution controlled.
- Half the ginger beer goes into the glass before the strain and the rest on top afterwards - pour both gently so the carbonation survives the build.
- Use fresh ice cubes for the final build rather than the shaking ice, which is already diluted and partially melted.
- Slap or twist the lemon and orange slices before dropping them in to release their oils over the surface for aroma.
History
The Anejo Highball was created by American bartender Dale DeGroff during his tenure at the Rainbow Room in New York City, generally dated to the late 1990s, with some accounts narrowing it to around 1997 and others placing it as late as 2000. DeGroff, who led the Rainbow Room's cocktail program from 1987 to 1999 and became a leading figure of the modern craft cocktail revival, devised the drink as a tribute to the bartending tradition of Cuba, building it around aged (añejo) rum, curaçao, and lime in a nod to what he considered the classic flavor combination of Cuban cocktails.
FAQ
What is in an Añejo Highball?
Aged Caribbean rum, orange curaçao, fresh lime juice, and a dash of Angostura bitters, shaken and topped with ginger beer in a highball glass. It is finished with lemon and orange slices and comes in at roughly 17% ABV, light for a rum drink because of the ginger beer top-up.
Is an Añejo Highball shaken or stirred?
Shaken. The rum, curaçao, lime, and bitters are shaken together to chill and combine them before the ginger beer is added, which keeps the topper's fizz from being beaten flat.
What makes a cocktail a highball?
A highball is a tall drink built from a spirit and a larger volume of a carbonated mixer, served over ice in a tall glass. The Añejo Highball follows that shape with aged rum as the spirit and ginger beer as the fizz, plus a small amount of curaçao, lime, and bitters for depth.
How do you make a tequila highball?
A tequila highball follows the same basic structure as this drink but swaps the base spirit: tequila shaken with citrus and a liqueur, then topped with a carbonated mixer like ginger beer or soda over ice in a tall glass.
