Piscola

Initially, the most common highball was made with Scotch whisky and carbonated water, known where it originated in the UK as a "Scotch and soda".

There are many rivals for the fame of mixing the first highball, including the Adams House in Boston. New York barman Patrick Duffy claimed the highball was brought to the U.S. in 1894 from England by actor E. J. Ratcliffe.

Well-known examples of highballs include the gin and tonic, Seven and Seven, and Cuba Libre. A highball is typically served over ice in a large straight-sided highball glass or Collins glass.

Highballs are popular in Japan, often made with Japanese whisky as a haibōru, or mixed with shōchū as a chūhai. Various mixers can be specified by suffixing with -hai, as in oolong highball. These are consumed similarly to beer, often with food or at parties.