Recipes

Who says Mule mugs are reserved solely for vodka? Kick back with this simple, caffeinated twist on the classic!

Espresso Mule Recipe:

2 oz freshly-brewed espresso or cold brew concentrate

.5 oz lime juice

3 oz Top Note Ginger Beer

Garnish: lime wheel

Fill a copper Mule mug* with crushed or cubed ice. Add the juice and Ginger Beer, then slowly pour in the espresso or coffee. Garnish.

*If you don’t happen to have Mule mugs on hand, any other glass works just as well!

This low-ABV spritz is an “easy, sessionable, lightly bitter, super refreshing drink,” says Wollersheim Distillery bar manager Matt Hiel.

Be sure to check out our Q&A with Matt and keep up with him on Instagram.

Matt Hiel’s Featherweight Recipe:

3 oz Wollersheim White Vermouth

2 oz Top Note Sparkling Grapefruit Soda

1 oz Top Note Club Soda No. 1

1 dash Rhubarb Bitters

Garnish: grapefruit slice

Add bitters, followed by Club Soda, Vermouth and lastly Grapefruit Soda to an oversized wine glass filled with ice. Briefly stir to combine and garnish.

"This highball blends the richness of Jacoulot's Fine de Bourgogne with the earthy complexity of their Le Petit Marc, leading to a dynamic, subtle highball for brandy and whisky drinkers alike." - De Maison Spirits

Be sure to check out our Highballs at High Noon session with De Maison's National Spirits Portfolio Director, Annie Beebe-Tron to watch them build this highball live!

Annie Beebe-Tron's Jacoulot Highball⁠ Recipe:⁠

1 oz Jacoulot Fine de Bourgogne⁠

.5 oz Jacoulot Le Petit Marc⁠

Top Note Club Soda No. 1, to top

Garnish: lemon peel (optional)

Build spirits in a chilled highball glass. Add ice, stir briefly to integrate, and then top with Top Note Club Soda No 1. Garnish if desired.

The earthy, fruit-forward notes of Catan Pisco pair perfectly with Pimm’s, while ginger and vanilla lend a welcome backbone of baking spices. For fans of the Wisconsin Old Fashioned and Pimm’s Cup, you’ve gotta try this highball!

Be sure to check out our Q&A with Catalina and keep up with Catan Pisco on Instagram.

Catalina Gaete-Bentz’s Pisco & Pimm’s Highball Recipe:

1.5 oz Catan Pisco

1.5 oz Pimm’s

1 drop vanilla extract 

Top Note Ginger Beer, to top

Garnish: fresh mint and lemon wheel

Stir all ingredients together in a highball glass with ice. Garnish.

The drink that launched dozens of Something & Tonic’s that would make their way into Nick Kokonas’s first book. Be sure to check out our Q&A with Nick, keep up with him on Instagram, and order a copy of Something & Tonic!

Nick Kokonas’s Something & Tonic Recipe:

1.5 oz Letherbee Gin

1 oz Ancho Reyes

.5 oz lime juice

.5 oz rosemary simple syrup*

Top Note Classic Tonic Water, to top

Garnish: rosemary sprig

Add all ingredients except Tonic Water to a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a Collins glass with ice. Top with Tonic Water, lift ice with a bar spoon to incorporate, and garnish.

*Rosemary Simple Syrup

1 cup (250 grams) white sugar

1 cup (250 grams) water

3-4 (5 grams) fresh rosemary sprigs

Combine all of the ingredients into a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, remove it from the heat and let the rosemary steep for 15 minutes. Remove the rosemary and allow the syrup to come to room temperature before storing it in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Syrup can be stored for 2-3 weeks.

Spirit-Free Recipe:

2 slices jalapeno or favorite fresh chili

1 oz lime juice

1 oz rosemary simple syrup*

Top Note Classic Tonic Water, to top

Garnish: rosemary sprig, lime wheel

Add lime, rosemary syrup, and two slices of chili to a shaker with ice. Shake hard and strain into a Collins glass with ice. Top with tonic water, lift ice with a bar spoon to incorporate, and garnish.

With only ½-ounce of liqueur, this low-proof highball is “less of a cocktail and more of a flavor experience,” says Apologue Liqueurs co-founder Robby Haynes. If you’re looking to up the alcohol content, Robby recommends the addition of tequila or gin.

Be sure to check out our Q&A with Robby and keep up with Apologue on Instagram.

Image credit: Robby Haynes/Apologue Liqueurs

Robby Haynes’s Low-Proof Saffron Mule Recipe:

1 lime, cut into 8 chunks

.5 oz Apologue Saffron Liqueur

Top Note Ginger Beer, to top

Garnish: lime wedge, optional

Muddle 3 of the lime chunks in the bottom of a Collins glass. Add Liqueur and fill with ice. Top with Ginger Beer, stir and enjoy.

Milwaukee’s Zarletti is serious about their non-alcoholic recipes, proving that this burgeoning category of drinks can be as innovative and complex as anything else on their menu.

Be sure to check out our Q&A with Zarletti GM Bryan Boyce and keep up with them on Instagram.

Image credit: Bryan Boyce

Brian Boyce's Zarletti N/A Spritz Recipe:

1 oz First Press Pierpaolo Pecorari Refosco Juice

3 oz Zera Organic N/A Sparkling Chardonnay 

3 oz Top Note Gentiana Tonic Water

Garnish: fresh orange wheel

Fill a wine glass halfway with ice. Add all ingredients to glass, stir gently, and garnish.

“Yes, it’s two ingredients! But as long as you have high-quality ingredients, it can really be an outstanding drink that’s more than the sum of its parts.” - Julia Momose, in conversation with Top Note about the Japanese Whisky Highball

Be sure to check out our Q&A with Julia and follow her on Instagram for more beautiful and inspiring food & drinks.

Image credit: Kailley Lindman

Julia Momose’s Japanese Whisky Highball Recipe:

1.5 oz Japanese whisky, from the freezer

Top Note Club Soda No. 1, to top

Build over ice and serve bracingly cold.

This highball is earthy, tart and complex: the perfect year-round sipper!

Be sure to check out our Q&A with Bridgit and follow Dampfwerk Distilling on Instagram for the latest distillery news.

Image credit: Bridgit Loeffelholz

Bridgit Loeffelholz’s Grapefruit & Aquavit Highball Recipe:

1.5 oz Dampfwerk Aquavit

.75 oz dry vermouth

.75 oz grapefruit juice

.25 oz grapefruit oleo saccharum or simple syrup

2 drops saline, optional

1 drop lavender bitters, optional

Top Note Sparkling Grapefruit Soda, to top

Garnish: grapefruit slice and fresh thyme

Short shake all ingredients except Soda together with ice and strain into a highball glass. Top with Soda, stir, and garnish.

The highball is, in its purest historic iteration: spirit, mixer, and garnish. When you’re working with quality ingredients that complement each other, simple is truly king.

Be sure to check out our Q&A with Ross and follow Great Lakes Distillery on Instagram for the latest distillery news.

Image credit: Ross Salchow

Ross Salchow’s Barrel Gin Highball Recipe:

2 oz Rehorst Barrel Reserve Gin

2 oz Top Note Club Soda No. 1

Garnish: twist of lemon

Stir gin and soda together in an ice-filled old fashioned glass and garnish.

Drawing inspiration from the classic Penicillin cocktail, Danny says, “Ginger and honey pair really well with the complex flavor notes of Flora,” making for a cozy and relaxing non-alcoholic cocktail.

Be sure to check out our Q&A with Danny and follow Flora Hemp Spirits on Instagram for more non-alcoholic cocktail inspiration.

Image credit: Danny Jahnke

Danny Jahnke’s Floracillin Highball Recipe:

2 oz Flora Hemp Spirit

.25 oz honey, warmed

.5 oz lemon juice

Top Note Ginger Beer, to top

Garnish: fresh rosemary, optional

Stir all ingredients together with ice in a highball glass.

Sage and citrus are married together with a host of complimentary botanicals in this creative take on the classic Gin & Tonic.

Be sure to check out our Q&A with Evan and follow him on Instagram for more cocktail inspiration.

Image credit: Evan Knutson

Evan Knutson’s Gin & Tonic Recipe:

1.5 oz sage-infused Death’s Door Gin

2 dashes Bittercube orange bitters

Top Note Indian Tonic Water, to top

Garnish: expressed orange peel (flamed, if desired)

Stir all ingredients together in an ice-filled rocks glass and garnish.