Aperol & Soda

Aperol & Soda

If you’re anything like us, you love an Aperol Spritz but don’t always have Prosecco on hand. In these instances, when you're craving something bitter and bubbly, Aperol and Club Soda make for a simple and refreshing combo - you won't even miss the Prosecco!

Aperol & Soda Recipe:

2 oz Aperol

4 oz Top Note Club Soda No. 1

Garnish: orange slices

Stir all ingredients together in an ice-filled glass (we like a Copa de Balon or wine glass, but anything will do!) and garnish.

Espresso Mule

Espresso Mule

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!

Matt Hiel’s Featherweight

Matt Hiel’s Featherweight

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.

Annie Beebe-Tron's Jacoulot Highball⁠ Recipe

Annie Beebe-Tron's Jacoulot Highball⁠ Recipe

"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.

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

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

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.

Nick Kokonas’s Something & Tonic

Nick Kokonas’s Something & Tonic

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 (or 3 dashes mole bitters + 1/2 oz simple syrup)

.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.

 Photo @somethingandtonic

Robby Haynes’s Low-Proof Saffron Mule

Robby Haynes’s Low-Proof Saffron Mule

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.

Julia Momose’s Japanese Whisky Highball

Julia Momose’s Japanese Whisky Highball

“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.

Bridgit Loeffelholz’s Grapefruit & Aquavit Highball

Bridgit Loeffelholz’s Grapefruit & Aquavit Highball

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.

Ross Salchow’s Barrel Gin Highball

Ross Salchow’s Barrel Gin Highball

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.

Danny Jahnke's Floracillin Highball

Danny Jahnke's Floracillin Highball

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.

Evan Knutson’s Gin & Tonic

Evan Knutson’s Gin & Tonic

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.

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