The Ingredient Swap To Give Your Highball Cocktail A Tropical Twist

At its most basic, a highball cocktail is composed of just two ingredients — a spirit of your choice and a non-alcoholic mixer, usually carbonated. Gin and tonic, scotch and soda, and rum and Coke are all highballs. But the carbonated part of the equation isn't a hard and fast rule, and should be experimented with — for instance, swapping your fizzy mixer for sweet and salty coconut water transforms your highball into a refreshing, sun-kissed vacation in a glass. 

In the Caribbean, people have been sipping on a scotch and coconut water version of the classic highball since the '60s and '70s. This might seem like an odd spirit choice in the rum capital of the world, but during these decades, blended scotch caught the fancy of island folks. And, in many cases, scotch has a sweet vanilla and spice profile similar to many rums. Meanwhile, the coconut water is naturally hydrating and adds both a sweet and umami element, while still letting the spirit shine. The highball possibilities don't stop here; with coconut water as your base, mixing up a simple but delicious two-ingredient cocktail becomes even easier.

The combination of simplicity and flexibility are what make traditional highballs popular to this day. With coconut water as your mixer, you can experiment with different spirits like the scotch favored in the Caribbean; any whisky will work. You'll even find herbaceous gin and refreshing coconut water paired together in many cocktails.

The most obvious, and perhaps best, booze to play with here is rum, which has slowly been embraced as the premium spirit it is, not just as pirate swill. Depending on how light or dark the rum is, you'll have a drink that offers either a soft, mild profile or a richer, molasses-y character. Today's flavored rums inspire even more creativity, so go cuckoo for coconuts and use coconut rum in combination with coconut water. 

You could also skip the blender and make a piña colada highball with pineapple rum and coconut water. If you want even more possibilities, try chocolate rum for a Mounds bar in a glass or banana rum, which has dessert-like hints of bananas foster.  A simple garnish like a lemon twist is acceptable, but why not pop a cocktail umbrella in your highball glass instead and dream yourself onto a tropical island?