Anyone for a refreshing highball?

I remember reading about highballs in  various novels but I never really knew what they were, and the name isn’t often used these days – well, I don’t think it is… as far as I can gather, and I maybe wrong, in essence a highball is a cocktail. Apparently a simple g & t is a highball, so is a whisky and soda and so is a Cuba libre; they are served in tall glasses over ice, and the name seems to have come form a connection with American railroads – they were served in dining cars. I’m not very keen on mixed drinks – except whisky and a little water!

In my father-in-law’s 1940’s cookery book from the Congo there’s a recipe for a fruit highball which has no alcohol at all – I guess in the heat it’s more refreshing…

Congo fruit highball

• 1 cup juice pressed from ripe guavas
• ½ cup juice of grapefruit
• ½ cup crushed pineapple
• ½ cup of chilled ginger syrup
• juice of three limes
• juice of three oranges
• sugar to taste
• 4 cups chilled water
• thin slices of lemon and orange
• chipped ice

1. mix the fruit juice, sugar and pineapple and chill well
2. add ginger syrup and water
3. stir well adding more sugar if required
4. garnish glasses with fruit slices and add chipped ice to each
5. serve!

I haven’t any pictures of highballs, cocktails or any other exotics, so here is a nice glass of chilled wine!