S.P.A. Highball
The S.P.A. Highball gives the vodka soda, almost a vodka Tom Collins in spirit, more shape without making it heavy. Cucumber-mint vodka, Cordial Craft Zero-Sugar Lime Cordial, and cold soda stay tall and refreshing, while the mint-and-cucumber garnish contributes aroma before the first sip.
Classic lineage: Vodka Tom Collins-style highball · Cucumber-mint vodka highball
- Total time
- About 4 minutes
- Yield
- 1 cocktail
- Glassware
- Collins or highball
- Technique
- Build and gentle lift
How to make the S.P.A. Highball.
This one is built in the glass. Keep the vodka, cordial, soda, and glass cold, then mix only enough to distribute the base without knocking the life out of the carbonation.
Ingredients
Build
- 2 oz Ketel One Cucumber Mint Vodka
- 0.75 oz Cordial Craft Zero-Sugar Lime Cordial
- ~5 oz Cold soda water
Finish
- As needed Fresh ice
- Garnish Mint bouquet
- Optional Cucumber coin for garnish
Method
- Build the base. Add Cordial Craft and vodka to a Collins or highball glass with fresh ice.
- Add the soda. Top with about 5 oz cold soda water.
- Lift gently. Stir briefly or lift the base from the bottom until the drink is evenly mixed.
- Garnish. Add a mint bouquet, or pass the mint bouquet through the center of a cucumber coin for the full presentation.
Highballs live or die by temperature and carbonation.
The recipe is simple enough that there is nowhere for flat soda, warm ingredients, or careless stirring to hide. Build the base first, add cold soda last, and place the mint where its aroma reaches the drinker before the glass does.
Cold ingredients buy you time.
A colder build melts less ice at the start, so the highball stays brighter and more defined through the glass.
Put the bubbles in last.
Soda stays more lively when it is added after the vodka and cordial and mixed with one restrained lift.
Make the garnish do something.
Mint and cucumber are not decoration here. They carry the garden aroma that distinguishes the drink from an ordinary vodka soda.
Build it tall. Keep your hands light.
Highballs reward restraint. The goal is an even drink with active carbonation, not a glass that has been stirred until every bubble is gone.
Use enough ice to fill the glass.
Ice: A properly filled highball stays colder and moves less when the soda is added. A few loose cubes melt faster and leave the drink underfilled.
One deliberate lift is usually enough.
Mix: Pull the heavier base upward from the bottom, check that the drink is uniform, and stop before the soda loses its edge.
Place the mint beside the nose.
Garnish: Give the bouquet a firm clap, keep the leaves above the rim, and let the cucumber coin frame it rather than burying it in the drink.
Batch the base, not the soda.
Vodka and Cordial Craft can be measured together and chilled before service. Keep the soda separate so each glass receives fresh carbonation.
Check the current flavored-vodka label.
The written build does not intentionally add a major food allergen, but it relies on a branded flavored vodka. Product formulations can change; for a guest with a specific allergy or dietary restriction, use current manufacturer information.
Questions before you build it.
The practical details that keep the highball cold, mixed, and properly carbonated.
Can I use plain vodka?
Yes, but the drink will not have the same built-in cucumber-mint character. Use a generous aromatic garnish and avoid muddling produce into the finished highball unless you are comfortable with a softer, more textured serve.
How much soda water should I use?
The house recipe uses about 5 oz. Glass size, ice, and carbonation vary, so stop when the glass is properly filled rather than forcing in a fixed amount.
Can I batch the S.P.A. Highball?
Batch and chill the vodka-and-cordial base, but add soda to each glass. Pre-batching the carbonated portion makes it harder to preserve the highball's lift.
Why put the mint through a cucumber coin?
The cucumber coin gives the bouquet a stable presentation at the rim while keeping both aromas close to the drinker's nose.
Keep exploring the bottle.
Move from a built vodka highball to a tall gin fizz, the flagship margarita, or a fresh-berry gin sour.
The vodka soda can do more than disappear into the ice.
The S.P.A. Highball keeps the ease of a vodka soda but gives the lime, cucumber, mint, and carbonation each a clear role. Build it cold, lift it once, and let the garnish meet the drinker first.