The S.P.A. Highball gives the vodka soda 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.
Recipe by Austin Davis · Published · Updated
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.
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.
A colder build melts less ice at the start, so the highball stays brighter and more defined through the glass.
Soda stays more lively when it is added after the vodka and cordial and mixed with one restrained lift.
Mint and cucumber are not decoration here. They carry the garden aroma that distinguishes the drink from an ordinary vodka soda.
Highballs reward restraint. The goal is an even drink with active carbonation, not a glass that has been stirred until every bubble is gone.
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.
Pull the heavier base upward from the bottom, check that the drink is uniform, and stop before the soda loses its edge.
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.
Vodka and Cordial Craft can be measured together and chilled before service. Keep the soda separate so each glass receives fresh carbonation.
The written build does not intentionally add a major food allergen, but it does rely on a branded flavored vodka.
The practical details that keep the highball cold, mixed, and properly carbonated.
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.
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.
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.
The cucumber coin gives the bouquet a stable presentation at the rim while keeping both aromas close to the drinker's nose.
Move from a built vodka highball to a tall gin fizz, the flagship margarita, or a fresh-berry gin sour.
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.
