I love using cranberry when mixing up festive Thanksgiving cocktails! It’s a festive flavor that works well in so many different cocktails, from Old Fashioneds to Margaritas. This year, I decided to make something light and fizzy that would go perfectly with your pre-dinner appetizers: a Cranberry Whisky Collins with Hatozaki Small Batch Japanese whisky. Cranberry juice, maple syrup, and the rich honey notes of the Hatozaki whisky make for a refreshing but seasonal autumn cocktail.
Highball, Collins, Fizz, or Rickey?
When naming this drink, I had to refresh my memory on terminology a little. Was it a Highball or a Collins? Or maybe a Fizz? Herzog Cocktail School came to the rescue with an informative post on the different carbonated cocktails. I might try to do a whole post on the subject, but if you’re curious, here’s the difference:
Highball – This term refers to the combo of a spirit + carbonated mixer. It might have a wedge of lemon or lime, but citrus juice is not usually part of the cocktail. If you say “highball,” most bartenders will assume you mean whisky and club soda, but the term technically includes everything from a Gin & Tonic to a Rum & Coke.
Collins – A Collins includes citrus juice and sugar in addition to the spirit and carbonated mixer. The Tom Collins is the best-known example. According to David Wondrich, a Collins is traditionally built in the glass and therefore always served over ice. I did shake mine, because the maple syrup did not incorporate well without it.
Fizz – A Fizz also contains spirit, citrus juice, sugar, and club soda, but it can also include egg white and even cream (like a Ramos Gin Fizz). It’s also shaken rather than the built in the glass, which means that it can be served without ice. As it is already shaken and therefore diluted, a Fizz generally uses less club soda than a Collins as well.
Rickey – This one is more obscure than the others, and generally refers to a smaller Collins-type drink that is made without sugar, and often with lime instead of lemon. The Raspberry Lime Rickey is a popular nonalcoholic drink in New England that likely evolved from a boozier pre-Prohibition version.
Good Thanksgiving conversation fodder, perhaps? It definitely would be at my table!
You can (and should!) find Hatozaki Small Batch on ReserveBar.com. Happy holidays!
Cranberry Whisky Collins
1.5 oz. Hatozaki Small Batch
¾ oz. cranberry juice
½ oz. lemon juice
½ oz. maple syrup
Club soda, to top
Combine all ingredients except club soda in a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled and strain into an ice-filled Collins glass. Top with club soda and stir briefly. Garnish with fresh cranberries.
This post is sponsored by Marussia Beverages. All opinions are my own.