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Highball

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two hands clink cups filled with pink liquid

Once upon a time.
Atlanta’s top mixologists.
One top-shelf cause.



More

  • Join us for the High’s annual fundraising mixology competition! Atlanta’s foremost bartenders will compete head-to-head and flex their imaginations to bring you their most creative cocktails, inspired by this year’s theme: Fairy Tales and Storybooks. The top three bartenders will each claim a cash prize, trophy, and bragging rights as one of Atlanta’s top mixologists.

    Join us to sample their creations, enjoy music and activities, and vote to name one mixologist the most sensational of them all!

    Proceeds from Highball support the High Museum of Art.
    View Event Page for more details.

     

    Early-Bird Ticket Sale (July 1–July 13)
    Member Ticket: $65
    General Ticket: $85
    VIP Ticket: $125
    General Ticket Sale (July 14–August 14)
    Member Ticket: $75
    General Ticket: $95
    VIP Ticket: $125

     
    Can’t attend but want to support the High?
    Donate Now

  • Meet the 2022 Competitors

    Man stands in front of a tree and holds a birdcage up with his right hand.

    Orestes Cruz
    Establishment: Aziza
    Spirit: Tequila

    Girl with rose tinted glasses leans over a stack of books.

    Jasmin Goldstein
    Establishment: Bar Politan
    Spirit: Vodka

    Man with beard and dreadlocks leans against a white brick wall.

    Raymond Sampson
    Establishment: Bar Vegan
    Spirit: Bourbon

    blonde man wears a beaded crown with long beaded strings obscuring his face.

    James Cramer
    Establishment: Biltong Bar
    Spirit: Bourbon

    Man with dark skin and glasses leans against a wall holding a cocktail shaker.

    Robert Thornton
    Establishment: Sincère Fare
    Spirit: Vodka

    Girl with long reddish hair sits on a tree stump and stirs a cocktail.

    Taylor Bennington
    Establishment: Cooks & Soldiers
    Spirit: Bourbon

    Man with black dreadlocks pours the contents of a tumbler into a martini glass.

    Haki Martin
    Establishment: Lure
    Spirit: Gin

    Girl with long dark hair holds a shaker up with one tatooed arm.

    Katie Goldstein
    Establishment: JoJo’s Beloved Cocktail Lounge
    Spirit: Gin

    man with short dark hair and a mustache holds a candle.
    Jared Grisham
    Establishment: Overproof Rum Bar
    Spirit: Gin

    Man with dark curly hair holds a glass bowl filled with green apples.

    Jeremy Hathcoat
    Establishment: Muss & Turner’s
    Spirit: Vodka

    Bearded man in red shirt raises a glass toward the camera.

    Eric Bradley
    Establishment: Saints + Council
    Spirit: Tequila

    Two men stand back to back. Both wear jeans and black hats. The man on the left's face is obscured with a mask.

    Walter Gregg
    Establishment: The Consulate
    Spirit: Tequila

    Older man with a chef's jacket leans against a wall holding a book.

    Rick Blumberg
    Establishment: The Woodall
    Spirit: Vodka

    Woman with long reddish hair and long fingernails smiles at the camera.

    Kursten Berry
    Establishment: Twisted Soul
    Spirit: Bourbon

  • Highball winners were selected by guests’ and critics’ votes.
     

    2022 Winners:

    2022 Judges: Erika Moore, Highball 2019 Winner Luxury Mixologist; Mara Davis, Co-host, Atlanta Eats; Joshua Robinson, Food, Beverage, and Entertainment Writer, Thrillist

    Man with dark skin and glasses leans against a wall holding a cocktail shaker.

    Luxury Mixologist: Robert Thornton
    Establishment: Sincere Fare

    The Queen Bee
    This light vodka cocktail is created for the Queen Bee herself. Crisp pear and apple marry the sweet, tangy combinations of honey, soursop, and lemon, celebrated with candied lemon peel and bee pollen strewn atop the rim.

    2 fl. oz. Finlandia Vodka
    0.5 fl. oz pear-apple blend
    1/2 pod of vanilla bean
    0.75 fl. oz. lemon juice
    1 fl. oz. soursop/honey syrup
    Honey infusion: royal jelly, sage, and cinnamon

     

    Man with beard and dreadlocks leans against a white brick wall.

    Top-shelf Mixologist: Raymond Sampson
    Establishment: Bar Vegan

    Sploosh
    This refreshing riff on a Whiskey Sour is frothy, fresh, and tangy. “Sploosh” is sure to reverse Zero’s fate and yours.

    2 fl. oz. Woodford Reserve Bourbon
    1 egg white
    4 cucumbers
    4 basil leaves
    2 barspoon tropical onion jam, made from peaches, onions, and mangos
    1 fl. oz. orgeat syrup
    1 fl. oz. lemon juice
    0.25 fl. oz. Falernum

    Instructions: Combine Woodford Reserve Bourbon, lemon juice, orgeat, Velvet Falernum, basil, cucumbers, and onion jam to shaker tin. Muddle basil and cucumber slightly to release flavor and aroma. Add ice, shake, and fine strain back into tin. Add egg white. Dry shake. Pour over a single ice cube and finish with a garnish.

     

    Woman with long reddish hair and long fingernails smiles at the camera.

    Classic Mixologist: Kursten Berry
    Establishment: Twisted Soul

    Kiss the Girl
    “Kiss the Girl,” inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid, will take you under the sea with zingy waves of lime and passion fruit, followed by a breeze of coconut and macadamia liqueur, reminiscent of beachside bliss.

    1.5 fl. oz. Woodford Reserve Bourbon
    0.75 fl. oz. Passion Fruit Giffard
    0.5 fl. oz. Trader Vic’s Macadamia
    0.25 fl. oz. Velvet Falernum
    Squeeze of coconut
    Squeeze of lime

    Place all ingredients in a shaker; add ice, shake, and strain. Pour over ice and garnish with an edible flower.

     

    2019 Winners:

    2019 Judges: Lauren Finney, Editor-in-Chief of The Atlantan and Modern Luxury Atlanta; Ligaya Figueras, Food and Dining Editor of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Randy Hayden, Beverage Manager of Slater Hospitality and the 2018 Highball Luxury Mixologist

    Erika Moore.

    Photo by: Reginald Eldridge

    Luxury Mixologist: Erika Moore
    Establishment: Parlor

    El Amanecer
    This is a Caribbean-inspired cocktail that pays respect to the fruit and spices naturally grown in that region. It’s a great cocktail to start the day with a refreshing kick.

    Ingredients:
    2 oz Caribbean’s Finest Gran Reserva Rum
    2 oz Guava Juice
    ½ oz Lemon Juice
    ¾ oz Pineapple–Green Tea Syrup
    5 drops of Pepper Juice
    Prosecco (topper)
    Jalapeño slice (garnish)

    Build ingredients in tin, shake, and strain over ice in a Collins glass. Top with prosecco and garnish with a jalapeño slice.

     

    Mathew Riggins.

    Photo by: Reginald Eldridge

    Top-shelf Mixologist: Mathew Riggins
    Establishment: Negril Village Atlanta

    S.S. Maria
    A refreshingly spicy Bloody Mary Reposado re-imagined with strawberries and kissed by a salty sea breeze.

    Ingredients:   
    2 oz Frida Kahlo Tequila Reposado
    2 Whole Strawberries (reserve tops for garnish)
    ¼ Fresh Serrano Pepper (chopped)
    1 ½ oz Simple Syrup
    ¾ ounce Lemon Juice
    ¼ ounce Lime Juice
    1 Salt and Vinegar Potato Chip (garnish)

    Slice off tops of strawberries and reserve for garnish. Combine pepper and remaining strawberries in tin shaker and muddle. Add ice, simple syrup, and lemon and lime juices to strawberry pepper mixture, then cover and shake. Strain mixture through a mesh strainer into a mixing glass with ice. Add tequila and stir vigorously for 10 seconds. Strain contents of mixing glass into a Collins glass filled with ice. Garnish with strawberry tops and potato chip.

     

    Greg Emilio.

    Photo by: Reginald Eldridge

    Classic Mixologist: Greg Emilio
    Establishment: Bellina Alimentari

    Roman Holiday
    This is a tropical, Italian, low-ABV take on a gimlet. The base is split between gin and sweet vermouth, and the lime cordial is swapped out for an utterly delicious pineapple-basil cordial. This is a drink for summer brunches—a bright, transporting libation to stimulate body and soul.

    Ingredients:
    1 oz Xoriguer Mahon Gin
    1 oz Carpano Antica Formula Sweet Vermouth
    1 oz Pineapple-Basil Cordial
    ½ oz Lime Juice
    Angostura Bitters (garnish)
    1 Pineapple Wedge (garnish)

    Shake gin, sweet vermouth, cordial, and lime juice together. Double strain into a coupe glass; garnish with a spritz of Angostura bitters and a pineapple wedge.