Anejo Highball

What is an Añejo Highball?

The Añejo Highball recipe is one of Dale DeGroff’s greatest cocktail creations. In the late 90s DeGroff was inspired by the bartenders of Cuba who broke-off into a league of their own during the American prohibition period of the 1920s.

Dale Degroff is nicknamed ‘King Cocktail’ for good reason. He is arguably one of the most influential bartenders not just of the current generation, but of all time.

He helped keep forgotten classics and prohibition style bars alive for over 3 decades, well before the speakeasy renaissance of the early 2000s. It’s no wonder that this master of the craft invented such a tasty drink.

American bartenders flocked to Cuba when the US government implemented a constitutional ban on the production, importation and sale of alcohol. Cuba already had a thriving cocktail scene – but this exposure to the world cemented the island nation’s place on the global stage as cocktail royalty.

Tropical flavours and vibrant culture defined Cuban drinks. The likes of the Mojito, Daiquiri Frappe and El Presidente all originate from Cuba and they all have something in common: incredible Cuban Rum.

‘Anejo’ (ah – nyeh – hoh) is simply Spanish for ‘old’, and refers to all styles of Cuban rum. Cuban rums are aged for a minimum of 2 years in pre-used oak barrels, distillers can then choose to age some of their blends for longer periods of time.

Typically, the longer the rum sits in the barrel, the more colour and flavour it develops. The stages of colouring are white, gold, amber and then deep browns.

However, Cuban distillers are well known for making excellent Blanco (white) rums. Havana Club 3 and Santiago De Cuba Blanco are among our favourites.

The Anejo Highball recipe’s strength is in its simplicity. The flavours play off each other so well. Lime and ginger is a match made in heaven while the rum is slightly turned down by orange curaçao. But don’t be fooled, this is a rum-forward cocktail.

Angostura bitters bring it all together and provide the tropical depth Cuban cocktails are known for.

Carbonation in the ginger beer literally lifts the aroma out of the glass and makes for a fantastic drinking experience. It’s an exceptionally easy cocktail to make and only takes a few seconds to put together.

How to make the Anejo Highball cocktail

Anejo Highball Ingredients

60ml – Anejo Rum

15ml – Orange Curaçao

10ml – Lime juice

2 dash – Angostura Bitters

60ml – Ginger Beer

How do I make the Anejo Highball recipe?

We’ll be building the cocktail directly in the glass.

Fill your highball glass with cubed ice.

Pour in all your ingredients apart from the ginger beer.

With a straw or bar spoon, stir these together for 2-3 seconds, then top with your ginger beer and gently stir again briefly to ensure everything is mixed.

Garnish

Orange wedge

Lime wedge

Expert Tip

We’re going to give you two tips for the price of one, because we’re good to you like that.

You can substitute orange curaçao for Cointreau, lots of us have a bottle collecting dust in the back of our cupboards. This Anejo Highball recipe is the perfect way to show your bottle some love.

If you’re a fan of Angostura Bitters, try a little twist by using 10-15ml instead of a few dashes. Just use 10ml less of your base rum. This subtle change transforms the drink into a punchy heavy hitter.

What to Drink After The Anejo Highball?

Do you still need your Rum fix? Check out our wonderful Cabal Spiced Orange Mule Cocktail Recipe.

It uses Cabal No. 1513 rum which is crafted with five different aged blends, giving it some serious character.

It’s light, refreshing and subtly gingery. An exciting orange spiced twist on the classic Moscow Mule.