Highball Is a Tippy-Top-Tier, Gimmick-Free Cocktail Bar
Highball
Highball’s one of those cocktail bars that doesn’t really have a theme, doesn’t really have a gimmick, and isn’t trying to be trendy in any way. If it had a tagline, it’d be “really good and fairly fancy,” and the world seems to agree, with an active Spirited Awards regional top-10 honoree run since 2022. The cocktails cover your full range of flavors, from tropical vacation to, uh, sophisticated vacation… on another thread entirely, what do you think a “normal Tuesday” inspired cocktail menu would have? Is it just Negronis and Old Fashioneds? Double-shot margaritas? Maybe Highball’s wild Lyon Hearted cocktail, with butterscotch-infused Scotch, bourbon, rum, sherry, curaçao, coconut bitters, and a little side cookie is what we actually need. A couple of those and my TPS-report woes would go away for good.
Midtown - 1514 N 7th Ave
Awards + Accolades
Reviews
Opened at the tail end of October 2020, Highball is overseen by Libby Lingua and Mitch Lyons, formerly of Barter and Shake Hospitality. Barter and Shake's joints tend to be conceptual in some way; this new, sleek establishment is gimmick-free. There’s no narrative, no wild décor, no themed cocktails on the menu. It’s just straightforward chic. Which turns out to be kind of refreshing.
- Lauren Cusimano, Phoenix New Times
What to Get
Shogun Powder
The Shogun Powder — a pale-green thing with Peruvian brandy, vodka, herbal liqueur, fernet, coconut matcha, lemon, lime, and pineapple — induced an embarrassing groan upon our first sip. The server nailed it.
- Lauren Cusimano, Phoenix New Times
Between the Blades
From its copper-plated bar comes a meticulously detailed menu of craft cocktails, spanning from shaken and stirred concoctions to a designed-to-share, large-format punch that’s perfect for small groups. Try Between The Blades which includes Peruvian brandy and cacao Thai coconut creme.
- Asonta Benetti, Thrillist
Pardon Anything
Libby Lingua and Mitch Lyons' dim, copper-plated bar features cocktails as exciting as any in town, building from complex mixed bases of cognac and apple brandy, uniting unalike ingredients like coconut matcha and fernet, and infusing rum with Fruity Pebbles. If you think you've sipped it all, post up and try a riff like Amongst the Trees (a spice-tinged, fruit-layered paloma). Or order something wholly new, like Pardon Anything (cachaca and graham cracker?).
- Phoenix New Times
Typhoon Lagoon
Name-checking the water theme park at Disney World, this citrus-forward refresher, served in a lagoon-like mini coupe, is far more sophisticated – not to mention tasty – than any brilliantly blue, Curaçao-tinted cocktail you’ve likely sipped before. It’s the handiwork of Libby Lingua and Mitch Lyons of Two Hands Consulting, the mixology mercenaries who own and operate Highball while creating quality cocktail programs for other bars and restaurants. It’s also compelling proof of their considerable talent and patience.
- Nikki Buchanan, Phoenix Magazine
