***July 2026 – This post is under construction as I work to update the recipe and photos. Please check back soon!***
Why You’ll Love This Cocktail
Peach Basil Highball
Note: this recipe was updated in 2026 with minor tweaks for better balance of flavor, including now calling for bourbon instead of rye as the recommended spirit. I also changed the name from spritzer to highball to more accurately reflect the recipe origin.
Peach basil highball
Bourbon Recommendations
Now, I’m not bourbon connoisseur by any stretch of the imagination. I mostly enjoy it in mixed drinks and while I always want to enjoy sipping bourbon by itself, I just don’t. My recommendations are based on years of playing with bourbon in mixer-forward cocktails and learning from bourbon enthusiasts on the internet. All that said, here are a few bottles that I think are worth your $$$:
- Basil Hayden ($29) – This has been my go-to bottle of bourbon for a few years now. The burn is gentle and flavors balanced, which makes it great for mixed drinks but still perfectly suitable for sipping.
- Maker’s Mark ($23) – Made with wheat instead of rye, this bourbon tends to be a mellower and sweeter than ones that use rye. This makes it great for cocktails like this one since it’s less likely to overpower the peach flavor.
- Buffalo Trace ($25) – This one can be hard to find since it’s sold in limited quantities, but it’s a well respected bourbon that’s well priced and perfect for mixing or sipping. It’s gentle enough to let the peach flavor shine but complex enough that you won’t forget this is a bourbon cocktail.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Here’s what you’ll need to make this Peach Basil Highball recipe:
- Peaches –
- Bourbon –
- Honey –
- Lemon juice –
- Basil –
- Sparkling water –
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Peach Basil Highball
Ingredients
- 8 oz sparkling water
- 6 oz bourbon
- 5 oz lemon juice, divided
- 2 small peaches, peeled and sliced, 250 grams
- 3 tbsp honey, 1.5 fl oz
- 1 bunch of fresh basil (2-3 stems with leaves), divided
Instructions
- Add 2 small peaches, peeled and sliced, 3 tbsp honey, and 1 oz lemon juice to a small pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, add 1 basil stem, and lower heat to a simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Remove peaches from heat, remove basil stem, and blend the peaches with an immersion blender until smooth. Cool in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes.
- Divide peach mash into 4 Collins glasses. Top with ice, 6 oz bourbon, remaining lemon juice, and 8 oz sparkling water. Garnish with more basil leaves and peach slices and serve with a straw.
Tips & Tricks
For my macro trackers out there, I wasn’t able to create a My Fitness Pal barcode for this recipe since I would have had to decide for you whether to put the alcohol calories in as carbs or fats – that’s up to you! The carbs listed here are just for the lemon juice, peaches, and honey. For my non-macro trackers, here’s more info on what I’m talking about.
Here are some of the original photos of this recipe from 2018!
