Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (US) whisky and soda.

1896		F. Hutcheson Barkeep Stories 17: ‘I t’rows a few high boys into him’.
1897		Black & White mag. 15 117: Supposing they meant ‘high-balls’ I remonstrated against the mixing of drinks.
1898		N.Y. Journal 16 Sept. 4/2: Evening dress and khaki talked much sport and a little war over ‘high balls’ or chicken livers [DA].
1901		‘Hugh McHugh’ Down the Line 59: Ikey woke up and ordered another high-ball. [Ibid.] 105: When the second high was under cover he reached over and patted Clara Jane on the hand.
1912		Ade Knocking the Neighbors 157: [He] may be found in a swagger Club any evening with a Bourbon H. B. at his Right.
1913		Day Book (Chicago) 15 Mar. 12/2: I drink you a toast [...] as long as the highballs flow.
1927		W. Edge Main Stem 132: I went into a saloon and had a few ginger ale high-balls, beers and gin-rickeys.
1930		(con. 1900s–10s) Dos Passos 42nd Parallel in USA (1966) 230: I never expected to be drinking a highball with a member of the firm of Planet and Wilson.
1947		Kerouac letter 20 Mar. in Charters I (1995) 105: Do nothing but [...] eat at sunset, drink hi-balls at night.
1957		R. Prather Always Leave ’Em Dying 25: [I] picked up a bourbon-and-water highball sitting on the washbasin.
1965		C. Himes Cotton Comes to Harlem (1967) 108: He was just lounging around in his shorts, drinking bourbon highballs.
1977		(con. 1949) J.G. Dunne True Confessions (1979) 196: She took a sip of the rye highball in her hand.
1987		R. Campbell Alice in La-La Land (1999) 130: He had five highballs in the time it took the others to finish a pair of whatever they were having.
1992		R.G. Barrett White Shoes 111: KK ordered a J and D highball.
1997		(con. 1970s) G. Pelecanos King Suckerman (1998) 48: Give me a nice highball to start.
2001		(con. 1964–8) J. Ellroy Cold Six Thousand 3: She loved it. She brought him highballs.
2023		(con. 1962) J. Ellroy Enchanters 283: Kinney [...] fixed two highballs.

2. attrib. use of sense 1.

1916

J. Lait ‘Canada Kid’ in Beef, Iron and Wine (1917) 160: I picks me my bottle o’ my favourite rye, I pours four fingers, I takes a highball glass, I fishes up a bottle o’ sizz.