By Dina Novarr–
Imagine walking into a bar where every bottle containing ingredients from outside America has been mysteriously removed. No tequila born from ancient Aztec traditions. No sake crafted through centuries of Japanese expertise. No pisco carrying the spirit of the Andes. No Caribbean rum that changed the course of history for America. What remains would be about as exciting as tap water.
The irony of attempting to erase diversity from our institutions is that diversity is the very foundation they’re built upon. Our most “traditional” spirits are themselves products of cultural fusion. Gin, that most “English” of spirits? It evolved from Dutch genever. Scotch whisky? Its distillation techniques were likely learned from Irish monks. Even the concept of distillation itself traveled from ancient Arab alchemists through medieval European monasteries before reaching the broader world.
Attempting to minimize diversity reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of how culture actually works. It’s like trying to make a Manhattan without vermouth—technically possible, but missing the point entirely. Our strength has always come from the blend, not from artificial separation. Our bars are living museums of human migration, innovation, and cultural exchange. Each bottle tells a story of knowledge passed down through generations, of techniques refined by countless hands, of flavors born from necessity and celebration. When we shake a cocktail, we’re not just mixing spirits; we’re blending histories.
The global spirits industry thrives on innovation born from cultural fusion. Some of the most successful new products in recent years have come from blending traditions: Japanese whisky aged in American oak, Mexican spirits finished in French wine barrels, American craft distillers incorporating Asian botanicals.
You can’t separate American culture from the contributions of its diverse populations any more than you can separate bourbon from corn, or tequila from agave. These aren’t just ingredients—they’re the foundational elements of who we are. Every bottle on our shelves is a testament to cultural exchange, immigration, and the power of different perspectives coming together to create something new. The modern craft cocktail renaissance has been powered by bartenders of all backgrounds, bringing their cultural heritage to every shake and stir.
To celebrate American diversity, I want to focus on the humble High Ball, first published by C.F. Lawlor in Cincinnati in 1895, the most democratic of mixed drinks. It’s the perfect metaphor for America in action: a marriage of foreign spirits with soda water served over ice. When European immigrants brought their scotch, Caribbean traders brought their rum, and British colonists brought their gin, they found these spirits transformed by soda water—a uniquely homegrown invention. The highball is cultural fusion in a glass and demonstrates how our culture doesn’t weaken when it absorbs foreign elements; it becomes distinctively American precisely because of these combinations. It’s a lesson in a glass: sometimes the simplest combinations can yield the most profound truths about who we are.
And I can’t think of a better way to enjoy the High Ball than with Raj Bhakta’s Hogsworth, a spirit that marries the finest American bourbons with decades-old French Armagnac to create something entirely new. Hogsworth represents a kind of cross-cultural alchemy that refuses to be confined by borders, just like its American creator’s own half-Indian, half-Irish heritage. It’s a lesson in a glass: sometimes the simplest combinations can yield the most profound truths about who we are and what we can become when we embrace the full spectrum of our cultural heritage.
Enjoy Hogsworth in the original High Ball recipe as printed in 1895 by C.J. Lawlor in his book titled The Mixicologist, and raise your glass to the beautiful complexity of our drinking culture. After all, a well-stocked bar, like a well-functioning democracy, works best when everyone has a seat at the table and their contributions are recognized. Anything less is just watered-down.
Raise your glass to the beautiful complexity of our drinking culture with the simplicity of the High Ball. Serve them a cocktail that crosses continents in a single glass. Let them taste the undeniable truth that our differences don’t divide us; they make us delicious. In the end, the attempt to remove diversity from any space isn’t just wrong—it just makes it bland. And in a world rich with flavors, traditions, and possibilities, bland is the one thing we can’t afford to be. After all, a well-stocked bar, like a well-functioning democracy, works best when everyone has a seat at the table and their contributions are recognized. Anything less is just watered-down thinking.
The Original High Ball From C.F. Lawlor
Put in thin ale-glass one lump of ice; fill with syphon seltzer to within an inch of the top, then float one half jigger brandy or whiskey.
San Francisco-based Dina Novarr enjoys sharing her passion for fine wines, spirits, non-alcoholic craft beverages, and more with others.
Cocktails with Dina
Published on February 13, 2025
Recent Comments