2024's Drink of the Year Proves We Want More Cocktail for Our Money

During the heyday of the craft cocktail resurgence, in the mid-to-late 2000s and early 2010s, popular tastes leaned toward boozy, spirit-forward classics like Old Fashioneds, Manhattans, and Martinis. Fast-forward a decade or so later, and our infatuation with short, high-alcohol drinks has abated. Now, the world’s most popular drinks, like the Aperol Spritz, Negroni Sbagliato, canned hard seltzers, or Ranch Water, are long drinks.

Long drinks are any drink combined with soda water or other low- or no-alcohol mixer, often something bubbly, which “lengthens” the volume of drink and the time it takes to finish. You usually get the same amount of alcohol as in a short cocktail, but it’s spread across a larger drink, rather than compacted into a tight, 3-ounce Martini glass.

Some of the most iconic long drinks are highballs, which in their most basic form are a hard spirit lengthened with soda. This includes the iconic Gin & Tonic, Vodka Soda, Whiskey Ginger, or any similar combination. From there, further styles emerge.

A Tom Collins is simply a Gin Sour lengthened with soda water and served in a tall glass, which spawned its own subcategory of Collins drinks. Spritzes, in their most stripped-down form, are just wine lengthened with seltzer, though they now encompass a sprawling class of cocktails that include fanciful creations like the Hugo Spritz or the Bicicletta. 

Long drinks represent a global shift toward moderation, as many seek drinks that are lower in alcohol. But they also represent a trend of fun, easy-drinking cocktails that allow experimentation with flavors in a way that another spirit-centered Manhattan riff can’t provide. Instead of a cocktail dominated by a single, high-proof spirit, vermouths now take center stage alongside gentian liqueurs; red, bitter aperitifs; and an ever-expanding array of nonalcoholic components. 

The surge shows no signs of slowing, as bars channel endless innovation into this simple template. So the future is bright for those who seek to sip longer. Here’s your guide to six classic examples of the long drink category, along with six modern creations from some of the top bars across the U.S. to inspire your next pour.