When to build
Build when speed and bubbles matter — G&Ts, Palomas, highballs, many spritzes. You’re mixing in the glass you’ll drink from.
← Learn library
Technique
Build
Make the drink directly in the serving glass — usually over ice — instead of shaking or stirring in a separate vessel.
The big idea
Building in the glass prioritizes cold lengtheners and gentle mixing so carbonation and ice do the work — speed without sacrificing structure.
Use for highballs, G&Ts, Palomas, and spritzes where bubbles matter.
Ice first (usually), spirit and modifiers next, carbonated lengthener last.
A brief stir is enough — over-stirring knocks out fizz.
Keep sodas and ginger beer cold; warm bubbles die fast.
Proper ice volume prevents instant watery thinness.
Made in the glass you'll drink from
Ice in the glass
Pack the serving glass — you're not straining away.
Spirit + modifiers
Measure into the glass; stir or roll to combine.
Lengthener last · brief stir
Top with cold soda or ginger beer and give one gentle stir.
Add ice first (or spirit first if the recipe prefers), then modifiers, then the lengthener last so carbonation stays bright. A brief stir is enough.
Common mistakes
- Warm soda or ginger beer goes flat fast.
- Over-stirring knocks out bubbles.
- Skipping proper ice makes the drink taste thin almost immediately.
In the glass
Practice it
Open a recipe, focus on this move once, then make it again next week.
Gin
Gin and Tonic
Ice first, gin, fridge-cold tonic last, brief stir. Time it: if the drink is dull in a minute, the ice or the tonic was warm.
Tequila
Paloma
Grapefruit and soda are the lengthener — keep them cold and don’t stir out the bubbles.
Rum
Dark 'N' Stormy
Ginger beer last over packed ice. A long stir knocks the spice and the fizz out together.
Aperitif
Americano
Campari and vermouth, then cold soda. If it tastes dusty, the vermouth is the problem, not the build.