Why Is It Called a High Ball Glass?

The highball glass was named as such because railroad practices in the 19th century included raising a ball on a pole to indicate to a passing train driver that he needed to speed up and move quickly. The highball drink is served quickly, hence the name.

Why is a glass called a highball?

Etymology. The name may refer to the practice of serving drinks in tall glasses, on the dining cars of trains powered by steam locomotives, where the engine would get up to speed and the ball that showed boiler pressure was at its high level, known as "highballing".

What is the difference between a low ball and a high ball glass?

But, historically, the name lowball is related to the highball drinks. The difference between highball and lowball was the amount of filler added to a spirit. A highball contains way more filler than a lowball, which is supposed to be "spirit with a splash of filler".