Cincinnati Recipe | An Easy 2-Ingredient Beer & Soda Highball

Recipe no.032 title card for the Cincinnati cocktail, featuring a foam-topped beer glass beside a dark glass bottle on a wooden bar counter

This Cincinnati cocktail recipe is a light, easygoing pour — beer topped with soda water. Its crisp finish and gently softened bitterness make it perfect for a warm-weather toast or a light aperitif.

Table of Contents

Recipe & How to Make It

Ingredients

Multiple rows of spirit bottles on backlit bar shelves against an exposed brick wall

Recipe no.032

Beer — 1/2
Soda Water — 1/2

Method

A bartender in a black apron stirring a cocktail in a mixing glass with a long bar spoon

Step

Combine the ingredients

Pour soda water gently into a well-chilled glass until it’s about half full, taking care not to lose the fizz. Then pour the beer on top (leaving about a 1cm to 5mm gap from the rim helps keep it from overflowing when you stir).

Step

Stir

Stir slowly, just one or two rotations — stirring too vigorously will cause it to overflow.

How to Stir

Technique ｜ Stir
Glass ｜ Pilsner Glass
ABV ｜ Approximately 2%
Best Enjoyed ｜ All-Day Cocktail / Pre-Dinner Cocktail

Cincinnati in Detail (with Recipe Video)

Origin

The illuminated downtown Cincinnati skyline at night, with a glowing moon rising above the skyscrapers and the city's name lit up on a building

Photo ｜ Vue nocturne de Cincinnati

Cincinnati takes its name from the city in southwest Ohio, and here’s the part that surprises people: nobody can actually confirm why. The most widely accepted explanation is simply that this style of drinking was common there — not a deliberate naming choice, just a habit that stuck.

Historical bar guides back the timeline up: recipes for a beer-and-soda “Cincinnati cocktail” appear in bartending manuals as early as 1895, and the drink is believed to date back further, to the 1880s. Local lore credits German immigrants in Cincinnati, who wanted something refreshing without getting too drunk and cut beer with soda water rather than drinking it straight.

In Japan, it’s known as a “beer ball,” and pairs beautifully with light appetizers or salty snacks. Even without a confirmed origin story, it belongs to that easygoing lineage of drinks that seem to have simply grown out of homes and bars alike. I’d say the real secret is a gentle touch that keeps foam intact, paired with thorough chilling.

Character & Tasting Notes

A glass of dark beer beside a glass of light beer, both topped with foam, against a white background

The Cincinnati is a half-and-half beer highball that keeps all of beer’s refreshing character while making it even easier to drink. It’s a natural fit for a toast, or as a light warm-up before a meal.

Temperature and carbonation are everything here. Soda softens beer’s bitterness and alcohol edge, while its fine bubbles carry the aroma upward in a light, quick lift. Pour without over-agitating the foam, and you get that rare combination of crispness and freshness at once. To build it: pour soda halfway into a chilled glass, layer the beer gently down the side, and give it just one or two soft rotations to combine.

Swap in a richer lager or dark beer for extra depth, and even at a 50/50 ratio, the drink feels more satisfying. Pair it with fried food or salty snacks, and it cuts right through the oil for a clean finish. It’s easygoing and quietly elegant — I’d reach for this just as readily on a hot afternoon as at the start of a long evening.

Points, Twists & Food Pairings

A crispy fried chicken drumstick dusted with red spice powder on a white plate, garnished with a red chili pepper, star anise, and cinnamon sticks on a wooden table

Best Pairings — Pair it with fried chicken or pretzels; the soda cuts right through greasy, salty bites.
Mixing Tip — Chill both the beer and glass beforehand so the drink stays crisp without losing its fizz.
Easy Twist — Swap in a dark lager for a richer, maltier version with a touch more body.
Drinking Note — Drink it soon after pouring; the foam and fizz fade quickly once it sits too long.