7 and 7 Cocktail Recipe | Wine Enthusiast
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The 7 and 7, the Two-Ingredient Cocktail Everyone Needs

Look, we love an elaborate cocktail as much as the next person. There’s the Lavender Haze cocktail, inspired by the one and only Taylor Swift; the internet-famous Parmesan espresso martini; and who could forget the neon-hued Blue Lagoon?

But sometimes, you just want something simple, which is where the 7 and 7 cocktail comes in. All you have to do to make the 7 and 7? Mix whiskey with 7-Up, sit down, relax and enjoy.

Here’s everything to know about this low-maintenance drink.

What Is a 7 and 7 Cocktail?

A 7 and 7 is a highball-style cocktail made with Seagram’s 7 Crown Whiskey, 7-Up soda and a lemon wedge garnish.

What Is a Highball?

A highball is a cocktail made with a spirit and topped with a non-alcoholic carbonated beverage—like sparkling water or, in the 7 and 7’s case, 7-Up.

What Is Seagram’s 7 Crown Whiskey?

Seagram’s 7 Crown Whiskey is a blended American whiskey that’s known for its smooth, sweet taste and vanilla finish. Seagram’s was originally founded in Montreal. But in 2000, it was acquired by Diageo and now calls the U.S. home.

How to Make a 7 and 7 Cocktail

Recipe by Jacy Topps

Ingredients

2 ounces Seagram’s 7 Crown Whiskey
5 ounces 7-Up soda
Lemon wedge, for garnish

Instructions

Pour the whiskey into a highball glass filled with ice. Top with 7-Up and garnish with lemon.

FAQs

Where Did the 7 and 7 Come From?

Seagram’s origins trace back to the early 1920s in suburban Montreal, where Samuel Bronfman established a distillery. Led by the Bronfman family, the company grew steadily, in no small part due to America’s Prohibition.

“The Bronfmans set up a new firm to act as an intermediary between Seagram’s and American bootleggers, called the Atlas Shipping Company,” writes Stephen Schneider in Iced: The Story of Organized Crime in Canada. To say that the endeavor was profitable is a vast understatment. “A federal investigation revealed that a shell company set up by the Bronfmans to facilitate the bootlegging end of their distilling operation was the recipient of more than $8 million,” the book continues.

Meanwhile, 7-Up, though originally sold as an anti-depressant, hit the market in 1929.

So when did Seagram’s 7 Crown Whiskey meet 7-Up? People have been making highballs since at least the 1900s. But unfortunately, the story of the first person to mix a 7 and 7 has been lost somewhere in a back-alley, Prohibition-era speakeasy.

But we do know the 7 and 7 became very popular in the 70s, when Seagram’s was all the rage and millions of cases were sold. It fell out of favor in ’90s as vodka became more popular. We think it’s high time the drink made a comeback, though.

What Are Other Highball Cocktails?

There are plenty of highball options out there. Like Ranch Water, which is a simple tequila and soda water mixture. There’s also the Paloma, which is similar to Ranch Water, but with an addition of grapefruit juice.

Or if you prefer to stick to whiskey, try the Scotch highball. It mixes Scotch whisky with club soda.