Tom Collins
Gin, lemon, sugar and soda over ice in a tall glass. A long, sharp-sweet lemonade for adults.
- MethodShaken
- GlassCollins glass
- IceCubes
- Strengthabout 8.2% ABV
- BaseGin
- Tasterefreshing, sour, sweet
Recipe
| 45 ml 1½ oz | London dry gin or Old Tom gin |
| 30 ml 1 oz | Fresh lemon juice |
| 22.5 ml ¾ oz | Simple syrup (1:1) |
| Top up: 90 ml 3 oz | Soda water |
Garnish. A lemon wheel in the glass, with a cherry on a pick if you like the old soda-fountain look.
Method
- Fill a collins glass with ice.
- Shake the gin, lemon juice and syrup with ice for about 10 seconds.
- Strain into the glass over the fresh ice.
- Top with cold soda water, give one gentle stir and garnish.
About the Tom Collins
The Tom Collins is a gin sour lengthened with soda and served tall over ice. It is light, lemony and quick to drink, with the gin's juniper running underneath. Old Tom gin gives a slightly sweeter, rounder version, London dry a crisper one.
History
Earliest record 1876: Jerry Thomas, Bar-Tender's Guide, 1876 edition
Documented
A John Collins, a gin punch of lemon, sugar and soda named after a well-known head waiter at Limmer's Hotel in London, was known in the mid-19th century. The first known printed recipe for a Tom Collins is in the 1876 edition of Jerry Thomas's Bar-Tender's Guide, which gives gin, whiskey and brandy versions. It appeared shortly after the "Tom Collins hoax" of 1874, a craze in American newspapers in which people were told that a Tom Collins had been insulting them in a nearby bar.
Legend and lore
It is often said that the "Tom" comes from Old Tom gin. That is a reasonable guess, given the shift from Dutch-style gin to Old Tom in recipes of the period, but nothing written at the time confirms it.
Variations
- Gin Fizz. The same ingredients shaken hard and served short without ice, with less soda.
- John Collins. Traditionally made with Dutch-style gin; now often used for a whiskey version.
- French 75. Sparkling wine in place of soda, served in a flute.
- Vodka Collins. Vodka in place of gin; lighter and more neutral.
Bartender's notes
- Pour the soda last and stir only once, so the drink keeps its fizz.
- Make it in the glass if you have no shaker; stir the gin, lemon and syrup with ice before adding soda.
