Tom Collins: Spiked Lemonade for Grown-Ups
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Simultaneously sweet and tart, the Tom Collins cocktail is a delightful drink that tastes like spiked lemonade. It’s also super simple to craft at home with just a few ingredients.
Crafted with four key ingredients (gin, lemon juice, simple syrup and club soda), the Tom Collins fits into multiple cocktail categories.
It’s both a classic cocktail and a pre-prohibition cocktail that dates back to the 19th century. However, despite its advances age, the Tom Collins is neither stodgy nor old-fashioned.
Discover more pre-prohibition cocktails.
The Tom Collins qualifies as a sour cocktail based on its ingredients. It also qualifies as a collins cocktail. And, while all collins cocktails are sour cocktails, not all sour cocktails are collins cocktails.
Collins Cocktails vs. Sour Cocktails
Both collins cocktails and sour cocktails include three specific elements: a liquor, citrus juice and a sweetener. Collins cocktails take the concept one step further with the addition of soda water. Plus, collins cocktails are typically served in either highball glasses or collins glasses.
History of the Tom Collins Cocktail
While Tom Collins may be a common name, it’s unlikely that a person named Tom Collins invented the Tom Collins recipe. Some cocktail historians link the drink to a British bartender named John Collins, but that’s just one hypothesis.
Regardless of its inventor, the drink gained fame when Jerry Thomas included a Tom Collins recipe in the 1876 edition of his iconic bartender’s guide. That recipe specifically called for Old Tom gin. Dry gin, more common today, is used in crafting the modern Tom Collins recipe.
The cocktail has since appeared in various Hollywood movies including Chinatown and Meet the Parents. Now, with just a few simple pours and a stir, it’s appearing at our home bar.
Ingredients
Sure, you could buy bottled Tom Collins mix to quickly craft Tom Collins cocktails at home. We say don’t do it. The better option is to quickly craft the sour gin cocktail with the following ingredients:
You probably already have these ingredients in your kitchen and liquor cabinet. If not, you should be able to find them all at your local market and/or liquor store.
Ingredient quantities are detailed in the printable recipe card below.
How to Craft a Tom Collins Cocktail
Once you gather the necessary ingredients and tools, the first step is to fill a highball glass (or, better yet, a Tom Collins glass) with ice cubes.
Measure the gin, freshly squeezed lemon juice and simple syrup. We use a Japanese jigger to minimize spillage and ensure accuracy.
Buy a Japanese jigger from Amazon if you need a jigger or want an inexpensive upgrade.
Immediately pour the three liquids into the highball or Tom Collins glass.
Top off the glass with club soda or seltzer.
Gently stir with a bar spoon or another long utensil.
Garnish with a lemon wheel.
While some recipes add a maraschino cherry garnish, we choose to skip that element since we’re going for more of an ‘adult lemonade’ vibe. Whether you add a sweet red orb to your Tom Collins is up to you.
Variations
Similar to non-alcoholic lemonade, the Tom Collins can be modified in a myriad of ways. Here are a few ideas to get your mixology juices going:
Discover 10 essential bar tools for the home mixologist.
Tom Collins Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ounces gin
- 1 ounce lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
- ½ ounce simple syrup
- club soda or seltzer
- ice cubes
- 1 lemon wheel (garnish)
Instructions
- Fill a highball glass with ice.
- Pour gin, lemon juice and simple syrup into the highball glass.
- Top with club soda or seltzer.
- Gently stir.
- Garnish with a lemon wheel.
Notes
- Your favorite gin is the best gin for this Tom Collins recipe.
- Feel free to additionally garnish with a maraschino cherry.
Nutrition
💡 Frequently Asked Questions
A Tom Collins cocktail is a classic sour cocktail crafted with gin, lemon juice, simple syrup and club soda.
The Tom Collins cocktail was probably invented in London.
Gin, Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice, Simple Syrup, Club Soda or Seltzer, Ice Cubes, Lemon Wheel (garnish) and Maraschino Cherry (optional garnish)
Although the original Tom Collins recipe specifically called for Old Tom Gin, you can and should use your favorite gin to craft Tom Collins cocktails.
The Tom Collins cocktail is stirred.
The liquor in a Tom Collins cocktail is gin, while the liquor in a John Collins cocktail is whiskey.
Both the Tom Collins and Gin + Tonic are crafted with gin. The Tom Collins recipe has lemon juice, simple syrup and soda water, while the G+T recipe simply adds tonic.
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