Tom Collins Recipe
Gin, lemon, sugar and soda in a tall glass.
The Tom Collins is a tall, sparkling gin sour: gin, fresh lemon juice and sugar syrup over ice, topped with soda water. It is essentially a gin lemonade for adults, light and refreshing and easy to make without a shaker.
Ingredients
- 50 ml Gin
- 25 ml Fresh lemon juice
- 15 ml Sugar syrup
- 90 ml Soda water To top up
- 1 slice Lemon For the garnish
Garnish: Lemon slice and cocktail cherry
How to Make a Tom Collins
- Fill a Collins or highball glass with ice.
- Add the gin, lemon juice and sugar syrup.
- Stir for a few seconds to mix and chill.
- Top with soda water and stir once more, gently.
- Garnish with a slice of lemon and a cocktail cherry.
Best Bottles for a Tom Collins in India
Classic juniper backbone
Made for long, simple drinks
Indian London dry with a citrus lift
Lighter and more floral
Prices are the lowest listed India price and vary by state. Check each spirit page for the full state-wise table.
Tips for a Better Tom Collins
- Use freshly opened, very cold soda water so the drink stays fizzy.
- For a frothier drink, shake the gin, lemon and syrup with ice before straining into the glass.
- Taste before topping up. Add 5ml more syrup if your lemons are sharp.
About the Tom Collins
The drink descends from a gin punch served in London in the early 1800s by John Collins, head waiter at Limmer's Hotel, and it was first known as a John Collins. When it began to be made with Old Tom gin, a lightly sweetened style popular at the time, the name shifted to Tom Collins.
The name was sealed by a prank. In 1874 the "Great Tom Collins Hoax" swept New York and other American cities. People told friends that a man named Tom Collins was insulting them in a nearby bar, then watched them storm off to find him. Bartenders played along by serving the drink. Jerry Thomas printed a Tom Collins recipe in the 1876 edition of his Bar-Tender's Guide.
It gave its name to the Collins glass, the tall straight tumbler it is served in. The IBA lists it as an official cocktail under the older name John Collins, and it is a standard order in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.
Tom Collins Variations
- John Collins: the older name, now used in the United States for the bourbon version.
- Vodka Collins: vodka in place of gin.
- Elderflower Collins: elderflower cordial in place of sugar syrup.
- Gin Fizz: the same ingredients, shaken and served without ice in a smaller glass.
- French 75: champagne in place of soda water.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is in a Tom Collins?
How strong is a Tom Collins?
What is the difference between a Tom Collins and a Gin Fizz?
What gin is best for a Tom Collins?
Why is it called a Tom Collins?
What is the difference between a Tom Collins and a Gin and Tonic?
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