Tom Collins Cocktail

The Tom Collins Cocktail is an easy cocktail consisting of gin, lemon juice, simple syrup and soda water. Topped off with a lemon wheel and a maraschino cherry, this cocktail is light and refreshing! Great for a hot summer day!

With just one sip, you’ll discover why people love the Tom Collins Cocktail. It’s light, refreshing and tastes just like lemonade! The reason people enjoy this cocktail on a hot summer day! Since it’s our last post in our Summer Cocktail Series, we thought we’d bring you a classic that’s been around for over a century, and is easy to mix up!

The History of the Tom Collins Cocktail

Although many stories exist, one story claims that the Tom Collins was created around 1860 by John Collins. John, was a the headwaiter at a popular London hotel and coffee house famous for its Gin Punch, that featured Old Tom gin.

Another story claims that the Tom Collins originated in New York and was named after the Great Tom Collins Hoax. As this story goes, Tom Collins was a loud and somewhat obnoxious man who frequented the taverns and spoke badly about everyone. This hoax involved telling a friend/victim that Tom Collins was speaking badly about them and was said to be down the street frequenting another tavern. He was then encouraged to go seek Tom out and confront him. However, when he actually went to find Tom, Tom was nowhere to be found. Thus, sending the him on a wild goose chase and asking the bartender, “Have you seen Tom Collins?” Newspapers even published renditions of the hoax and in 1874 a song was written about it, that can be found in the Library of Congress.

Twists on the Tom Collins Cocktail

While the Tom Collins may be the most well-known cocktail, there are many others named after the Collins family. According to Difford’s Guide they include:

Captain Collins (Canadian Whiskey)

Colonel Collins (Bourbon Whiskey)

Dutch Collins (jenever/Hollands)

Jack Collins (calvados)

Joe Collins aka Vodka Collins (vodka)

John Collins (London Dry Gin)

Mike Collins (Irish Whiskey)

Pedro Collins (light white rum)

Pepito Collins (tequila)

Pierre Collins (cognac/brandy)

Tom Collins Cocktail-Ingredients

Simple sugar, gin, soda water, maraschino cherry, lemon wheel, and fresh squeezed lemon juice.

Instructions

1. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.
2. Add gin, lemon juice and simple sugar.
3. Shake well.
4. Strain into a highball glass filled with ice.
5. Top with a splash of soda water.
6. Garnish with a lemon wheel and a maraschino cherry.
7. Cheers!

Looking for other great cocktails?

Classic Mojito

Classic Mint Julep

Southside

Whiskey Sour

Classic Daiquiri

Additional cocktails can be found under our Drinks-Cocktails section. It’s always 5 o’clock somewhere!