Tom Collins cocktail recipe: how to make one of the best gin drinks of all time

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Tom Collins — and poor old John Collins, forever dragged into the argument — is one of the sacred pillars of cocktail history. At heart, it is little more than a glorious gin lemonade: gin, fresh lemon juice, sugar and soda. Simple? Absolutely. But that fresh, sharp and aromatic combination has survived for well over a century for a reason.

The Collins family took shape during the 19th century, probably evolving from the old Gin Punch tradition. Today the distinction is quite simple: the Tom Collins is traditionally made with Old Tom Gin, while the John Collins is usually made with a drier gin. Historically, however, things were much messier: old recipes also called for genever, and bartenders have spent more than a century arguing about the names.

Both belong to the prolific Collins family: long drinks made with a base spirit, fresh lemon juice, sugar and soda water, served over ice. Do not confuse them with the Fizz tribe, especially the Gin Fizz. The ingredients may look almost identical, but the preparation and presentation are different: the Collins is a long drink built over ice, while a Gin Fizz is traditionally shaken and served without ice.

The story is full of anecdotes. The most famous links the drink to John Collins, a head waiter at Limmer’s Hotel in London, a notorious 19th-century haunt already famous for its Gin Punch. Whether Collins actually invented the drink is impossible to prove, but his name became inseparable from it. Another theory connects the Tom Collins name with the famous American Tom Collins Hoax of 1874. No knights, no dragons, no flaming chalices this time — just bartenders, gin and a magnificent amount of historical confusion.

And yes, bourbon versions exist too, although calling a bourbon Collins a John Collins has historically added yet another layer of chaos. A bourbon-based Collins is more properly known today as a Colonel Collins.

Change the spirit and the family keeps multiplying: Vodka Collins, Rum Collins, Whiskey Collins, Pierre Collins with Cognac, Pedro Collins with rum and so on. This is one of those cocktail formulas that simply refuses to die.

Tom Collins cocktail ingredients

• 4.5 cl Old Tom Gin
• 3 cl fresh lemon juice
• 1.5 cl simple syrup
• 6 cl soda water

How to make the perfect Tom Collins

Squeeze the lemon and strain the juice.

Fill a Collins or highball glass with ice, then pour in the Old Tom Gin, fresh lemon juice and simple syrup. Add the soda water and stir gently.

Garnish with a lemon slice and a Maraschino cherry.

If you cannot find Old Tom Gin, use a good London Dry Gin and adjust the sweetness to taste. Old Tom is generally softer and sweeter, so do not blindly add extra syrup just to imitate it.

For a John Collins, use a dry gin instead.

Tom Collins food pairings

The good old Tom is a born aperitif, fresh enough to cut through rich dishes but aromatic enough to handle more than finger food. Try it with vegetarian dishes, cheese soufflé, baked pasta, stuffed veal, seared tuna steak, fish balls.

Great Gin Cocktail you should try

Gin Tonic, Paradise, Heidi, Bramble, Negroni, Gin Fizz, French 75, Tuxedo, Dry Martini.