Tom Collins
Gin, lemon and sugar topped with soda in a tall glass. A cool, tart classic.
- Time
- 4 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Glass
- Highball
- Strength
- 2 UK units
How to make a Tom Collins
- Fill the glass with ice. Fill a highball glass right to the top with ice cubes so the drink stays cold and does not water down.
- Shake the base. Add the gin, lemon juice and syrup to a shaker with ice. Shake for about 10 seconds, until the tin feels very cold.
- Strain over the ice. Strain into the glass. It should come about three quarters of the way up.
- Top with soda and stir. Pour in cold soda until the glass is full, then give it one gentle stir to mix the layers.
- Garnish and serve. Add a lemon wheel and a cocktail cherry, and drink it while it is fizzing.
- Glass
- HighballNo highball? Any tall glass.
- Ice
- Ice cubes
- Garnish
- Lemon wheel and a cocktail cherryOr: A lemon wheel on its own.
What you need to make a Tom Collins
Kit
JiggerA double-ended measure, usually 25 ml and 50 ml.
Cocktail shakerA two-piece Boston tin is the easiest to use and clean.
StrainerA Hawthorne strainer fits over the tin or glass.
Citrus squeezerFresh juice makes the biggest difference of anything.
Bottles we'd use
- London dry ginBeefeater and Tanqueray both keep the juniper clear against the lemon.Find it on Amazon
- Old Tom ginFor a more traditional, gently sweet version, try Hayman's Old Tom.Find it on Amazon
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The Tom Collins story
The Tom Collins is a descendant of the John Collins, and printed recipes with both names appear in American bartenders' guides from the 1870s. A well-known 1874 prank in New York, in which people were sent on a hunt for a man named Tom Collins, is also part of the story. The name probably comes from Old Tom gin, which was the usual gin of the time.
The drink is a lemonade with gin in it. Use plenty of ice, fresh lemon juice, and cold soda. If it tastes too sharp, add a little more syrup; too sweet, a little more lemon. It is one of the easiest drinks to get right.
Tom Collins: your questions answered
What is in a Tom Collins?
A Tom Collins is made with 50 ml London dry gin, 25 ml fresh lemon juice, 15 ml sugar syrup and soda water to top. Garnish: lemon wheel and a cocktail cherry.
Is a Tom Collins shaken or stirred?
A Tom Collins is shaken, not stirred. Shaking hard with ice chills it quickly and helps mix the juice in properly, which stirring cannot do. Shake until the outside of the shaker feels very cold.
How strong is a Tom Collins?
Made to this recipe, a Tom Collins contains about 2 UK units of alcohol per drink. That is worked out from typical bottle strengths, so it changes with the bottles you use. UK guidelines advise not regularly drinking more than 14 units a week.
What glass do you serve a Tom Collins in?
Serve a Tom Collins in a highball over ice. No highball? Any tall glass.
