Tom Collins Recipe
There are few cocktails as delicious and refreshing as the Tom Collins. This cocktail, although simple to make is a must try for any gin lover. So let’s get into how to make a Tom Collins cocktail.
Tom Collins cocktail photo.
Given it’s so simple to make, is what makes this cocktail perfect for the home-bartender. You only need four easy to get ingredients. Once you have those ingredients there are a variety of other gin cocktails to make as well as easy Tom Collins cocktail variations to make.
Tom Collins Ingredients
How to make a Tom Collins | Recipe photo.
50ml Old Tom Gin
25ml Lemon Juice
15ml Sugar syrup (see recipe below)
100ml Soda Water
Sugar Syrup
Sugar syrup is exactly what you would imagine it is. It’s an unflavoured syrup made with sugar and water. There are three reasons why using sugar syrup in cocktails is preferred to using sugar granules…
Firstly, A teaspoon of sugar doesn’t add much volume to a cocktail, whilst sugar syrup with the same sweetness will add both the sweetness and the volume.
Secondly, it is all about consistency. A teaspoon of sugar will never be exactly the same unless you’re weighing out your measurements with scales. And consistency is key in cocktails.
Millilitres are a lot easy to measure out with a jigger or shot glass then a teaspoon or bar spoon is. Having a full bottle of sugar syrup made up you can pretty much guarantee that every millilitre will give the same sweetness.
Lastly, it’s a lot easier to mix liquid with liquid then it is to dissolve sugar in a cocktail. Sugar dissolves easily in heat, not so easily in cold temperatures. Sugar also doesn’t dissolve well in alcohol.
So shaking a cocktail with sugar and ice can be counterproductive when trying to dissolve that sugar. You will likely end up with all your sugar sinking to the bottom of your shaker and not infusing in your cocktail. You simply don’t get that problem with sugar syrup.
How to make sugar syrup for cocktails.
Sugar Syrup Recipe
Making your own sugar syrup couldn’t be easier. It’s just a case of dissolving sugar in boiling water and letting it cool. The standard ratio is 1:1.
1:1 simply means that you need to mix equal parts sugar to water. So if you’re using 1 cup of sugar, mix in 1 cup of water. Heat that mix up on a hob whilst stirring. Once the mixture reaches a boil and the sugar has dissolved, allow the mixture to cool.
1:2: 1:2 is a mix of 1 part sugar to 2 parts water. Perfect for lengthening drinks without adding to much sweetness.
2:1: 2:1 as you’ve probably guessed by now is a mix of 2 parts sugar and 1 part water. This gives you the closest texture and sweetness as most store bought sugar syrups such as Monin.
Tom Collins Cocktail History
The Collins cocktail has many variations. From changes in the spirit such as a vodka or brandy Collins, to variations on sweetness. In a 1948 cocktail book “The fine art of mixing drinks” author David Embury describes the Collins as a “Lemonade made with charged water and spiked with gin or some other liquor”
Finding where this style of drink first came from is a difficult task. As anyone who was mixing drinks at the time soda water was popular would have been mixing long carbonated lemon cocktails.
However, out of all the Collins recipes it's the Tom Collins that takes centre stage. Partly due to it’s interesting history. Also known as the Tom Collins Hoax.
The Great Tom Collins Hoax
In 1874 the great Tom Collins hoax infuriated New Yorkers and filled newspapers everywhere. Before I describe the hoax, what you’ve got to remember is that this was the 1870’s. It didn't take much to infuriate people or make it to the newspapers…
The joke went as follows. You ask someone “Have you seen Tom Collins?” They would reply “no” given this was a fake person. You then go on to tell this person that this fictional Tom Collins had been “Sitting in a bar nearby and talking harshly about you. They have been calling you hard names and talking about you in a rather rough manner” This would infuriate the person into searching for this Tom Collins fellow so they could confront them.
So you send them to the bar where Mr Tom Collins was at. The person would angrily march to the bar looking to confront Tom, they then ask the bartender for Tom Collins and the bartender would serve them a sour carbonated cocktail.
This was picked up by newspapers who didn’t get the joke and were trying to find this fictional Tom Collins man. The Gettysburg Compiler released an article in 1874 saying;
“Have you seen Tom Collins?”
“If you haven’t, perhaps you had better do so, and as quick as you can, for he is talking about you in a very rough manner–calling you hard names, and altogether saying things about you that are rather calculated to induce people to believe there is nothing you wouldn’t steal short of a red-hot stove. Other little things of that nature he is openly speaking in public places, and as a friend–although of course we don’t wish to make you feel uncomfortable–we think you ought to take some notice of them and of Mr. Tom Collins.”
“This is about the cheerful substance of a very successful practical joke which has been going the rounds of the city in the past week. It is not to this manor born, but belongs to New York, where it was played with immense success to crowded houses until it played out.”
The Tom Collins started its life as a John Collins, named after the headwaiter at the Limmer’s hotel in London. After the cocktail gained its notoriety and made its way to New York, the name was changed to the Tom Collins for the purpose of the joke.
2 years later Jerry Thomas released his cocktail book “The Bartenders Guide” Including the recipe with the name Tom Collins as opposed to John Collins. Which helped push the drink into classic cocktail territory.
Tom Collins soda water photo
Tom Collins cocktail Variations
Swapping out the spirit will give your Tom Collins a whole new flavour. The Tom Collins should ideally be made with Old Tom Gin. Even though most places will use London Dry. The former is preferred.
Dutch Collins: Genever or Dutch gin
Vodka Collins: As you can imagine, swap out the gin for vodka
Pierre Collins: With Brandy/Cognac
You can also make the Tom Collins with muddle berries or flavoured syrups for some refreshing creations. Below are a few that work really well.
Cucumber Tom Collins: Before mixing, muddle 3 cucumber chunks into the bottom of your glass.
Elderflower Collins: Swap out the sugar syrup for elderflower cordial
Raspberry Collins: Muddle a few ripe raspberries in the bottom of your glass before building the drink
Mint Collins: Simply add a sprig of mint to the drink and stir through.
Tom Collins cocktail stir.
Tom Collins Cocktail Recipe
Tom Collins
Ingredients
Instructions
- Fill a tall collins glass with cubed ice.
- Pour in the gin, lemon juice and sugar syrup.
- Slowly pour over the soda water then give a light stir.
- Garnish with a slice of lemon.
Notes
Scroll up for the sugar syrup recipe and cocktail variations.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
175.34Fat
0.07 gSat. Fat
0.01 gCarbs
12.33 gFiber
0.09 gNet carbs
12.24 gSugar
11.09 gProtein
0.1 gSodium
32.88 mgCholesterol
0 mgThe nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
