Tom Collins Cocktail
A Collins is a refreshing citrusy cocktail combining lemon juice, simple syrup, spirit, and soda water. Tom Collins is the original and most popular iteration, earning its name on the back end of a practical joke.
Way back when, a common way to haze someone was to ask if they’d met the new guy in town, Tom Collins, because if you hadn’t, the joker-teller would go on and on about how Tom had been talking all this nonsense about you. Then, of course, it just so happened to be that “Tom” was at a nearby bar.
This practical joke led to a mob of furious people trying to locate Tom, and so a bartender took it upon himself to name a cocktail after the man, so that anyone asking for Tom Collins would accidentally order his cocktail instead. Genius.
How to make a Tom Collins
- Gin. Beefeater will do the trick. Add Empress gin for a purple hue to improve the visual appeal of the cocktail.
- Lemons and simple syrup.
- Soda water.
Bartender Tips
- It’s a good idea to measure the soda water, as you want to add about 2 oz. Free-pouring could easily lead to 3+ ounces of soda, over diluting the cocktail.
- While the cherry-flag garnish isn’t mandatory, the visual appeal takes this cocktail to the next level and offers a contrast of taste next to the tart-citrusy sip.
- If you really want to serve the perfect Collins, use long rectangle ice molds so that you can serve the cocktail atop one long block of ice.
Variations
If the refreshing simplicity of a Tom Collins speaks to you, you may be interested in trying one of the many variations. A Collins can be made with any base spirit, such as vodka, rum, tequila, or whisky.
For increased complexity, trying swapping out a half-ounce of gin for Aperol, Campari, or St. Germaine.
Lastly, there always exists the option of muddling fresh fruit and herbs. Try different flavour combinations such as rosemary-pineapple, or strawberry-basil.
