The Tom Collins is one of those drinks that seems too simple to bother with, until you have one made properly. Gin, fresh lemon juice, a touch of sugar and soda, served tall over ice: on paper it is barely more than a Gin Lemon. In the glass, the balance between tart, sweet and fizz is exactly what separates a genuinely refreshing long drink from boozy lemon water.
It is also the close cousin of the Gin Fizz: same four ingredients, different technique. We'll come back to that in a moment, because it's the question everyone asks.
The recipe and measures
These are the measures set by the IBA, the international bartenders' association. One detail almost nobody mentions: the IBA lists the drink as the John Collins, and notes that made with Old Tom gin it becomes a Tom Collins. Same recipe; only the style of gin changes.
- 45 ml gin
- 30 ml fresh lemon juice (squeezed to order)
- 15 ml sugar syrup
- 60 ml chilled soda water
- Ice to fill the glass
- Lemon slice and a maraschino cherry to garnish
How to make it, step by step
A Tom Collins is built straight in the glass, no shaker. That's the whole point of it.
- Fill a tall glass (Collins or highball) to the top with ice.
- Pour the gin, lemon juice and sugar syrup straight over the ice.
- Give it a short stir with a bar spoon to chill and combine.
- Top with chilled soda, pouring slowly down the inside of the glass to keep the bubbles.
- Add one last gentle stir, from the bottom up.
- Garnish with a lemon slice and a maraschino cherry.
The glass: why it's called a Collins
The tall, narrow glass this drink is served in is called a Collins glass, named after the cocktail itself; a highball works just as well. It keeps the drink cold and protects the soda's fizz: the narrower it is, the less surface it exposes and the longer the drink stays alive. For choosing glassware for gin long drinks, see our guide to the right glass.
Tom Collins or Gin Fizz? The difference in one line
The ingredients are identical, the method is not, and that's all there is to it.
- Gin Fizz: shaken and served without ice, in a smaller glass. You drink it quickly, before the fizz goes.
- Tom Collins: built in the glass, over ice, in a tall glass. Longer, more diluted, made for sipping.
Old Tom or London Dry?
The name gives it away: the Tom Collins was born with Old Tom, the lightly sweetened gin that dominated the 1800s. Today it's almost always made with a dry gin, which is fine; just remember that with a dry gin the sugar syrup genuinely matters, it isn't optional. If you do use an Old Tom, ease off the syrup.
Where the name comes from
There are two stories, and both are probably true. The first starts in London: by the 1860s a drink called the John Collins was linked to the head waiter of that name at Limmer's Old House, a hotel in Mayfair. Once recipes began calling specifically for Old Tom gin, the name drifted to Tom Collins.
The second is the Great Tom Collins Hoax of 1874: across the United States, people would tell a friend that a man named Tom Collins was in a nearby bar bad-mouthing them. The victim would storm off looking for this non-existent Tom Collins, and the bartender would serve them the drink instead. The joke was popular enough to end up in the music-hall songs of the day, and it helped make the cocktail famous.
Mistakes to avoid
- Bottled lemon juice: the single biggest one. Squeeze it fresh.
- Warm or stingy soda: the soda makes the long drink. Fridge-cold, and don't hold back.
- Shaking the lot: shake it with the soda in and it erupts. Serve it without ice and you've made a Gin Fizz, not a Tom Collins.
FAQ
What gin should I use for a Tom Collins?
Originally Old Tom, softer and lightly sweet. A dry, citrus-forward gin works perfectly well today and carries the lemon without smothering it; in that case the sugar syrup is essential.
What's the difference between a Tom Collins and a John Collins?
Only the gin. The recipe is the same; the IBA lists it as the John Collins and notes that made with Old Tom gin it's called a Tom Collins.
What's the difference between a Tom Collins and a Gin Fizz?
The ingredients are the same. A Gin Fizz is shaken and served without ice; a Tom Collins is built in a tall glass over ice and is longer.
How strong is a Tom Collins?
It's a moderate long drink: 45 ml of gin stretched with soda and ice, so much lighter than a spirit-forward cocktail served straight up. It's still alcoholic, mind.
Can I make it without sugar?
With a dry gin, leaving the sweetener out tips it too far towards sour. If you want to cut the sugar, keep at least a bar spoon of it, or switch to an Old Tom.
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