Tom Collins
A tall gin highball with lemon, sugar, and soda water over ice, finished with citrus garnish.
The Tom Collins is a long, sparkling gin drink that combines gin, lemon juice, sugar, and soda water. The build resembles an extended gin sour, with carbonation and dilution from the soda making it bright and refreshing. Lemon provides clean, direct acidity that frames the gin botanicals without becoming heavy. Served in a Collins glass over ice, it is an easy, crowd-friendly highball that suits warm weather.
Ingredients
- • 2 oz gin
- • 1 oz fresh lemon juice
- • 0.75 oz simple syrup
- • 3-4 oz chilled soda water
Did you know?
“The Tom Collins appears in late 19th-century American bar manuals and is tied to the earlier 'Tom Collins hoax' jokes that circulated in New York. Early recipes often used Old Tom gin, a lightly sweetened style that gave the drink a softer profile. Wondrich traces the drink‚Äôs documentation across multiple editions of Jerry Thomas and other bartending guides. Modern versions commonly use London dry gin and simple syrup to create a crisper, more citrus-driven highball.”
Bartender's Note
Shake the gin, lemon, and sugar first if you want a tighter texture, then top with chilled soda in the glass to preserve carbonation.
How to make the Tom Collins
- 1Add gin, fresh lemon juice, and simple syrup to a shaker filled with ice
- 2Shake until well chilled
- 3Strain into a Collins glass filled with fresh ice
- 4Top with chilled soda water
- 5Garnish with a lemon wheel and optional cherry and serve with a straw
