Tom Collins
Updated July 2, 2024
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Ingredients
- 2ounces Old Tom or London Dry gin
- 1ounce simple syrup
- ¾ounce lemon juice
- Soda water
- Lemon wedge, for garnish
- Cocktail cherry, for garnish
Preparation
- Step 1
Shake gin, syrup and juice with ice until chilled, about 15 seconds. Strain into an ice-filled highball. Top with soda water. Garnish with lemon wheel or wedge and a cherry.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Steve
Substitute bourbon for the gin and you have a John Collins. Substitute champagne for the club soda in a Tom Collins and you have the French 75. Substitute cognac for gin in a French 75 and you have a French 75 Traditionnel Substitute white wine for champagne in a French 75 and you have a French 75 Sans Bulles Substitute limoncello for the lemon juice and simple syrup in a Tom Collins and you have a Tom Cello.
Jon
It's what the giraffe said when he walked into the bar. "Hey everybody, the highballs are on me"
Stephen Lamade
A highball is a base spirit, e.g. whiskey, and a larger proportion of non-alcoholic mixer, e.g. soda water. Hence, a Tom Collins is a highball because it is made of gin mixed with lemon juice and simple syrup, and topped off with seltzer. The drink can be built, or mixed, in a glass full of ice, or shaken in the manner described. It is served in a tall tumbler, or highball glass - or more traditionally in the narrower, taller Collins glass.
Chris
ok, I'll ask. What's a highball?
Marshal Phillips
Or just 4 fingers of gin, lemonade, and ice.
Tom C
Ouch! I would go with an ounce of lemon juice and 3/4 simple syrup. I know that isn't a major difference, but completely changes the taste... for the better.
Mark
Only one problem with this recipe, before you know it you're out of gin again.
R1EMT
The equivalent of a double old fashioned glass, roughly 10-12 oz.
Linda PA
Tastes like summer. I like it as written.
Omar
I imagine myself drinking one of these on a beach, after the air has cooled in late afternoon, with the sun's rays behind me and the blue ocean in front. The waiter wears a white jacket and bowtie, black slacks with bare feet. One small change: cut the simple syrup to half and ounce. Yes sir, another please.
Foodie
Answering the question by Chris: HIGHBALL = drink that is part alcohol and part non-alcoholic filler (i.e., carbonated water, soda, milk) served on the rocks (with ice). Any of these drinks can be served in a slim, tall cocktail glass called a "highball". The alcohol is usually the smaller part of these drinks, with some exceptions. 2 classic "highballs": 1) RUM AND COKE (also called a CUBA LIBRE, when served with lime). 2) LONG ISLAND ISLAND ICED TEA.
Marissa
Way too much simple syrup and lemon juice! I cut back the syrup, but did the lemon juice as called for… had to go back and add more gin and simple syrup to cut down on the lemon. I’d definitely do only 1/4 ounce to 1/2 of lemon juice next time!
Janis
Growing up north of Pittsburgh in the 50's, my parents served "Tom Collins" drinks in the summer. I remember that they used "Squirt" soda as the mixer! It was a local/western soft drink, and I loved stealing sips of their drinks.....
Paul Johan
3 drops of Angostura Bitter per glass,balances perfect and adds just a bit of bite.
Gordon
And please use fresh lemons, squeeze them. THAT makes the drink.
Mark
Only one problem with this recipe, before you know it you're out of gin again.
Lance
On substitutions: Substitute Champagne and cognac, with a shot of chartreuse, and you have a French 120 -- a very special drink known to a small circle. In the end, it is all the fun of mixing. Try the French 120. (The French 75 was a 75 mm field gun, a quick-firing and very accurate field artillery piece adopted in 1898 -- and thus the name of the drink. The 120 is step up, bit bigger bore for the cocktail bored....)
Charles Thompson
Ah, quite nice. However, use 3/4 fresh squeezed lime juice ala Evelyn Mullray (Fay Dunaway) for a more refreshing drink.
George
Regarding the ratios, it's personal, and can be adapted according to how acidic your lemon juice is, what sort of gin (Old Tom will be sweeter), etc. The classic sour ratio is 2:1:1 (Margarita, Sidecar, Daiquiri, etc.), but more often encountered these days as 2:0.75:0.75, or 1.5:0.75:1 or some variation. Depends on your preference. I tend to like them a little drier and more tart, so I tend to favor 2 spirt: 0.75 sweet: 1.0 sour. All these sours are just variations on the theme!
Steve
Substitute bourbon for the gin and you have a John Collins. Substitute champagne for the club soda in a Tom Collins and you have the French 75. Substitute cognac for gin in a French 75 and you have a French 75 Traditionnel Substitute white wine for champagne in a French 75 and you have a French 75 Sans Bulles Substitute limoncello for the lemon juice and simple syrup in a Tom Collins and you have a Tom Cello.
Jenn
Made May 2020. Delicious and very refreshing. Used 1oz of lemon juice and 3/4oz of simple syrup.
Tom C
Ouch! I would go with an ounce of lemon juice and 3/4 simple syrup. I know that isn't a major difference, but completely changes the taste... for the better.
Nathan Brasfield
Definitely the better NYT recipe--I'm usually one for drier tastes, but you really need this much simple syrup (instead of just a tsp) to bring out all the flavors. This is a delicious recipe. I prefer to use an orange wheel instead of the lemon wedge.
Tom C
Hmm... I go with 2 oz gin, 1 lemon juice, 3/4 (1/2 might be better) simple. The 1 oz of simple makes it too sugary for my tastes.
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