Tom Collins

Essentially lemonade with Gin in it, a Tom Collins is the perfect drink for a summer's day. The Tom Collins has some strength to it, but considering the amount of liquid in the cocktail, you can take your time with it, which is important as it's supposed to be a refreshment, not something you pour down your throat and get too drunk with too quickly.

A mixed drink like this usually calls for a London Dry Gin, but alternative botanicals in some of today's more interesting Gins can go quite well here. Use your favourite Gin to see how it goes, you'll likely be pleasantly surprised.

Enjoy this long drink sitting in the sun with friends or as a way to relax on a warm evening.

Total Time 3

Servings 1 cocktail

Ingredients

60 mL Gin
30 mL Lemon Juice
30 mL Simple Syrup*
150 mL Club Soda
Garnish with lemon wedge

Instructions

Combine Gin, Lemon Juice, and Simple Syrup in a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice. Shake until the shaker is too cold to touch.
Strain into a Collins glass with fresh ice.
Top up with Club Soda.
Garnish and drink.

Notes

*Here's our Simple Syrup recipe.

As mentioned, feel free to try your favourite Gin in this cocktail. Play with it and have fun. Cocktail usually call for a traditional London Dry Gin, but there's a big opportunity to try some different botanicals in this cocktail to get some different flavours. That's half the fun of Gin!

Finally, the Tom Collins has been around since the 1800's and, as with a lot of cocktails, its name is shrouded in mystery. This is probably partially due to the drink's age as well as it being a relatively simple cocktail that becomes a variation of a variation or a variation. We won't go into the various theories and history of the name; it doesn't matter. Ultimately it's a great cocktail, and that's really all that matters.

Our Review of the Tom Collins

The Tom Collins is one of those refreshing long drinks that everybody should try at least once and know how to make. The ingredients are basic enough that you’ll probably have them all in your home bar, so there’s little excuse not to make and try one, just so it can be another cocktail that you’ve tried. Maybe that’s why you’re here taking a look at the recipe for a Tom Collins. You’ve likely heard of the cocktail but didn’t realise it was so simple, but you got a handy list of cocktails you could make with the ingredients you have, and now you’re here.

Well, you’re in for a great, albeit simple, treat. The Tom Collins really isn’t anything special in terms of creative cocktail making. You’re basically making sparkling Lemonade and adding some Gin to it. Gin and Lemon Juice go well together. Gin and Soda go well together. Lemon Juice and Soda go well together too. So why not combine them all for a drink with a refreshing zing?

As mixed drinks go, sure it’s basic, but if you want something refreshing and hydrating that also has booze in it, you can’t get much better than the Tom Collins.

If, on the other hand, you’re after a complicated cocktail with exotic ingredients that will impress friends and guests, perhaps the Tom Collins isn’t the best choice. It’s quite basic after all. But if you’re having a group of friends around and want to easily make a jug of something that everyone will enjoy? Well, why not make a big Tom Collins batch?

What I’m trying to say is that a cocktail recipe doesn’t need to be “out there” to be enjoyable. It can be easy to make with some basic ingredients. It won’t necessarily be the cocktail that everyone obsesses over, but sometimes you just want something nice to drink after a hard day. Or something to serve at a barbeque. Not every beverage needs to be a special occasion.

So yes, try making a Tom Collins or two next time you have a Summer get together. They’ll be sure to be a hit!

8/10

Review by Sarah

Looking for more great cocktail recipes containing Gin?

Of course there are plenty of other base spirits out there other than Gin, but if you’re here, you probably like Gin, or at least have a bottle of Gin open, and you’re looking to use it! Take a look at the links below for some other Gin based recipes:

Top 10 Gin cocktail recipes: these are our favourite Gin cocktail recipes. You may agree, you may disagree, but hopefully you find something you like!

Top 20 classic cocktail recipes: the Tom Collins is certainly a classic cocktail! If you like a good classic and want to find more, check out the ones we like to drink again and again.

All Gin cocktail recipes: if you still haven’t found something interesting, flip through all of Gin cocktail recipes. There’s quite a few!

All classic cocktail recipes: or check out all of our classic cocktails. We more lots and lots of those. Classics are classics for a reason.