Tom Collins Recipe: How to Make a Tom Collins

The Tom Collins cocktail is a simple and satisfying beverage composed of gin, fresh lemon juice, sugar syrup, and soda water. Tom Collins cocktails are often served in a highball glass with cubed ice. This is a specifically tall glass that keeps the beverage cold, ideal for drinks that have been heavily diluted with ice and include more than one mixer.

The origins of legendary cocktails are frequently shrouded in mystery. In the instance of Tom Collins, this uncertainty has given rise to many strange legends. While its exact roots are unknown, the cocktail is said to have been born sometime in the middle of the nineteenth century. The impossibility of knowing the details behind the drink’s conception sparked a debate between the British and the Americans, with both sides recognizing the cocktail as their own with equal conviction. Even until now, the issue has not been definitively solved. HL Mencken stated in the 1920s that the cocktail was unmistakably American since the English have no inventiveness when it comes to naming things. As a result, if a recipe calls for whiskey and soda, it will be referred to as simply “whiskey and soda”. It makes sense then that no English person would have named a cocktail "Tom Collins". The Tom Collins recipe is easy and the taste is seductively fruity, fizzy, and refreshing, with a hint of herbal flavour from the gin. It is best recommended for those who enjoy drinks that are refreshing, fruity, and citrusy in flavour but not overly sweet.

What are the ingredients for a Tom Collins?

Listed below are the ingredients for a Tom Collins cocktail.

• 60ml Gin: Gin is a colourless to pale yellow beverage distilled from pure spirit. Obtained from a grain of mash, one of its key ingredients is the juniper berry.
• 30ml Fresh Lemon Juice: Lemon juice enhances hydration by boosting the flavour of water, which can improve the taste of the cocktail. The juice is produced by crushing the lemon fruit's pupils.
• 15ml Sugar Syrup: Sugar syrup is a sweet liquid created by boiling sugar with water and, in some cases, fruit juice. It is widely used to sweeten drinks and is far simpler to dissolve in cold beverages than normal sugar.
• Soda Water on top: Soda water is a pressurised mixture of water and carbon dioxide with no additions.

1. 60ml Gin

Gin is the primary ingredient necessary to make a Tom Collins cocktail. Gin tastes like pine needles because it is made from juniper berries, or the female seed cones present on plants or trees of the same name. Gin contains 40% alcohol content with 148 calories. The best and most widely used gin by many bartenders and cocktail enthusiasts alike is Beefeater London Dry Gin. This brand is the world’s most awarded gin.  

2. 30ml Fresh Lemon Juice

Fresh lemon juice is added when making a Tom Collins cocktail, to intensify the tartness of the drink and help mask the bitterness of the gin. 30ml of fresh lemon juice contains a number of 8 calories.

3. 15ml Sugar Syrup

Sugar syrup is an essential ingredient in Tom Collins. The cocktail will benefit from the sweetness it provides as well as the fact that it is already dissolved. This means it will mix much faster and smoother into the cocktail than ordinary sugar. A 15ml sugar syrup contains 19 calories per serving.

4. Soda Water on top

Soda Water is a necessary ingredient to add to a Tom Collins cocktail drink because it balances the cocktail's flavour and enhances its taste. Soda water does not contain any alcohol content or calories.

How to make Tom Collins?

Preparing a Tom Collins has never been this easier thanks to this recipe, so don't miss it and make the most out of your cocktail!

1. Pour all the ingredients into a shaker and shake.
2. Strain into a highball glass over cubed ice.
3. Top with soda water.
4. Garnish with a lemon wedge.

1. Pour all the ingredients into a shaker and shake.

In a cocktail shaker, combine the gin, lemon juice and sugar syrup, then shake until the ingredients are thoroughly combined. This is the first and most crucial step in ensuring that the ingredients are well combined and that the cocktail has a balanced flavour.

2. Strain into a highball glass over cubed ice.

Pour the cocktail into a highball glass filled with cubed ice. Since the classic Tom Collins cocktail is served with ice cubes, this is an important step to take. It is also necessary to strain the drink to ensure that there are no other substances in the highball glass.

3. Top with soda water

Soda water should be added to the top of the strained drink. This step is required to balance the flavour of the cocktail and improve its taste.

4. Garnish with a lemon wedge.

The garnish is what sets a Tom Collins apart. Garnish the cocktail with a wedge of lemon by cutting a lemon in half and then lengthwise at an angle. This final phase is necessary for the preparation of the cocktail because it adds both visual character and flavour to the drink.

What nutritional benefit can you get from drinking a Tom Collins?

Traditional Tom Collins cocktail drinks have no nutritional value. They do, however, contain 122 calories per serving and approximately 15.29% of alcohol content.

What are the different variations of Tom Collins?

There are multiple variations of the Tom Collins cocktail, including Ron Collins, John Collins, Michael Collins, Phil Collins and Bootsy Collins. To variate a Mimosa cocktail drink, the bartender should add some ingredients. The procedure of making the variation of Tom Collins is similar to the classic one. Include ½ oz of Luxardo Maraschino and 2 dashes of Pernod Absinthe to make an upgraded Tom Collins cocktail. Some similar cocktails to the Tom Collins are Singapore Sling, Sloe Gin Fizz, Starburst 3, Alabama Slammer, Adios Mother and Italian Ice.