Grand Collins Recipe
A Collins built on cognac-based orange liqueur rather than gin: lemon and soda stretch its rich orange sweetness into a light, tall refresher.
- Category: Popular
- Glass: Highball glass
- ABV: 11%
- Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
- Orange curaçao45 ml (1.5 oz)
- Fresh lemon juice22 ml (0.7 oz)
- Simple syrup1 tsp
- Soda water75 ml (2.5 oz)
How to Make It
- Fill a highball glass with ice.
- Add the orange liqueur, lemon juice and simple syrup, and stir to chill.
- Top with soda water and give one gentle stir.
- Garnish with orange zest and a raspberry.
Garnish
Orange zest and a raspberry
What it tastes like
The sweetness is pronounced, it smells of lemon and lime peel, it is carbonated and it drinks cool and easy.
The technique
Built in the glass. Ice goes into the serving glass, the ingredients go on top, and you stir once if at all. Anything carbonated goes in LAST and never gets stirred; every turn of the spoon costs you bubbles. Fill the glass to the rim with ice: less ice melts faster, not slower.
Glass and ice
A tall, narrow highball. The narrowness does real work — less surface area means the carbonation lasts longer and the ice melts more slowly.
Ingredient notes and substitutes
- Orange curaçao
- A liqueur made from the bitter orange of Curaçao; usually brandy-based, which makes it darker and rounder than Cointreau.
- Fresh lemon juice
- Freshly squeezed lemon; one lemon gives 30-40 ml. It can swap with lime, but lemon is softer and less aromatic, so use a touch more.
- Simple syrup
- One part sugar to one part water, stirred until it dissolves — no need to boil it. Keeps a month in the fridge. No syrup? Use the same amount of honey, loosened with a little water.
- Soda water
- Plain carbonated water. It goes in LAST and nothing is stirred after it. An open bottle goes flat fast, so small bottles make more sense than big ones.
The Story
A liqueur-based member of the Collins family, the template of spirit, lemon, sugar and soda that dates back to the nineteenth century.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a Grand Collins mixed?
- It is built in the glass and served in a highball glass.
- How strong is a Grand Collins?
- Roughly 11% ABV as served — right around a glass of wine — an aperitif or an early-evening drink.
- Can a Grand Collins be made without alcohol?
- Simply leaving the spirit out does not work — the body and the bitterness go with it. The 86 alcohol-free recipes in the catalogue are built to hit that balance from the start.
- Is a Grand Collins hard to make?
- Easy. No bar kit required — a measure, ice and a jar will do.
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Alcoholic drink recipes are intended for those aged 18 and over. Please drink responsibly.