Tom Collins Cocktail Recipe
Gin, lemon, sugar and soda — like a sparkling, lengthened gin sour.
- Category: Popular
- Glass: Highball glass
- ABV: 12%
- Difficulty: Easy
- Prep time: ~3 min
Ingredients
- Gin45 ml (1.5 oz)
- Fresh lemon juice30 ml (1 oz)
- Simple syrup15 ml (0.5 oz)
- Soda water60 ml (2 oz)
How to Make It
- Shake gin, lemon and syrup with ice.
- Strain into a highball glass over ice.
- Top with soda water.
- Garnish with lemon and a cherry.
Garnish
Lemon slice and cherry
What it tastes like
The citrus acidity leads, it is carbonated and it drinks cool and easy.
The technique
Shaking. Anything with juice, syrup, egg white or cream gets shaken: the shaker chills the drink and adds roughly 20% water, and that water is what takes the edge off. Twelve to fifteen seconds, until the tin frosts over. Under-shaking leaves the drink harsh because it never got enough dilution.
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
- Gin
- London dry gin: juniper up front, citrus and coriander behind it. Brand really does show here — Beefeater is sharp, Hendrick's floral, Tanqueray juniper-heavy.
- 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
Documented in the 1870s, tied to a famous practical-joke craze in New York.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a Tom Collins mixed?
- It is shaken and served in a highball glass.
- How strong is a Tom Collins?
- Roughly 12% ABV as served — right around a glass of wine — an aperitif or an early-evening drink.
- Can a Tom 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 Tom Collins hard to make?
- Easy. No bar kit required — a measure, ice and a jar will do.
759 recipes in your pocket
Cocktails and mocktails from 55 countries — ingredients, steps and the story behind each drink. Works offline too.
Similar recipes
Collections
Alcoholic drink recipes are intended for those aged 18 and over. Please drink responsibly.