A tall, easygoing gin highball, the John Collins pairs London dry gin with fresh lemon and just enough sugar to round the edges, then stretches it all with soda over ice. Built gently in the glass so the bubbles survive, it drinks bright, citrusy and refreshing — a Gin Fizz let out long over ice, crisper and drier in its juniper than a Tom Collins.
Garnish: Lemon Wheel, Maraschino Cherry
built · Highball · On the Rocks
build
Fill a highball glass with ice cubes, then pour the gin, fresh lemon juice, and simple syrup directly into the glass.
top
Top with chilled soda water.
stir
Stir gently to combine without knocking out the carbonation.
garnish
Garnish with a lemon wheel and a maraschino cherry.
No single inventor stands behind the John Collins: its name is usually explained by a legend about a headwaiter called John Collins, said to have served at Limmer's Old House in Mayfair sometime around 1790 to 1817, though the tale accounts for the name rather than documenting who first mixed the drink. It is attested in print by 1869 and settled into the Collins family as a generic style, with the gin drawing the line between siblings — London dry for the John, Old Tom for the Tom Collins. The IBA lists it among its "Unforgettable" cocktails on a gin base, and calling a whiskey version a John Collins is only a modern, informal habit.