A tall, effervescent cooler of Old Tom gin, lemon and a touch of sugar stretched with soda over ice — essentially a sparkling gin lemonade, crisp and easygoing. The Old Tom's soft, rounded sweetness takes the edge off the lemon's snap, and with more soda than a Gin Fizz it drinks longer and lighter, finished with a lemon wheel and a cherry.
Garnish: Lemon Wheel, Maraschino Cherry
built · Collins · On the Rocks
build
Fill a Collins glass with ice cubes and add the Old Tom gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup.
top
Top with soda water.
stir
Stir gently to combine and chill.
garnish
Garnish with a lemon slice and a maraschino cherry.
No single inventor is on record: the name is usually traced to John Collins, a headwaiter at Limmer's in London, with "Tom" later attached thanks to the Old Tom gin that became its signature spirit. Its fame got a boost from the Great Tom Collins Hoax of 1874, and printed recipes followed from Harry Johnson in 1882, calling for Old Tom, and from Jerry Thomas in 1887. The IBA now catalogues the drink under the John Collins name, noting that Old Tom gin is what makes it a Tom Collins.