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The Tom Collins is a classic that almost everyone is familiar with. It’s been around for a very long time and is a sweet and bubbly way to enjoy your gin. For those who’ve never had one before, I’m going to teach you how to make one.
How to Make a Tom Collins
It’s easy to make a Tom Collins and the nice thing is that you can easily swap out different types of Gin like I have here. I’ll provide the recipes for two:
- A standard Tom Collins
- A cherry Tom Collins
The cherry one is a nice option if you have cherry flavored gin available in your area. If you don’t, any fruit flavored gin will work fine as long as it pairs well with lemon which is a prominent ingredient in this cocktail.
How-To Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef4OsWRDdBw
Variations on the Drink
Standard Tom Collins
Ingredients
A standard Tom Collins cocktail requires the following ingredients:
- Gin
- Lemon Juice
- Simple Syrup
- Club Soda
Directions
To prepare, follow these directions:
- Combine gin, lemon juice and simple syrup over ice in a Tom Collins glass (the size of which is pictured in this recipe) and stir with a bar spoon.
- Top with club soda.
- Garnish with a lemon slice and serve.
Cherry Tom Collins
Ingredients
- Cherry gin
- Lemon Juice
- Simple Syrup
- Club Soda
Directions
To prepare, follow these directions:
- Combine cherry gin, lemon juice and simple syrup over ice in a Collins glass and stir with a bar spoon.
- Top with club soda.
- Garnish with lemon slice and a cherry and serve.
Juan Collins
Not as popular but certainly delicious, this variant simply replaces the Gin with Tequila.
Ingredients
- Cherry gin
- Lemon Juice
- Simple Syrup
- Club Soda
Directions
To prepare the Juan Collins, follow these directions:
- Combine gin, lemon juice and simple syrup over ice in a Collins glass (the size of which is pictured in this recipe) and stir with a bar spoon.
- Top with club soda.
- Garnish with a lemon slice and serve.
What is the Best Gin for a Tom Collins?
Most recipes call for Old Tom Gin which is made from a specific recipe. You can easily use alternatives, however. You can learn more about Old Tom Gin here.
Other recipes to try:
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Tom Collins
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Total Time
- 5 minutes
- Course
- Cocktail
- Cuisine
- cocktails
- Servings
- 1
- Calories
- 175
- Author
- Karlynn Johnston
Ingredients
- 2 ounces gin
- 1 ounce lemon juice
- 1/2 ounce simple syrup
- 1 can club soda to top up with
Instructions
- Combine ingredients in a Tom Collins glass with ice.
- Stir with a bar spoon.
- Garnish and serve.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
All calories and info are based on a third party calculator and are only an estimate. Actual nutritional info will vary with brands used, your measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
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Jeff Tomlinson says
These are delicious.