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A classic Tom Collins is delicious, thirst-quenching gin cocktail that’s as bubbly and refreshing as a glass of sparkling lemonade.
Recipe ingredients:
Step-by-step instructions:
- To make one cocktail, combine 2 ounces of gin with ¾ ounces of lemon juice and ½ ounce of simple syrup in a cocktail shaker.
- Fill the shaker with ice, close, and shake vigorously. If you’ve pre-chilled some tall glasses, take one out of the refrigerator and fill it with fresh ice.
- Strain the cocktail into the glass. Top with 2 ounces of club soda and garnish with a lemon and a cherry, if you have it.
Recipe tips and variations:
- Glassware: Collins glass is a tall, thin, straight-sided 12-ounce glass.
- Simple syrup: Combine equal parts granulated sugar and warm water (ie, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water) and stir to combine. Cool completely.
- Vodka Collins: A cocktail made with vodka instead of gin.
- Tom Collins with grenadine: If you like a sweeter drink, float a little grenadine on top.
- Rum Collins: Use rum and either lemon or lime juice.
More fun cocktails:
Tom Collins
Ingredients
- 2 ounces gin (¼ cup)
- 3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice (1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon)
- 1/2 ounce simple syrup (1 tablespoon, see notes)
- Ice as needed
- 2 ounces club soda (¼ cup) or more if desired
- 1 lemon wheel for garnish, optional
- 1 maraschino cherry for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Chill glassware if desired: Coat the outside of a glass with water and freeze until serving time. Or, freeze dry glassware for 2 to 3 hours before serving.
- In a cocktail shaker, add gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup. Fill shaker with ice, cover, and shake until outside of shaker is very cold, about 20 seconds.
- Fill chilled glass with ice, then strain cocktail into glass. Top with club soda and garnish with a skewered lemon wheel and maraschino cherry if desired.
Notes
- Glassware: Collins glass is a tall, thin, straight-sided 12-ounce glass.
- Simple syrup: Combine equal parts granulated sugar and warm water (ie, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water) and stir to combine. Cool completely.
- Vodka Collins: A cocktail made with vodka instead of gin.
- Tom Collins with grenadine: If you like a sweeter drink, float a little grenadine on top.
- Rum Collins: Use rum and either lemon or lime juice.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is the Executive Chef and CEO of Culinary Hill, a popular digital publication in the food space. She loves to combine her Midwestern food memories with her culinary school education to create her own delicious take on modern family fare. Millions of readers visit Culinary Hill each month for meticulously-tested recipes as well as skills and tricks for ingredient prep, cooking ahead, menu planning, and entertaining. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the iCUE Culinary Arts program at College of the Canyons.
