Tom Collins - head of the oldest family of cocktails

Tom Collins is an alcoholic cocktail consisting of gin, lemon juice, sweet syrup and soda. It has a perfectly balanced sweet and sour taste and a refreshing effect. Included in the official list of the International Bartenders Association (IBA). The drink is usually served in a special tall cylindrical glass with straight walls, which is named after it - Collins. This cocktail became the progenitor of a whole group, which is prepared on the basis of a strong alcoholic base with the addition of lemon juice and soda.

Historical reference

In 1874, in the state of Pennsylvania, a fascinating game was invented - a group of people agreed to start a conversation about the non-existent Tom Collins.
With all this, there was certainly at least one person in the company who did not know about the plot. It seemed to the “victim” that everyone in the world knew Tom except her. The hoax game gradually spread across North America. The excitement was supported by the media (mass media, mass media - periodicals, radio, television and video programs) . Articles appeared in newspapers about Tom Collins, and almost all performers composed songs in honor of the man of mystery. Sooner or later, someone had to use the popular name.

In 1876, in the printed publication “The Bartender's Management” by Jerry Thomas, who is considered the father of American bar culture, a cocktail recipe called “Tom Collins” appeared. Thanks to its recognizable name, the drink instantly became fashionable. In 1878, the cocktail was recognized as the most popular in New York.

According to another version, the recipe was invented in 1800 by an English bartender named Collins, who worked at the Limmers Hotel. At first, the British version of the cocktail included the Dutch juniper alcohol Genever, later it was replaced with the sweet gin Old Tom, hence the name.

If you replace the gin in the recipe with whiskey or bourbon, you get a “John Collins” cocktail, a “Pepito” is made with tequila, a “Pierre” with cognac, and a “Pedro” or “Ron” with rum. Those who want to prepare a drink with the wonderful name “Comrade Collins” should drink Russian vodka.

Traditional Tom Collins recipe

Composition and proportions:

gin (dry English) – 50 ml;
lemon juice – 25 ml;
sweet syrup – 25 ml;
soda – 100 ml;
cocktail cherry – 1 piece (optional);
orange – 1 slice (optional);
ice cubes – 350 gr.

At home, soda can be replaced with Sprite.

Manufacturing

1. Fill a tall glass to the top with ice cubes.

2. Mix syrup, lemon juice and gin in a shaker with ice (or chill the ingredients ahead of time).

3. Pour the mixture into a glass through a strainer.

4. Carefully add soda, then mix with a spoon.

5. Garnish the finished cocktail with a cherry and a slice of orange.

The manufacturing process is shown in the video.

Making cocktails Tom and John Collins

Cocktail recipe Tom Collins John Collins

There are two recipes floating around the internet:

one official one, from the IBA, which says that John Collins and Tom Collins are the same thing, with the only difference being that the Tom Collins cocktail should be prepared only with Old Tom Gin brand gin and a drop of Angostura bitters.
The 2nd version, the least noble, says that the John Collins cocktail is prepared with... whiskey.

We will rely only on IBA, in general, you can even pour moonshine into a cocktail...

John Collins cocktail recipe:

45 ml gin
30 ml fresh lemon juice
15 ml part of sweet syrup or 1 tsp. snow white sugar
50-60 ml soda
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 slice of lemon
1 maraschino cherry

There are also two manufacturing methods (whichever is more convenient for you):

Traditional - mix all the ingredients in a tall glass, stir well, add ice and top up with soda.
Advanced - all ingredients except soda must be shaken in a shaker with ice. Strain into a tall highball glass over ice and add soda water.

Garnish with a slice of lemon and a cherry.

Cocktail history Tom Collins / John Collins

A mixture of gin, lemon juice and sweet syrup has been known since ancient times. The history of the John Collins cocktail, in part, originates from grog and similar drinks of English sailors, who were given rum, gin, and later whiskey mixed with lemon or any other fruit juice, in order to prevent vitamin deficiency and vitamin deficiency ( vitamins - a group of organic substances combined by chemical nature, united on the basis of their absolute necessity for a heterotrophic organism as an integral part of food) C (ce). In addition, the acid and sugar did an excellent job of hiding the filthy real smell and taste of the drink.

So, in its original form, the John Collins cocktail has been known since the 1860s, and is at least believed to have been associated with head waiter John Collins, who worked at the Limmer's Old House Hotel, located in London on Conduit Street, in the western area of Mayfair.

Despite the fact that the recipe officially appeared in 1876, in a book authored by Jerry Thomas, a very similar one already existed a little earlier (1869):

A teaspoon of sweet powder
Juice of half a lemon
Glass of Old Tom gin
A bottle of regular soda

Shake or mix with ice. Add a piece of lemon zest.

Thanks specifically to Old Tom Gin, the original name of the John Collins cocktail was changed to Tom Collins.

Manufacturing method

How should John Collins be prepared? The cocktail recipe is as simple as possible. If you wish, you can simply prepare it yourself at home. For this, the following ingredients will be useful: 45 ml of gin, 15 ml of ready-made sweet syrup, ice, 30 ml of lemon juice and 60 ml of soda.

Utensils: bar spoon, Collins glass or highball glass.

Drink production development:

Place some ice in the glass. It is better to take huge cubes. You will need approximately 4 of them for one glass.
Pour all the ingredients into it alternately. The soda should be added last.
Stir the contents with a bar spoon. With all this, there is no need to be particularly zealous.
Garnish the glass with a lemon wedge and top with one maraschino cherry.

If desired, you can add a little Angostura bitter to the cocktail, which, due to the presence of herbs and spices in it, will give the finished drink a unique smell and corresponding bitterness.

Tom Collins cocktail making process

The Tom Collins cocktail is prepared using the stir or shake method.

If you are combining the cocktail in a shaker, then you first need to thoroughly shake the gin with lemon juice and sweet syrup. Then strain, pour into a serving glass, add soda, stir and garnish.

Stir method Fill the glass with ice. Prepare sweet syrup (dilute sugar with water), add gin, lemon juice, and add soda. Gently stir the cocktail with a bar spoon (to maintain the integrity of the bubbles). Serve with a traditional garnish of cherries or lemon wedges.

Cocktail glassware: Collins glass, Highball glass

The history of this cocktail is a huge hoax game by the standards of the 19th century. Typically, this could be called “word of mouth”, although among experts there is a special term - “viral marketing”. Who started it all is still a mystery.

Thanks to the deception, the person who perceived the role in the game began talking about the non-existent Tom Collins. To the question “Have you seen Tom Collins?” the listeners simply had nothing to answer! It seemed to anyone that everyone knew this man, except him.

As a result of the “viral seeding”, an unusual stir was created: people began to behave excitedly, going crazy with curiosity and indignation. Hysteria began in 1874 in Pennsylvania and instantly spread throughout North America. The “game” was supported not only by people, but also by the media. Tom Collins was published in newspapers, songs were dedicated to him, and he can still be found in the archives of the Library of Congress (the United States of America is a state in North America) .

It is reliably clear that the first recipe for “Tom Collins” appeared in 1876. It was published in the publication "Bartender's Management" under the authorship of Jerry Thomas. The progenitor of American mixology used stunning deception for his own greedy purposes, and named the newest gin-based cocktail after the name of the sensational meme - “Tom Collins”.

Where did this Tom Collins come from? There is a worldview that there once lived an English bartender named Collins, who invented this delicious cocktail back in 1800. As you might guess, the drink received part of its name thanks to its own creator. The authorship of the recipe supposedly belongs to the Limmers Hotel, where Collins, apparently, came up with his brainchild. The English version of the cocktail has a number of differences: instead of gin, Dutch juniper alcohol Genever is added to it. In 1878, the alcohol was replaced by the sweet gin Old Tom and the name of the cocktail took on a logically complete form - “Tom Collins”.

In 1878, Tom Collins became the most popular long drink in New York. It has even been given the unofficial status of “the world’s favorite drink.”

The modern cocktail recipe is often called “John Collins” or “Tom Collins”. The proportions of ingredients have been changed. So it is customary to add not one, but two parts of lemon juice. Sweet syrup is prepared from 1 teaspoon of sugar.

A huge number of derivatives of “Tom Collins” have been invented:

“Brandy Collins” (with brandy or cognac) “Juan Jose” or “Collins with tequila”, “Jack Collins” (based on apple vodka), “Jake Collins” (with gin and pineapple juice), another “John Collins” ( with bourbon or rye whiskey), “Michael Collins” (with Irish whiskey), “Ron Collins” (with rum, popular among tourists in Cuba), “Sandy Collins” or “Jock Collins” (with Scotch whiskey), “Vodka Collins" or "Comrade Collins" (with Russian vodka), "Phil Collins" (with 7-Up or Sprite lemonade), etc.

History of the issue

The legend about John Collins is very popular. Or the director, or the head waiter, or the waiter, or the bartender of a famous English restaurant. According to the legend given to us, in 1800, this glorious character mixed well-known ingredients and received a cocktail recipe that everyone liked.

The cocktail was naturally dubbed John Collins. Historians spent a long time finding such a famous character, but found only mentions of him in urban folklore. But there really was a cocktail with that name, and its recipe was not very different from the modern one.

Photo of the cocktail dubbed John Collins

At first, instead of gin, very strong alcohol, actually ethyl alcohol, was added to the cocktail. A few decades later, someone added alcohol instead and realized it was great.

Gin Old Tom (Old Tom) was the most popular, and perhaps the most suitable for taste, but it was because of it that the cocktail began to be called Tom Collins. Later, the gin was changed a couple of times; the modern recipe most often contains English dry gin. But the title remains the same. Thus, the cocktail is over 200 years old, and its name is about 150.

Tom Collins cocktail recipe

by Admin February 8, 2012

Now we will prepare a traditional sweet and sour cocktail from the Collins family. “Tom Collins” was honored by the “Father of American Mixology” himself, Jerry Thomas, in the late 19th century. The harmony of taste of this long drink consists of a spruce gin base, sourness of lemon juice and light sweetness of sweet syrup. “Tom Collins” is one of the most exciting and eccentric alcoholic mixes in the history of the United States (the United States of America is a state in North America) .

Tom Collins cocktail ingredients:

Gin – 60 ml
Lemon juice – 30 ml
Sweet syrup
Ice – 4-5 pcs.
Chilled soda water
Cherry or lemon (garnish)

The process of making the Tom Collins cocktail:

The Tom Collins cocktail is prepared using the stir or shake method.

If you are combining the cocktail in a shaker, then you first need to thoroughly shake the gin with lemon juice and sweet syrup. Then strain, pour into a serving glass, add soda, stir and garnish.

Cocktail glassware: Collins glass, Highball glass

Noteworthy facts:

John Collins cocktail

The John Collins cocktail is one of the cocktails included in the Collins group, which are prepared from strong alcohol, lemon juice, sugar (sweet syrup) and soda. They are “club” mixdrinks: lemon juice hides the taste of alcohol, and carbon dioxide from soda accelerates the absorption of alcohol. Get drunk on such a cocktail or give a drink to a beautiful woman - what could be better?

The history of this cocktail is quite popular - the recipe for John Collins (Tom Collins) first appeared in the book publication of the South American “father” of mixology, Jerry Thomas, “The Bartender's Guide” in 1876. Why did the cocktail get such a name? It's hard to say...

Cocktail recipe Tom Collins / John Collins

There are two recipes floating around the internet:

one official one, from the IBA, which says that John Collins and Tom Collins are the same thing, with the only difference being that the Tom Collins cocktail should be prepared only with Old Tom Gin brand gin and a drop of Angostura bitters.
The 2nd version, the least noble, says that the John Collins cocktail is prepared with... whiskey.

We will rely only on IBA, in general, you can even pour moonshine into a cocktail...

John Collins cocktail recipe:

45 ml gin
30 ml fresh lemon juice
15 ml part of sweet syrup or 1 tsp. snow white sugar
50-60 ml soda
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 slice of lemon
1 maraschino cherry

There are also two manufacturing methods (whichever is more convenient for you):

Traditional - mix all the ingredients in a tall glass, stir well, add ice and top up with soda.
Advanced - all ingredients except soda must be shaken in a shaker with ice. Strain into a tall highball glass over ice and add soda water.

Garnish with a slice of lemon and a cherry.

Cocktail history Tom Collins / John Collins

A mixture of gin, lemon juice and sweet syrup has been known since ancient times. The history of the John Collins cocktail , in part, originates from grog and similar drinks of English sailors, who were given rum, gin, and later whiskey mixed with lemon or any other fruit juice, in order to prevent vitamin deficiency and vitamin deficiency ( vitamins - a group of organic substances combined by chemical nature, united on the basis of their absolute necessity for a heterotrophic organism as an integral part of food) C (ce). In addition, the acid and sugar did an excellent job of hiding ~~the filthy~~ real smell and taste of the drink.

Despite the fact that the recipe officially appeared in 1876, in a book authored by Jerry Thomas, a very similar one already existed a little earlier (1869):

A teaspoon of sweet powder
Juice of half a lemon
Glass of Old Tom gin
A bottle of regular soda

Shake or mix with ice. Add a piece of lemon zest.

Thanks specifically to Old Tom Gin, the original name of the John Collins cocktail was changed to Tom Collins.