Tom Collins Recipe
Shaking the gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup together before adding soda chills and dilutes the drink properly and fully dissolves the sugar, so the soda water goes in last and stays fizzy instead of getting shaken flat.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 0 min
- Total
- 5 min
- Servings
- 1
Ingredients
- 2 oz gin
- 1 oz fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 oz simple syrup
- 4 oz club soda
- 1 cherry maraschino cherry, for garnish
- 1 slice lemon wheel, for garnish
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 172
- Protein
- 0g
- Carbs
- 11g
- Fat
- 0g
Based on the recipe as written, one serving. Recalculates if you swap an ingredient above. An estimate only, exact values depend on the specific ingredients used.
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Instructions
- 1Fill a Collins glass with ice and set aside to chill while you mix the drink.
- 2In a cocktail shaker, combine the gin, fresh lemon juice, and simple syrup with a handful of ice.
- 3Shake hard for about 15 seconds, until the outside of the shaker feels frosty cold.
- 4Strain into the ice-filled Collins glass.
- 5Top with the club soda, pouring slowly down the inside of the glass to keep the fizz.
- 6Give the drink one gentle stir with a bar spoon to combine, then garnish with the lemon wheel and cherry.
Tips & variations
- Use a London dry gin for the most classic, juniper-forward version; a more floral or citrusy gin also works but will shift the flavor noticeably.
- For a lower-sugar version, cut the simple syrup to a quarter ounce and add a dash of orange bitters to fill in the missing sweetness.
- Swap the club soda for tonic water and this becomes closer to a gin and tonic in flavor, though a true Tom Collins uses plain soda so the lemon and gin stay forward.
- To batch for a group, multiply the gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup and refrigerate the mix, but always add the soda fresh to each individual glass right before serving.
Storage & reheating
This drink is meant to be made and served immediately; the soda water goes flat within minutes once mixed. The gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup can be combined ahead and refrigerated for up to 2 days as a batch, but hold off on adding soda until each glass is poured.
Tips from the Tulo kitchen
- Chilling the glass with ice while mixing the shaker keeps the finished drink colder longer, since the ice inside won't have to work as hard to bring down room-temperature glass.
- Bottled lemon juice works in a pinch, but fresh-squeezed has noticeably less bitterness and makes the drink taste cleaner.
FAQ
What's the difference between a Tom Collins and a gin fizz?
Both use gin, lemon juice, and sugar, but a Collins is served over ice in a tall glass topped with soda water, while a fizz is shaken, strained without ice into a smaller glass, and topped with a shorter splash of soda.
What kind of gin should I use for a Tom Collins?
A classic London dry gin, such as one with a strong juniper backbone, holds up best against the lemon and soda; sweeter or heavily botanical gins can make the drink taste muddled.
Can I make a Tom Collins without a cocktail shaker?
Yes. Stir the gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup vigorously in the serving glass with ice for about 20 seconds before topping with soda; it won't chill quite as fast as shaking but works fine.
Is a Tom Collins the same as a gin and tonic?
No. A gin and tonic is just gin and tonic water, usually with a lime wedge, while a Tom Collins adds fresh lemon juice and simple syrup and is topped with plain soda water instead of tonic.
