Highballs and long drinks · Gin · IBA official
Tall, cold and quietly fizzing, the John Collins is lemonade for grown-ups done properly. Fresh lemon and a little sugar round off the gin, soda lifts everything, and it vanishes fast on a hot afternoon.
1½ oz
London dry gine.g. Tanqueray · Gordon's · Beefeater · Bombay Sapphire · Sipsmith
¾ oz
lemon juice
¼ oz
simple syrup
2 oz
soda water well chilled
1 dash
Angostura bitters (optional)Buy on Amazon →
Garnish: Lemon wheel and cocktail cherry · Ice: Ice cubes
John Collins
Crisp, tart and gently sweet with soft juniper and a lively sparkle. Light in strength and very easy to drink.
The name goes back to London. John Collins was a headwaiter at Limmer's Old House, a hotel on Conduit Street in Mayfair, in the early 19th century, and a comic verse about him and his gin punch circulated for decades. Over time the drink attached to his name became a single serve of gin, lemon, sugar and soda.
In America the recipe took on a new first name. Jerry Thomas printed a Tom Collins in the 1876 edition of his bar guide, and the Tom version, often made with sweeter Old Tom gin, became the more famous of the two. Today the IBA lists the drink as John Collins, and in the United States the name is often used for a whiskey version.
Very little today. Traditionally the Tom Collins used sweeter Old Tom gin, while the IBA John Collins calls for London dry gin; in the US, John Collins often means a whiskey version.
The IBA spec builds it directly in the glass over ice. Shaking the base first gives a slightly silkier drink, both are correct.
A tall Collins or highball glass filled with ice.
The perfect sound
Easygoing and classic.
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