Tom Collins Cocktail
Total Time
10 minutes
Prep Time
10 minutes
Rating
4.9 out of 5 stars
(11)
Ingredients
1 cocktail
- Ice
- 2 ounces gin*
- 1 ounce lemon juice
- ½ ounce simple syrup, recipe below
- Club soda or sparkling water (I like Topo Chico)
- 1 lemon round or ½ orange round, for garnish
- 1 Luxardo cherry or other cocktail cherry, for garnish
- Simple syrup (yields enough for 6 to 8 cocktails, scale as necessary)
- ¼ cup sugar (traditional) or honey (my favorite)
- ¼ cup water
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Preparation
Step 1
To make the simple syrup: Combine the sugar (or honey) and water in a small saucepan. Warm over medium heat, whisking occasionally, just until the sweetener has fully dissolved into the water. Remove the pot from the heat and set it aside to cool.
Step 2
To make a cocktail: Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour in the gin, lemon juice and simple syrup. Shake for 20 to 30 seconds, until the outside of the shaker is really cold.
Step 3
Fill a Collins (tall) glass with ice. Strain the contents of the shaker into the glass. Fill the rest of the glass with club soda, and give it a gentle stir with a spoon.
Step 4
Garnish with a lemon round or ½ of an orange round, plus a cocktail cherry. Enjoy.
Step 5
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Chef's notes
*Gin suggestions:
Old Tom Gin is the traditional choice. Any gin that you enjoy will work, especially if it’s not overwhelmingly junipery. Rieger’s Midwestern Dry Gin is recommended for its balanced flavor profile, made in Kansas City. If you’re generally not a gin lover, try Hendrick’s, which is more mellow in flavor and infused with cucumber and rose.
Measurement tips:
A measuring jigger is recommended for measuring small amounts of liquids. Alternatively, use measuring cups and spoons. Two ounces is ¼ cup, 1 ounce is 2 tablespoons, and ½ ounce is 1 tablespoon.
Make it quick:
Although the cocktail shaker method yields the nicest flavor, you could skip it and mix these drinks in ice-filled glasses (stir together the gin, lemon juice and simple syrup, then the club soda and gently stir to combine). They’ll taste stronger on the first few sips and mellow as the ice melts.
