Bottles
When I was young (oh so young, and foolish may I add) I thought a Tom Collins = Gin + Sour Mix. Now, for the sake of not calling any one bartender out or any one specific bar tending school whose manual spelled out a Tom Collins as such I will let them go nameless in the hope that its not too late to right their wrongs and make an honest Tom Collins.
Firstly, the drink hails from the late 19th century, first appearing in an 1876 publication by the name of The Bartender’s Guide which spelled out the recipe as followed:
Juice of One Lemon
5 to 6 dashes of Gum Syrup
1 “wine glass” of gin
Soda “until lively.”
Despite nearly a century’s worth of time passing, the drink has managed to the modern day roughly unchanged, though variations do exist. For the average kitchen, superfine sugar makes an acceptable substitute. Though most recipes specify sugar/simple syrup. Though as you’ll notice, many of these recipes call for some additional fruit. Maraschino cherries are the most commonly cited for garnish, and followed in a near second by orange slice. Though I side with this variation which calls for neither.
There seems to be little consensus as to the exact qualities, though the order of the quantities is consistent. There is always more soda water than gin; more gin than lemon juice; more and usually more lemon juice than simple syrup.
Drink by Consensus:
The Tom Collins is a classic and naturally has a pretty set recipe that doesn’t deviate too much from the original. Here is my take on it based on the many recipes out there:
2 shots of Blue Coat or your favorite middle-end gin
about 1 shot of lemon juice.
An amount of soda water equal to the amount of gin + lemon juice.
Shake with ice, and strain.
Put in one maraschino cherry, but leave out the syrup, unless its a really astringent gin.
Pick you gin carefully…
Not all gins are created equal though, especially not for a complex mixed drink such as the Tom Collins. Keep in mind, the cirtus usually will overwhelm the gin, so you want a gin that is complimentary to the citrus, but won’t be bullied into submission. I recommend Blue Coat as one of my favorites for a Tom Collins, and would warn against attempting to make one out of a strong herbal gin. But if you’re going to make a fake Tom Collins, or “gin sour,” just grab the cheapest well gin you can find.
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[...] I’m briefly revisiting one of my first posts. When I was young (oh so young, and foolish may I add) I thought a Tom Collins = Gin + Sour Mix. [...]