Tom Collins Recipe

Gin, lemon, and soda come together for one of the cocktail world's enduring classics.

By
Paul Clarke
Paul Clarke
Paul Clarke blogs about cocktails at The Cocktail Chronicles and writes regularly on spirits and cocktails for Imbibe magazine. He lives in Seattle, where he works as a writer and magazine editor.
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Updated Feb. 11, 2019
gin, lemon, and soda cocktail
Photograph: Vicky Wasik

The Tom Collins dates back more than a century and a half, but its welcoming crispness keeps it fresh always. So established in the libational world, the Tom Collins even has its own eponymous glass (tall, with plenty of room for ice).

Over the years, the drink has faced some challenges—bottles of Holland House Collins Mix in my parents' liquor cabinet spring to mind. Was squeezing a lemon really so difficult? But successfully navigating its course from horse-and-carriage days to the digital age, the Tom Collins is built for survival. Keep some lemons and soda water on-hand this weekend and knock together a Collins in between grilling stints.

Recipe Details

Tom Collins Recipe

Active 4 mins
Total 4 mins
Serves 1 serving

Gin, lemon, and soda come together for one of the cocktail world's enduring classics.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 ounces gin

  • 1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice

  • 1/2 ounce simple syrup

  • 1 cup 8 fl oz club soda

Directions

  1. Combine ingredients other than club soda in a cocktail shaker with ice, and shake until well-chilled. Strain into a Collins glass with lots of ice and top with chilled club soda. Insert straw and do what comes natural.

Special Equipment

Cocktail shaker, cocktail strainer

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
125 Calories
0g Fat
8g Carbs
0g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories 125
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 1mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 8g 3%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 7g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 6mg 30%
Calcium 9mg 1%
Iron 0mg 0%
Potassium 17mg 0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)