TOM COLLINS GIN COCKTAIL
HISTORY OF THE TOM COLLINS
The Tom Collins is a refreshing sour gin that is made up from carbonated water, lemon juice, sugar and gin. This ‘Gin and sparkling lemonade drink’ is specially served in a Collins glass over ice. It was first memorialized in writing in 1876 by the ‘father of American mixology’, Jerry Thomas. Tom Collins cocktail is an excellent sipper during the summers.
Going back to the history to know the origin of the Tom Collins cocktail, it all starts in the year 1874 in United States when the people of Pennsylvania started a conversation among themselves asking “Have you seen Tom Collins?” listening to this some would try to answer that they do not know who is Tom Collins and then the speaker would try to assert that Tom Collins is somewhere near only and he is speaking about him to others. This whole conversation about Tom Collins which was a nonexistent character was just to create a hoax. In The Great Tom Collins Hoax, 1874, it became very well known that the speaker would try his best to encourage all the listeners to act foolishly to the thing which does not existed in reality. The speaker wanted that the others react in agitation about this “have you seen Tom Collins?” and out of agitation the listener starts searching for the Tom Collins in the nearby places. This is the main story about the Tom Collins and this is how the Tom Collins became famous all over the US. But let us know how the Tom Collins Cocktail recipe started did and what exactly is the Tom Collins Cocktail Recipe?
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Jerry Thomas was the bartender who produced the first ever recipe of the Tom Collins Cocktail in his book ‘The Bartender’s Guide’. This New York based bartender knew about the hoax of the Tom Collins and in 1876, all the contents of this hoax was produced in a book and from here Jerry gathered this name for his cocktail, which is Tom Collins Cocktail.
The ingredients used in the Tom Collins cocktail recipe are 1 large wine glass of Gin, juice of small lemon, 5-6 dashes of gum syrup, 2-3 lumps of ice and maraschino cherry for garnish. The steps of preparation are very easy. Pour the gin, lemon juice and sugar syrup in a large Collins glass which has good contents of ice. Stir it very thoroughly and then top it with club soda. Shake it up well and then garnish it with Maraschino cherry. In short, Tom Collins is built over ice in a Collins glass and then Gin Fiz is shaken and then strained in an empty glass and here itself the glass is filled with the soda water.
From a short historical story, this cocktail got its name as ‘Tom Collins cocktail recipe’ and since then it has become more famous. It became one of the famous drinks which were in demand during the year of 1878 and it continued to gain popularity with the bars of New York as well as other places. Certain changes have been made since the original making of the Tom Collins cocktail recipe till the new one, like garnishing it etc.
Another story says that Tom Collins was an Irish immigrant who bartended in New Jersey. Like the other “Tom” he wanted a drink that would quench the thirst.
Tom Collins Recipe
- 2 oz gin
- 1 oz lemon juice
- 1 tsp powered sugar
- 3 oz club soda
- 1 maraschino cherry
- 1 slice orange
In a shaker half-filled with ice cubes, combine the gin, lemon juice, and sugar. Shake well. Strain into a collins glass almost filled with ice cubes. Add the club soda. Stir and garnish with the cherry and the orange slice.
Sloe Gin Collins Recipe
- 2 oz sloe gin
- juice of 1/2 lemons
- Soda Water
- 1 slice lemon
- 1 slice orange
- 1 cherry
Shake sloe gin and juice of lemon with ice and strain into a collins glass. Add several ice cubes, fill with carbonated soda water, and stir. Add slices of lemon and orange, top with the cherry, and serve with a straw.
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