Tom Collins is at root simply an extra-large glass of Gin Punch lengthened with soda water and ice. See punch. Considered a humble, undistinguished libation by some, it is nonetheless one of the best known and enduring mixed drinks of all time, as popular in the 1950s as it was in the 1870s. It has lent its name to the long, thin glass (the Collins glass) in which the drink is typically served.
The name is an American contortion of the John Collins, a drink named after John Collin (ca. 1771–1843), the headwaiter and proprietor of Limmer’s Old House in London who helped to popularize the potion in punch form. See
How the John Collins became the Tom Collins is one the best origin stories in the annals of bar culture. American barflies of the 1870s derived much sport from pranking fellow tipplers with the news that a scalawag named Tom Collins had been bad-mouthing them around town and that Collins could be found at a tavern nearby; a wild goose chase and laughs aplenty ensued. In 1874, newspapers were filled with jocular mentions of the elusive Mr. Collins.
One result of this barroom game was that the John Collins became the Tom Collins, most likely with an assist from the fact that, as a new English import, it was generally made with Old Tom gin, another fairly new English import. See Old Tom gin. In any case, by the 1880s bartenders’ guides were reserving the John Collins name for the version made with Dutch genever or its American imitation. After Prohibition, with Old Tom and genever both all but extinct in America, the Tom Collins was made with London Dry gin and the John Collins with bourbon whisky. See Prohibition and Temperance in America and London dry gin. The Tom Collins remained popular enough after Repeal to inspire premixed versions and bottled Tom Collins mixers. By the 1940s, it had become one of the most popular drinks in America—on one summer afternoon in 1843, the bar of the Commodore Hotel in New York City served over 1,100 of them—and a drink often favored by women.
Its ubiquity decreased in the late twentieth century, as older drinks were discarded by younger generations. However, with the return of Old Tom gin in the twenty-first century, many cocktail bars restored the drink to its natural state, and the Tom Collins found renewed relevance.
The drink’s formula lends itself nicely to other spirits. The Rum Collins dates to the 1930s, when it was quite popular; it was likely the child of Americans’ discovery of Cuba during the dry years. The Vodka Collins began to emerge in the 1930s and became ubiquitous in the 1950s. Though the drink contains citrus, most bartenders insist it should not be shaken but built in the glass and stirred. Refreshing and light in body, the Tom Collins reigns supreme in summer. It is a drink meant to be lingered over, “with reverence and meditation,” as David Embury has it. See Embury, David A.
Recipe: Combine 45 ml Old Tom Gin, 22 ml lemon juice, and 30 ml simple syrup in a Collins glass filled with ice. Stir well until chilled. Top with soda water and garnish with a lemon wheel.
See also Gin Fizz and long drink.
Simonson, Robert. “The Cat’s Meow.” Imbibe Magazine, August 4, 2012. https://imbibemagazine.com/old-tom-gin/ (accessed March 12, 2021).
Wondrich, David. “How the John Collins Became the Tom Collins.” Daily Beast, July 21, 2017. https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-the-john-collins-became-the-tom-collins (accessed March 12, 2021).
By: Robert Simonson