Unlike many classics cocktails with romanticized or forgotten origins, the Tom Collins was quite literally born from a joke. In 1874, a colossal prank known as The Great Tom Colllins Hoax swept across New York. Pranksters would approach a friend and urgently inform them that a man named Tom Collins was at a nearby bar, aggressively slandering their name.
When the enraged victim rushed to the tavern to confront this elusive figure, they would ask the bartender for Tom Collins, only to be met with roaring laughter cause the man did not exist. Newspapers helped fuel the joke by publishing reports of the fictional troublemaker's supposed whereabouts. Before long, the Tom Collins has become part of a widespread social prank.
The cocktail's connection to the hoax became firmly established in popular history, although the drink itself may have existed before the prank. In 1876, legendary bartender Jerry Thomas included a Tom Collins recipe in The Bartender's Guide, helping secure its place in cocktail history. The drink is commonly associated with Old Tom gin, a slightly sweeter style of gin that was popular during the period.
Recipe:
60ml Gin
30ml Fresh lemon juice
15ml Simple syrup
90-120ml Chilled soda water
Method:
1. Add the gin, fresh lemon juice and simple syrup to a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
2. Shake for approximately 10-15 seconds until well chilled.
3. Fill a Collins glass with fresh ice.
4. Strain the mixture into the glass.
5. Top with chilled soda water and stir gently to combine without losing too much carbonation.
6. Garnish with lemon slice and maraschino cherry.
End of story.
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