Created in the late 1800s, the roots of this refreshing cocktail lie in a very rowdy period of London’s bar history.
The idea of mixing a Gin Punch with soda water was introduced to London by a New Yorker called Stephen Price, who had moved to London to manage the Covent Garden Theater. He then went on to become the manager of the Garrick Club – a gentleman’s club that was founded for the aristocrats to interact socially with the actors. Being American, his drink was originally made with Genever and was then replaced with Old Tom Gin. At that time the Americans were drinking Genever – the Dutch-style gin, whereas London preferred the sweeter Old Tom Gin. Price’s drink consisted of Old Tom Gin, some lemon juice, lemon peel, some Maraschino for sweetener and chilled soda.
The drink caught on and was circulated in London for a bit. One of the places that specialised in it was the ‘Coffee House’ of the Limmer’s Hotel, a popular dive bar that was frequented by Army Officers who were Gentlemen with titles and somewhat a rowdy crowd. John Collins, the bartender at the Limmer’s Coffee House until his death in 1843, was known for his mixtures and this gin punch was his specialty. By the 1860’s, long after his death, Collin’s Gin Punch came to be known by the slang “John Collins”.
Back in America, people were usually drinking it with Genever. However, by the 1870s, it flourished with the newly popular Old Tom Gin and eventually, the cocktail came to be called Tom Collins after the style of Gin used to make the cocktail.
One cannot talk about Tom Collins and not mention The Great Tom Collins Hoax of 1874 that also played a part in influencing the name of the cocktail. It is about a practical joke that became a rage in New York and Philadelphia until it was all played out. The joke involved leading a person on a wild goose chase from one bar to another by friends who would tell the concerned friend (the one on who the joke was being played) that a man named Tom Collins was insulting them in another bar. This would lead the upset friend to rush to the other bar looking for the rascal named Tom Collins, but the twist was that he didn’t actually exist! It became so popular that some newspapers even printed stories about sightings of Tom Collins!
One genius bartender caught onto the prank and if anyone came rushing into his bar looking for Tom Collins, they would be served a tall gin drink instead.
In 1876, the recipe for this cocktail appears in The Bartender’s Guide by ‘Professor’ Jerry Thomas.
So, it came to be that John Collins was made with Genever and Tom Collins with Old Tom Gin. Eventually, Genever faded from the American market and the John Collins became the version made with a whiskey.
TOM COLLINS
INGREDIENTS
DIRECTIONS
Note: The Sours and Collins are very similar with just a small difference.
