John Collins
Build ∙ 2 min ∙ 13.1% ABV ∙
The John Collins is a Collins-family highball of London dry gin, lemon juice, and sugar syrup topped with soda water and built over ice. Crisp and effervescent, with a tart edge softened by a clean sweetness and a juniper-forward backbone that lingers through a long, fizzy finish.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Pour all ingredients: London dry gin 45 mlLemon juice 30 mlSugar syrup 15 mlSoda water 60 ml directly into the highball filled with ice
- Stir gently
- Garnish with a lemon wheel and a maraschino cherry
- Note: Use Old Tom gin for Tom Collins
Tips
- Build the soda water in last and stir gently, just enough to combine — over-stirring knocks out the fizz.
- Squeeze the lemon juice fresh; bottled juice reads flatter and throws off the drink's balance against the syrup.
- Pre-chill the Collins glass and fill it with ice before pouring so the drink stays cold without over-diluting.
History
A drink called the John Collins has existed since at least the 1860s and is believed to take its name from a headwaiter at Limmer's Old House, a London hotel and coffee house on Conduit Street in Mayfair that operated from around 1790 to 1817. A rhyme of the era memorialized him as the coffee-room waiter famed for filling "brimmers" for the hotel's patrons.
The original mixture is thought to have used genever, the malty Dutch precursor to gin, combined with lemon juice, sugar, and soda water. For decades afterward, published recipes for the John Collins continued to specify genever or Holland gin, even as a separate Old Tom gin version circulated under the name Tom Collins — a cocktail with its own disputed history, tied partly to an 1874 New York hoax. Only in modern usage did the convention settle into John Collins meaning London dry gin and Tom Collins meaning Old Tom gin, with the genever version now typically called a Dutch or Genever Collins.
The John Collins was added to the International Bartenders Association's official cocktail list in 2011, codifying today's London dry gin build as the internationally recognized standard.
FAQ
What is in a John Collins?
London dry gin, fresh lemon juice, and sugar syrup, topped with soda water and built over ice in a Collins glass. It is garnished with a lemon wheel and a maraschino cherry, and finishes at a light, sessionable strength.
What is a Collins cocktail?
A Collins is a built highball topped with soda water and finished with a lemon wheel and cherry, served long over ice in a Collins glass. The John Collins specifically uses London dry gin as its base spirit.
What's the difference between a Tom Collins and a John Collins?
A Tom Collins is built with Old Tom gin, which brings more sweetness and a rounder texture, while a John Collins uses the drier, more juniper-forward London dry gin. Both are otherwise the same lemon, sugar, and soda water highball served over ice.
What's the difference between a gin Fizz and a John Collins?
A gin Fizz is shaken with gin, lemon, and sugar, then strained and topped with soda water, usually served shorter without ice. A John Collins is built directly over ice in a tall glass and is not shaken, giving it a longer, more diluted, less aerated drink.
What kind of gin is best for a John Collins?
London dry gin is the defining choice, since its dry, juniper-forward character keeps the drink crisp against the lemon juice. Swapping in Old Tom gin instead turns the drink into a Tom Collins rather than a John Collins.
Do people still drink Tom Collins?
Yes, the Tom Collins remains a common order, especially in warm weather, thanks to its simple build and refreshing, low-fuss character. Its close relative, the John Collins, is ordered just as often, with the choice mostly coming down to which style of gin the drinker prefers.
