Old Tom Gin
Stir ∙ 3 min ∙ 32.4% ABV ∙
This cocktail is a stirred, spirit-forward sour named for Old Tom gin, sweetened with sugar syrup and orange curaçao and given depth by Boker's bitters. Silky and cool from the stir, it finishes long and faintly bittersweet, with a bright citrus snap released as the lemon twist perfumes the surface.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Stir all ingredients with ice: Old Tom gin 60 mlSugar syrup 5 mlOrange curaçao liqueur 5 mlBoker’s bitters 2 dashes
- Strain into the chilled glass
- Express a lemon twist over the cocktail and use as garnish
Tips
- Pre-chill the glass before straining so the drink doesn't lose its temperature the moment it's poured.
- Stir, don't shake — the goal here is a clear, silky texture with controlled dilution, not aeration.
- Express the lemon twist directly over the surface; the oil carries most of the aroma, not the peel itself.
- Measure the Boker's bitters in dashes as given — oversplashing pushes the drink bitter and muddies the sweetness.
History
Old Tom gin was a sweetened style of gin popular in 18th- and 19th-century England, sitting between genever and the later London dry style in sweetness. It emerged during the Gin Craze, when sugar or licorice was added to mask the harshness of poorly rectified spirit; the practice of selling "cordial gin" this way dates to at least 1757.
The name's origin is disputed. One widely repeated story ties it to wooden plaques shaped like a black cat mounted outside pubs, through which patrons dropped a coin and received a shot of gin through a hidden tube, a device sometimes linked to Captain Dudley Bradstreet's account of evading the 1738 Gin Act in his 1755 memoir; researchers note no evidence actually connects Bradstreet's cat sign to the term itself. A better-documented account, drawn from mid-19th-century periodical notices and traceable public records, holds that the name honors Thomas Chamberlain, a partner in the London gin firm Hodges from the 1790s until his death around 1814, whose favored blend was later sold under the "Old Tom" name by a former Hodges employee, Thomas Norris, at his public house in Covent Garden. In 1903 the distiller Boord & Son went to court to defend its "Cat Brand" trademark, testifying it had introduced the term in 1849 in tribute to Chamberlain, but the presiding judge found the cat symbol already long associated with sweetened gin before that date.
Old Tom gin was the standard base spirit for many 19th-century gin cocktails, including the Tom Collins and the Martinez, before falling out of favor as London dry gin became dominant in the early 20th century and largely disappearing from bars by the 1950s. It was revived by craft distillers beginning in the 2000s.
FAQ
What is an Old Tom style gin?
Old Tom gin is a style of gin sitting between genever and modern London dry, typically slightly sweetened and softer on juniper, common in 18th- and 19th-century Britain before the drier London dry style took over. It's the base spirit here, giving this stirred drink its rounder, gently sweet character.
What is the difference between gin and Old Tom gin?
Old Tom gin is a sweeter, rounder style of gin, while London dry gin is bone-dry with no added sugar. The difference shows in a stirred drink like this one, where Old Tom's inherent sweetness works with the sugar syrup and curaçao rather than needing them to carry all the balance.
Is Tanqueray an Old Tom gin?
No, Tanqueray is a London dry gin, not an Old Tom. It is distilled dry with no added sugar, so swapping it into this recipe would produce a noticeably drier, more juniper-forward drink than the Old Tom base calls for.
How do you make this Old Tom gin cocktail?
Stir the Old Tom gin, sugar syrup, orange curaçao, and Boker's bitters with ice, then strain into a chilled coupe glass. Finish by expressing a lemon twist over the top and dropping it in as garnish.
Can you make a Negroni with Old Tom gin?
Yes, and it works well because Old Tom's natural sweetness complements the bitter and vermouth without needing adjustment. The result is a rounder, softer Negroni than the London dry version, with less sharp juniper up front.
