Pierre Collins
A citrus, refreshing and bubbly brandy cocktail ∙ Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 11.4% ABV ∙
The Pierre Collins is a Tom Collins made with cognac instead of gin: cognac shaken with lemon juice and sugar syrup, then topped with soda water.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake the first 3 ingredients with ice: Cognac 60 mlLemon juice 25 mlSugar syrup 15 ml
- Strain into the ice-filled glass
- Top with Soda water, lightly stir and serve with a straw
- Garnish with an orange slice and a maraschino cherry
Tips
- Top with soda only after straining over ice, and stir lightly so the drink keeps its fizz.
History
Pierre Collins is the cognac-based member of the Collins cocktail family, essentially a Tom Collins made with brandy in place of gin. No individual bartender or bar is credited with inventing it; the name simply follows the Collins tradition of pairing a base spirit with a first name, and it is documented in David A. Embury's 1948 book The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks, which lists Pierre alongside other "cousins" such as Pedro and Jack that had joined the original Tom and John Collins.
The Collins family itself is generally traced to a London headwaiter named John Collins at Limmer's Old House; the Pierre keeps its lemon-sugar-soda structure but swaps in cognac for gin.
FAQ
What's in a Collins cocktail?
A base spirit shaken with lemon juice and sugar syrup, strained over ice in a tall Collins glass and topped with soda water. The Pierre Collins uses cognac as that spirit.
