Raspberry Collins
Muddle; Shake ∙ 4 min ∙ 15.3% ABV ∙
The Raspberry Collins is a muddled-raspberry twist on the Tom Collins, built with London dry gin, Crème de Framboise, lemon juice, and a soda water top. Muddled raspberries give a jammy tartness against the gin's juniper backbone, with a fizzy lift from the soda and a clean, citrus-dry finish.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- In the base of the shaker, muddle: Fresh raspberries 10 pcs
- Add the next 5 ingredients: London dry gin 60 mlCrème de Framboise 15 mlLemon juice 45 mlSugar syrup 15 mlOrange bitters 3 dashes
- Shake with ice
- Strain into the ice-filled glass
- Top with Soda water and briefly stir
- Garnish with a lemon wheel and raspberries on a skewer
Tips
- Use fresh, ripe raspberries rather than frozen; thawed berries add excess water and dilute the citrus-sugar balance.
- Muddle the raspberries gently in the shaker base to release juice without pulverizing the seeds bitter.
- Shake hard with ice before straining so the muddled fruit fully integrates, then top with soda water and stir only briefly to keep the fizz.
History
The Raspberry Collins has no documented creator, bar, or year; it appears to be a modern variation that emerged in the late 20th century, built by muddling fresh raspberries and a raspberry liqueur into the Collins format for a fruitier, tart-sweet edge over the citrus-forward original.
Its parent, the Collins, took shape in the mid-19th century as a gin-and-lemon drink lengthened with soda water, closely tied to the "Tom Collins" name that spread widely after an 1874 American prank fad in which people were told a man named Tom Collins had been badmouthing them around town, sending them off to bars to hunt him down. Bartender Jerry Thomas and others recorded Tom Collins recipes by the 1870s-1880s, and the drink's format is also linked to earlier gin punches served at London gentlemen's clubs in the first half of the 1800s.
FAQ
What is in a Raspberry Collins?
Muddled fresh raspberries, London dry gin, Crème de Framboise, lemon juice, and sugar syrup, shaken and strained into a Collins glass, then topped with soda water. It is finished with a lemon wheel and raspberries on a skewer, and a few dashes of orange bitters are an optional addition to the shake.
What alcohol goes in a Collins?
London dry gin is the base spirit here, joined by Crème de Framboise for its raspberry character.
What makes a drink a Collins?
It follows the classic Collins structure of a base spirit, citrus juice, and sugar topped with soda water and served long over ice in a Collins glass; this version adds muddled raspberries and Crème de Framboise for a fruited twist.
How do you make a raspberry cocktail like this one?
Muddle fresh raspberries in the base of a shaker, then add gin, Crème de Framboise, lemon juice, sugar syrup, and optional orange bitters and shake with ice. Strain into an ice-filled Collins glass, top with soda water, stir briefly, and garnish with a lemon wheel and raspberries on a skewer.
