Tom Collins in a Collins glass with an orange slice and maraschino cherry

Tom Collins (low-calorie)

Name: Tom Collins (low-calorie)
Prep time: 3 min
Total time: 3 min
Yield: 1 serving
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: London dry gin — 45 ml (1 1/2 oz); Lemon juice (freshly squeezed) — 30 ml (1 oz); Sugar-free sweetener syrup — 20 ml (2/3 oz); Soda water — 90 ml (3 oz)

A refreshing, sour and bubbly gin cocktail ∙ Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 7.6% ABV ∙

The Tom Collins (low-calorie) is a long gin drink of London dry gin, lemon juice and sugar-free sweetener syrup, shaken and topped with soda water.

Ingredients

Servings

Garnish

Instructions for 1 serving

Pre-chill a glass
Shake the first 3 ingredients with ice: London dry gin 45 mlLemon juice 30 mlSugar-free sweetener syrup 20 ml
Strain into the ice-filled glass
Top with Soda water and briefly stir
Garnish with an orange slice and a maraschino cherry

Tips

Pick a sugar-free syrup made for cold drinks; some won't dissolve fully in the shake and leave the drink grainy.

History

The low-calorie Tom Collins is a modern adaptation that swaps the traditional sugar syrup for a sugar-free sweetener, trimming the calorie and carbohydrate count while keeping the gin, lemon, and soda water base intact. It belongs to a wider trend of "skinny" or keto-friendly reworkings of classic cocktails rather than tracing to one credited inventor or bar.

Its lineage runs back through the Collins, the 19th-century family of gin, citrus, sugar, and soda water drinks generally traced to John Collins, a headwaiter at Limmer's Hotel in London.

FAQ

Is a Tom Collins low in calories?

This one is: about 113 kcal per serving. It swaps regular sugar syrup for a sugar-free sweetener syrup and keeps the gin, lemon juice and soda water.

How do you make a sugar-free Tom Collins?

Shake London dry gin, fresh lemon juice, and a sugar-free sweetener syrup with ice, strain into an ice-filled Collins glass, then top with soda water and stir briefly. Garnish with an orange slice and a maraschino cherry.