A Tom Collins is four ingredients, five minutes, and genuinely hard to mess up — which makes it one of the most useful cocktails to have in your back pocket. It’s tart, lightly sweet, and fizzy without being cloying. If you’ve been buying canned hard seltzers for summer gatherings, this is worth making instead.
Before you start
The one technique that actually matters here is shaking only the gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup — never the soda water. Shaking carbonated liquid kills the bubbles and leaves you with a flat drink. Shake the first three ingredients hard for 10–15 seconds until the shaker is genuinely cold to the touch, then strain over fresh ice and pour the soda water gently down the side of the glass. That gentle pour keeps the fizz intact. The second thing worth knowing: squeeze your lemons right before you make the drink. Lemon juice starts losing its brightness within about 30 minutes of squeezing, so juice that’s been sitting in a bowl will give you a duller, slightly bitter result.
Ingredient notes
- Gin: London dry is the standard choice — brands like Tanqueray or Beefeater work well and won’t break the budget. Avoid anything labeled “navy strength” for this drink; the higher alcohol throws off the balance at these proportions.
- Simple syrup: Store-bought works fine, but if you want to make your own, it’s just equal parts sugar and water heated until the sugar dissolves. We have a full simple syrup guide here if you want the details. Rich simple syrup (2:1 sugar to water) is sweeter, so use a little less — about a third of an ounce instead of a half.
- Soda water: Plain unflavored sparkling water only. Tonic water is not a substitute — it’s bitter and sweetened, and it will change the drink entirely.
Common problems and fixes
- Drink tastes flat: The soda was warm, or you poured it too aggressively. Always use cold soda straight from the fridge and pour slowly over the back of a spoon or down the inside of the glass.
- Too sour: Lemons vary a lot in juice yield and acidity. If your drink is sharper than you’d like, add a small extra splash of simple syrup rather than more gin — it brings the flavors back into balance without diluting the citrus.
- Too sweet or syrupy: You likely over-measured the simple syrup. Half an ounce is the ceiling; start at a third of an ounce next time, especially if your lemons were on the sweeter side.
- Drink is watery by the time you finish it: Your ice melted too fast. Use larger ice cubes rather than crushed ice — they melt more slowly in a tall glass.
- Shaker is impossible to open: The vacuum seal tightens when the metal gets very cold. Tap the side of the shaker firmly with the heel of your hand near the seam — it releases the seal without forcing it.
Leftovers and make-ahead
You can’t store a finished Tom Collins — the soda goes flat within minutes. What you can do is batch the base ahead of time, which makes this genuinely easy for a group. Combine the gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup in a pitcher or jar in the ratio the recipe uses, scale it up for however many drinks you need, and keep it covered in the fridge for up to 24 hours. When you’re ready to serve, pour about 3.5 oz of the base over ice in each glass and top with soda water. Freshly squeezed lemon juice holds reasonably well for up to a day refrigerated — beyond that it starts to taste flat and slightly off. Skip the garnish — not worth the extra dish when you’re pouring for a crowd.
Classic Tom Collins Recipe (5-Minute Gin Cocktail)
Equipment
- Cocktail shaker
- Collins glass (12-14 oz)
- Hawthorne strainer or fine mesh strainer
- Citrus juicer or reamer
- Jigger (1 oz / 2 oz dual measure)
Ingredients
- 2 oz gin 60ml, a quality London dry gin works best for a classic Tom Collins
- 1 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice 30ml, squeeze right before mixing for the brightest flavour
- 0.5 oz simple syrup 15ml, homemade (equal parts sugar and water) or quality store-bought
- 2-3 oz soda water 60-90ml, chilled, unflavoured sparkling water
- 14 oz ice cubes for shaker and serving
For garnish
- 1 slice lemon
- 1 piece maraschino cherry
Instructions
- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.14 oz ice cubes
- Add the gin, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and simple syrup to the shaker.2 oz gin, 1 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice, 0.5 oz simple syrup
- Shake vigorously for 10–15 seconds until the outside of the shaker is cold to the touch.
- Strain the mixture into a tall Collins glass filled with ice cubes.14 oz ice cubes
- Top gently with 2-3 oz (60-90ml) chilled soda water, pouring slowly down the inside of the glass to preserve carbonation.2-3 oz soda water
- Garnish with a lemon slice and a maraschino cherry. Serve immediately while the soda is still fizzy.1 slice lemon, 1 piece maraschino cherry
Notes
Nutrition
Your questions, answered
Can I make a Tom Collins without a cocktail shaker?
Yes — a mason jar with a tight lid works perfectly well. Shake it the same way, then strain through a fine mesh strainer or just pour carefully while holding the ice back with a spoon.
What’s the difference between a Tom Collins and a gin and tonic?
The main difference is the mixer and the sweetener. A Tom Collins uses fresh lemon juice and simple syrup shaken with the gin, then topped with plain soda water. A gin and tonic skips the lemon juice and simple syrup and uses tonic water, which is bitter and pre-sweetened.
Can I use bottled lemon juice instead of fresh?
It will work in a pinch, but the drink will taste noticeably duller. Bottled lemon juice is more acidic and lacks the fresh brightness that makes this cocktail worth making.
How do I scale this up for a party?
Multiply the gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup by however many servings you need and mix them in a pitcher — keep it chilled in the fridge until you’re ready. Add soda water per glass at serving time, not to the whole pitcher.
Is there a non-alcoholic version?
Yes — replace the gin with a non-alcoholic spirit like Seedlip Spice or Garden, or simply use a splash of cucumber water and a small extra squeeze of lemon for a similar botanical feel. The proportions stay the same.
What glass do I actually need — can I use a regular tall glass?
Any tall glass that holds at least 10–12 oz works fine. A Collins glass is just a specific name for a tall, straight-sided glass — you almost certainly already own something that fits.
If you liked this one
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