The Tom Collins was the official drink of summer -- "the king of cooling drinks," as ad copy for Fleischmann's gin put it. The index of Collins consumption seems to have been pegged to the thermometer. In July 1936, New York experienced a heat wave so scorching that the drawbridges over the Harlem River wouldn't close -- fire trucks had to be called to spray down the overexpanded steel of the drawspans. The price of lemons soared with the temperature, rising $2 a box in just one day. The demand driving the price spike was attributed to the thirsty people of the city turning to lemonade and Tom Collinses.
Ingredients:
2 fluid ounces gin
2 fluid ounces lemon juice
1 fluid ounce simple syrup
1 dash bitters
1 cup ice cubes
1/4 cup cold club soda
1 slice lemon, for garnish
1 maraschino cherry
Directions
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour in the gin, lemon juice, simple syrup and a dash of bitters. Cover and shake until the outside of the container is frosty, about 15 seconds. Strain into a highball glass full of ice. Top off with club soda and garnish with a lemon slice and maraschino cherry.
Originally a Tom Collins was made with Old Tom Gin which is a sweetened type of gin. Unfortunately it is not seen often these days so we have to substitute regular gin and sugar syrup1. A collins is served in the tallest glass used for cocktails which is, appropriately, named a Tom Collins glass. It will normally hold 12-16 ounces.
Let's restore the Tom Collins to its rightful place. That means getting lemons and the means by which to squeeze them. One of the most valuable tools in my bar is a hinged citrus squeezer that operates like a garlic press. Juice half a lemon into a short highball glass with lots of ice. Add a teaspoon of sugar or simple syrup, more or less, a jigger of gin, and a few ounces of fizzy water. Then all you need is someplace in the shade -- and someone else to mow the grass.
