Given its less than glamorous status among contemporary drinkers, you’d never guess the Tom Collins has one of the more colorful origin stories out there. A lot of damage has been done to the cocktail’s reputation. From a generation of bartenders killing it with sour mix to your grandmother liking it, the Collins has taken its share of lumps.
But for all the abuse, it’s actually not a bad cocktail. Gin, lemon juice, sugar, soda — when done right, it’s light and refreshing, like spiked homemade lemonade.
The first official Tom Collins recipe dates back to 1876 when it appears in bartender Jerry Thomas’ Bar-Tender’s Guide. Known as “The Professor,” Thomas was something of a celebrity in his day) and laid much of the groundwork for American cocktail culture.
But to get the full story we have to start at Limmer’s Hotel in 1860s London where a waiter named John Collins got himself associated with a gin punch recipe that is very similar to the Tom Collins we know today. Collins and his cocktail were so popular they even got immortalized in rhyme:
My name is John Collins, head waiter at Limmer’s,
Corner of Conduit Street, Hanover Square,
My chief occupation is filling brimmers
For all the young gentlemen frequenters there.
Not long after, Holland gin got replaced by the sweeter Old Tom gin, which is one possible explanation for the name change. By the start of the 20th century, however, Old Tom gin fell out of favor and dry gin became the default moving forward.
But wait. There’s another theory about the name out there, and it’s called The Great Tom Collins Hoax of 1874. The hoax, which was popular in New York and Pennsylvania that year, was basically a prank people would play on one another when out drinking. It went something like this:
OLIVER: I say, Hiram, have you seen that Tom Collins fellow? He has been all about town speaking of you in a manner most unflattering.
HIRAM: Where might I find this ne’er do well?
OLIVER: He is known to frequent the saloon just around the corner.
