Tom Collins

My Father-in-law Bill is quite the mixologist and makes some mean cocktails (remember the Sangria).  So I asked if he could provide the recipe for his awesome Tom Collins to the blog.  He obliged and wrote an entire post!  So without further ado, here is Bill.

Nothing is more American than the 4th of July barbecue and with Rex around the cooking is well taken care of but the drinks are my department. I thought back to all the summer shindigs we used to have in my aunt’s backyard and the adults always started the party with their favorite summertime cocktail, the Tom Collins and no one liked them or made them better than my grandmother.

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, mix 2 ounces of gin, 1 ounce of simple syrup (which is equivalent to about 4 teaspoonfuls of sugar) and one ounce of fresh squeezed lemon juice. Shake well to blend and really chill the ingredients.

Strain into a Collins glass filled with ice ( we used 14 oz. tall plastic glasses for the barbecue).

Fill the glass the rest of the way with seltzer, stir and garnish with a slice of orange and a cherry.

We tried both Tanqueray and Beefeater gin and both were a big hit (I preferred the Tanqueray as I thought it had a more robust gin flavor; Rex liked the Beefeater as it was light and smooth).

Be warned however, these drinks go down very, very easy and they really are delicious!  I think it’s time for another- this one’s for you Gram!

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Tom Collins

Prep Time

2 mins

Total Time

2 mins

The perfect summer cocktail. Light and refreshing!

Course: Cocktail

Cuisine: American

Servings: 1

Author: Bill

Ingredients

• 2 oz Gin
• 1 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 oz simple syrup
• 4-6 oz seltzer
• orange slice and marischino cherry for garnish

Instructions

1. In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, mix 2 ounces of gin, 1 ounce of simple syrup (which is equivalent to about 4 teaspoonfuls of sugar) and 1 ounce of fresh squeezed lemon juice.
2. Shake well to blend and really chill the ingredients.
3. Strain into a Collins glass filled with ice ( we used 14 ounce tall plastic glasses for the barbecue).
4. Fill the glass the rest of the way with seltzer, stir and garnish with a slice of orange and a cherry.

Enjoy!

Bill