Updated on: 6/3/2025
The Origin of the John Collins Cocktail
The John Collins cocktail occupies a fascinating intersection of 19th-century British bar culture and the evolution of highball-style drinks. Understanding its story means diving into the bustling gin palaces of London, the traditions of British punch, and the ever-adaptable ways bartenders have updated classic formulas over generations.
Roots in London's Gin Craze
References to a “Collins” cocktail begin to appear in London during the early 1800s, a time when gin was a staple of working-class refreshment. The story most often centers around Limmer’s Hotel, a haunt popular with cavalry officers and lively after-hours crowds. John Collins, an actual headwaiter at Limmer’s, is credited by some with popularizing a refreshing gin punch served long with lemon, sugar, and soda water—a style that anticipated the modern highball.
The original mixture likely used Old Tom gin—a slightly sweetened, malty style popular at the time. Over the years, this drink’s formula was published in various bar manuals, and the “Collins” style became a template for other spirit variations, eventually including whiskey and brandy.
From Punch to Highball
By the late 19th century, a “John Collins” was well-established in British and American cocktail books as a tall, ice-filled cooler combining gin, fresh lemon juice, sugar, and sparkling water. The Tom Collins—a gin-based offshoot—became just as, if not more, famous, sometimes causing confusion between the two. The main difference? Spirit and regional tradition: John Collins typically called for genever or London dry gin, while Tom Collins, especially in America, sometimes took on Old Tom gin or London dry.
- John Collins: gin, lemon juice, sugar, sparkling water, lemon garnish.
- Tom Collins: frequently sweeter Old Tom gin or London dry, same mixer formula, Americanized.
- Collins family: any base spirit—vodka, whiskey, even rum—built with the same tall, citrusy, effervescent template.
Today, the John Collins is a testament to the cross-pollination of British and American bar culture, flexible enough to embrace the modern home bartender or experienced mixologist. Its straightforward refreshment value and customizable formula anchor it among the world’s essential classic cocktails.
Classic John Collins Cocktail Recipe
- 60 ml London dry gin or genever
- 30 ml fresh lemon juice
- 15 ml sugar syrup (1:1 ratio)
- 90 ml chilled sparkling water
- Lemon wheel or wedge, to garnish
- Fill a tall Collins glass with ice cubes.
- Add 60 ml gin, 30 ml fresh lemon juice, and 15 ml sugar syrup.
- Stir gently to combine and chill.
- Top with 90 ml sparkling water.
- Garnish with a lemon wheel or wedge.
How the John Collins Endures
Through decades of shifting tastes, prohibition, and midcentury reinterpretations, the Collins format survives because it is endlessly adaptable while staying true to its roots. As long as sparkling water and lemon meet good gin, the spirit of John Collins—both the drink and the man—continues to welcome drinkers with easy refreshment and a nod to cocktail history.
