Oct 6, 20202 min read

John Collins

One of the many drink in the “Collins” family, this one will satisfy your thirst for Whiskey.

This is the John Collins.

The John Collins is one of few drinks in the “Collins” drink group, these are long drinks stirred with ice and topped with Soda Water. You may have also heard of the popular Tom Collins which makes use of Gin and Soda Water. The first record of the John Collins is said to be found in the Steward and Barkeeper's Manual of 1869; however, some say it may be older than this. Drink historian David Wondrich speculated that the original recipe was introduced to New York in the 1850’s and would have been very similar to the Gin punches severed in London clubs. The name comes from the original Gin drink that was call an “Old Gin Tom” later changed to “Tom Collins” in Jerry Thomas's 1876 recipe.

Like a Tom Collins the majority of the taste still comes from the spirit , which in this case we used original Jack Daniels as our whiskey which has a great oaky taste to it which is toned down by the Soda Water but by no means taken away. The great thing is the recipe only specifies Whiskey so you can use your favourite type and brand to play about with this one. Along with the Lemon Juice and Sugar Syrup this drink ends up being very pleasant and something very pleasing for how quick and easy it is to make. Everyone will have a preference between this cocktail and its Gin counterpart, but we feel this one has a bit more potency in terms of taste and the Tom Collins offers more in terms of flavour depending on the Gin you use.

This is a very easy to enjoy drink and great for sipping on if you are sitting in trying to relax. No doubt if you have already experienced a Tom Collins then you will want to try this. From our experience it can make someone not so keen on Whiskey a bit more open to trying it afterwards. Here is how to make a John Collins.