Tom Collins Recipe

Prepare glass

Fill a Collins glass (12–14 oz) with cubed ice to chill while you assemble the cocktail.

Build

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine 2 oz gin, 1 oz sweetened lime juice, and 0.5 oz simple syrup. Shake lightly for about 8–10 seconds — the goal is to chill and dilute slightly, not to aerate heavily.

Strain and top

Discard ice from the chilled Collins glass (optional) or leave it in. Strain the shaken mixture into the glass over fresh ice. Top gently with 3 oz chilled club soda. Stir once or twice with a bar spoon to integrate soda without flattening it.

Garnish and serve

Garnish with a lime wheel on the rim and a maraschino cherry (optional). Serve with a straw. Adjust the sweetness by adding an extra 0.25–0.5 oz simple syrup if desired.

If you don't have pre-sweetened lime juice, combine 1 oz fresh lime juice with 1 oz simple syrup (1:1) and stir until uniform. Use 1 oz of this sweetened lime juice in the cocktail recipe above.