The Tom Collins traces its roots to the gin and tonic obsessed 19th century, but its exact origin is deliciously murky, which suits a cocktail named after a practical joke. The earliest printed recipes appear in the 1870s, though similar mixes showed up earlier as “John Collins” drinks, named for a headwaiter at London’s Limmer’s Hotel. Whether the eponymous Tom was a real bloke or the product of a widespread prank called “Tom Collins” (where people were told a man named Tom Collins was gossiping about them) is debated, but by the late Victorian era the Tom Collins was cemented as a long, fizzy gin highball, that was approachable, refreshing and ideal for social settings.

The classic Tom Collins is simple, with London dry gin, freshly squeezed lemon juice, sugar (traditionally gomme or simple syrup), and a long pour of carbonated water, served over ice in a Collins glass with a lemon slice and a maraschino cherry. Its popularity rose alongside the Victorian taste for bright, citrusy mixed drinks and the 19th‑century expansion of soda water availability. Bartenders loved it because it showcased gin while diluting it into something easy drinking for warm afternoons and convivial gatherings. The drink was popularised in American and British bars through cocktail manuals and hotel bars of the late 1800s, becoming a staple thanks to its balance of sweet, sour and effervescence, a template that influenced many later highball cocktails.