In full disclosure, I hated gin for years. On a dare, I consumed gin that had been baking in the sun all day way too quickly in way too large a quantity. The repercussions were more than I ever wanted to deal with so for years I avoided all contact with gin. I eventually started back with Tanqueray, and now Hendrick’s and tonics are a staple of pool season.
The Tom Collins is based on Old Tom Gin, which is the inspiration for the name. Old Tom is a slightly sweet gin, so when you see it in a recipe, you cannot just change to Plymouth or London Dry and expect the same results. Old Tom used to be impossible to find on liquor store shelves, but now most states should have at least one available. If you need to use a London Dry, expect to add more sweetener.
Ingredients
2 oz Old Tom Gin
1 oz Lemon juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
3 oz club soda
Garnish
Lemon Twist
Glassware
12 oz tumbler
Assembly
Measure lime juice, simple syrup and gin and add to tumbler. Stir to combine ingredients, and add ice and top with club soda and garnish.
Suggestions
I love my soda stream. I can control what water I use and how much carbonation goes into my club soda. It also allows me to determine how much sugar goes in my tonic water. In the absence of a make it yourself soda system use high quality sodas. My preference is for Q drinks brand. The entire line up is really well made with quality ingredients and about half the sugar as most products out on the market.