The Tom Collins

Mmm, Tom Collins. This is a drink I would enjoy. Maybe because it's so similar to a gin and tonic? Last week I tried this cocktail. Had to use my new Tom Collins glasses again, didn't I?

In 1874 there was a prank going around bars in the Eastern U.S. often called a "hoax of exposure." In a bar someone (the Pranker) would ask "Have you seen Tom Collins?" The other person (the Victim) would explain that they didn't know a Tom Collins. The Pranker would then say that Tom Collins had just been in to the bar and was talking about The Victim and wanted to know if The Victim had been in yet. The Victim would get agitated and exclaim they really didn't know a Tom Collins and what did they MEAN this person was asking about him? Of course, the other bar patrons were in on the joke and the prank would only work once, or on the very gullible. This hoax was said to have started in New York, Pennsylvania but quickly spread to other bars on the East Coast. It's documented in a paper called "The Great Tom Collins Hoax" in the U.S. historical section of the Library of Congress. The Tom Collins cocktail was named for this prank.

The Tom Collins is a "long drink", which means served in a tall glass. David and I both enjoyed this, although I would have given it 5 swizzle sticks.

David's Swizzle Stick Ratings:
The Tom Collins - 4 Swizzle Sticks

Tom Collins - 2 oz. gin, 2 oz. fresh lemon juice, 1 tsp sugar syrup, club soda. Fill a Tom Collins cocktail galss with gin, lemon juice, and sugar syrup. Swizzle and top off with club soda. Garnish with a cherry.