47-491: The Tom Collins is a Collins cocktail made from gin , lemon juice , sugar, and carbonated water . This "gin and sparkling lemonade " drink is typically served in a Collins glass over ice with a cherry garnish. A non-alcoholic "Collins mix" mixer is produced, enjoyed by some as a soft drink. The earliest publication of any Collins, as well as any Fizz recipe, are both located in the same book, Harry Johnson's 1882 New and Improved Bartender’s Manual or How to Mix Drinks of
94-425: A mix of cognac with a dash of his bitters. Several authors have theorized that "cocktail" may be a corruption of " cock ale ". There is a lack of clarity on the origins of cocktails. Traditionally cocktails were a mixture of spirits, sugar, water, and bitters . By the 1860s, however, a cocktail frequently included a liqueur . The first publication of a bartenders ' guide which included cocktail recipes
141-503: A person, having swallowed a glass of it, is ready to swallow any thing else. Other origins have been suggested, as corruptions of other words or phrases. These can be dismissed as folk etymologies , given the well-attested term "cock-tail" for a horse. Dale DeGroff hypothesizes that the word evolved from the French coquetier , for an eggcup in which Antoine A. Peychaud, creator of Peychaud's Bitters , allegedly used to serve his guests
188-457: A stimulating drink, like pick-me-up . This agrees with usage in early citations (1798: "'cock-tail' (vulgarly called ginger)", 1803: drink at 11 a.m. to clear the head, 1806: "stimulating liquor"), and suggests that a cocktail was initially considered a medicinal drink, which accords with the use of bitters. Etymologist Anatoly Liberman endorses as "highly probable" the theory advanced by Låftman (1946), which Liberman summarizes as follows: It
235-488: A straw. A simple Summer Collins is a two-ingredient cocktail consisting only of equal parts gin and lemonade, served over ice with an optional fruit garnish. The Vodka Collins uses vodka in place of gin. The South Side uses lime juice in addition to or in place of lemon and adds mint . A Rum Collins , also called a Ron Collins , uses light rum in place of gin and lime juice in place of lemon juice. A French 75 uses Champagne in lieu of soda water. The Juan Collins
282-522: A wide variety of drinks; it is typically a mixed drink containing alcohol. When a combined drink contains only a distilled spirit and a mixer , such as soda or fruit juice , it is a highball . Many of the International Bartenders Association Official Cocktails are highballs. When a mixed drink contains only a distilled spirit and a liqueur , it is a duo, and when it adds cream or a cream-based liqueur, it
329-414: Is John Collins, head waiter at Limmer's, Corner of Conduit Street, Hanover Square, My chief occupation is filling brimmers For all the young gentlemen frequenters there. Drinks historian David Wondrich has speculated that the original recipe that was introduced to New York in the 1850s would have been very similar to the gin punches that are known to have been served at fashionable London clubs such as
376-437: Is a list of hoaxes : These types of hoaxes are semi-comical or private " sting operations " intended to expose people. They usually encourage people to act foolishly or credulously by falling for patent nonsense that the hoaxer deliberately presents as reality. Deliberate hoaxes or journalistic scandals that have drawn widespread attention include: This list does not include hoax articles published on or around April 1 ,
423-479: Is a recipe for the Tom Collins in the 1887 posthumous edition of Jerry Thomas ' Bar-Tender's Guide. Since New York based Thomas would have known about the widespread hoax and the contents of his 1876 book were developed during or right after The Great Tom Collins hoax of 1874, it was believed by George Sinclair that the hoax event was the most plausible source of the name for the Tom Collins cocktail. Classified under
470-431: Is a trio. Additional ingredients may be sugar, honey , milk, cream , and various herbs. Mixed drinks without alcohol that resemble cocktails can be known as "zero-proof" or "virgin" cocktails or "mocktails". The origin of the word "cocktail" is disputed. It is presumably from "cock-tail", meaning "with tail standing up, like a cock's", in particular of a horse, but how this came to be applied to alcoholic mixed drinks
517-409: Is also known as Genièvre, but the recipe for the Tom Collins in this book is as follows: Tom Collins (Use an extra large bar glass.) Three-quarters table-spoon of sugar; 3 or 4 dashes of lime or lemon juice; 3 or 4 pieces of broken ice; 1 wine glass full of Old Tom gin; 1 bottle of plain soda water; mix up well with a spoon, remove the ice, and serve. Attention must be paid not to let the foam of
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#1732884575430564-441: Is made from tequila , lime juice , sugar or some other sweetening agent, and club soda . This drink typically is served in a Collins glass over ice. Cocktail A cocktail is a mixed drink , usually alcoholic . Most commonly, a cocktail is a combination of one or more spirits mixed with other ingredients, such as juices, flavored syrups , tonic water , shrubs , and bitters . Cocktails vary widely across regions of
611-399: Is unclear. The most prominent theories are that it refers to a stimulant, hence a stimulating drink, or to a non-purebred horse, hence a mixed drink. Cocktail historian David Wondrich speculates that "cocktail" is a reference to gingering , a practice for perking up an old horse by means of a ginger suppository so that the animal would "cock its tail up and be frisky", hence by extension
658-692: The Old Fashioned whiskey cocktail, the Sazerac cocktail, and the Manhattan cocktail. The ingredients listed (spirits, sugar, water, and bitters) match the ingredients of an Old Fashioned , which originated as a term used by late 19th-century bar patrons to distinguish cocktails made the "old-fashioned" way from newer, more complex cocktails. In the 1869 recipe book Cooling Cups and Dainty Drinks , by William Terrington, cocktails are described as: Cocktails are compounds very much used by "early birds" to fortify
705-413: The philologists , have neglected them. But the essentially American character of [this and other drinks] is obvious, despite the fact that a number have gone over into English. The English, in naming their drinks, commonly display a far more limited imagination. Seeking a name, for example, for a mixture of whiskey and soda-water, the best they could achieve was whiskey-and-soda. The Americans, introduced to
752-427: The 1800s to include the addition of a liqueur . In 1862, Jerry Thomas published a bartender's guide called How to Mix Drinks; or, The Bon Vivant's Companion which included 10 cocktail recipes using bitters, to differentiate from other drinks such as punches and cobblers. Cocktails continued to evolve and gain popularity throughout the 1900s, with the term eventually expanding to cover all mixed drinks. In 1917,
799-451: The 1891 book, The Flowing Bowl: When and what to Drink, author William Schmidt listed the Tom Collins as including: Tom Collins Gin (1891) The juice of half a lemon in a large glass, a bar-spoonful of sugar, a drink of Tom gin ; mix this well; 2 lumps of ice, a bottle of plain soda. Mix well and serve. One turn-of-the-20th-century recipe subsequently replaced the lemon juice with lime juice. An alternate history places
846-440: The 1980s with vodka often substituting for the original gin in drinks such as the martini . Traditional cocktails began to make a comeback in the 2000s, and by the mid-2000s there was a renaissance of cocktail culture in a style typically referred to as mixology that draws on traditional cocktails for inspiration but uses novel ingredients and often complex flavors. List of hoaxes#Proven hoaxes of exposure The following
893-458: The 19th century. Clearly unaware of the drink's actual origins, in August 1891, British physician Sir Morell Mackenzie wrote an article in the influential 19th century magazine Fortnightly Review claiming that England was the originating country for the Tom Collins cocktail and a person named John Collins was its creator. In the article, Mackenzie quoted an old song called "John Collins." However,
940-583: The American invention stimulated curiosity in Europe and served as a reflection of American art. As time passed, interest in the Tom Collins diminished and its origins became lost. Early on during the 1920s Prohibition in the United States , the American journalist and student of American English H. L. Mencken said: The origin of the ... Tom-Collins ... remains to be established; the historians of alcoholism, like
987-546: The British weekly magazine Punch immediately disparaged Mackenzie's efforts, noting in August 1891 that the title of the song actually was "Jim Collins" and that Mackenzie otherwise inaccurately quoted and characterized the song. Confusion over the cocktail's origins continued as American writer Charles Montgomery Skinner noted in 1898 that the Tom Collins had made its way to the "American bars" in England, France, and Germany, where
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#17328845754301034-543: The Garrick during the first half of the 19th century. He states that these would have been along the lines of "gin, lemon juice, chilled soda water, and maraschino liqueur ". The specific call for Old Tom gin in the 1869 recipe is a likely cause for the subsequent name change to "Tom Collins" in Jerry Thomas's 1887 recipe. Earlier versions of the gin punch are likely to have used Dutch gin instead. Some confusion regarding
1081-457: The Present Style . The book includes a Tom Collins calling for Old Tom gin and a John Collins calling for Holland Gin, most likely what is known as Genièvre. Cocktail historian David Wondrich stated that there are several other earlier mentions of this version of the drink and that it does bear a striking resemblance to the gin punches served at London clubs like the Garrick in the first half of
1128-418: The United States (1920–1933), when alcoholic beverages were illegal, cocktails were still consumed illegally in establishments known as speakeasies . The quality of the liquor available during Prohibition was much worse than previously. There was a shift from whiskey to gin , which does not require aging and is, therefore, easier to produce illicitly. Honey, fruit juices, and other flavorings served to mask
1175-531: The banquets. In the United States, a written mention of 'cocktail' as a beverage appeared in The Farmers Cabinet, 1803, . The first definition of a cocktail as an alcoholic beverage appeared three years later in The Balance and Columbian Repository ( Hudson, New York ) May 13, 1806. Traditionally, cocktail ingredients included spirits, sugar, water and bitters; however, this definition evolved throughout
1222-510: The event (copies of which now are in the U.S. Library of Congress ). The first published Tom Collins recipe appears to have been in Harry Johnson's 1882 book, New and Improved Bartender’s Manual or How to Mix Drinks of the Present Style . This book contains a recipe for two Collins drinks, the John Collins and the Tom Collins. The John Collins calls for Holland Gin, which is most likely what
1269-402: The foul taste of the inferior liquors. Sweet cocktails were easier to drink quickly, an important consideration when the establishment might be raided at any moment. With wine and beer less readily available, liquor-based cocktails took their place, even becoming the centerpiece of the new cocktail party . Cocktails became less popular in the late 1960s and through the 1970s, until resurging in
1316-405: The glass over ice. This book also lists a recipe for a "Tom Collins gin and whiskey", with the only instructions that it is "concocted in the same manner as a brandy receipt, substituting their respective liquors". Another 1884 book, Scientific Barkeeping by E.N. Cook & Co, also includes both a John Collins and a Tom Collins, the former calling for Holland gin and the latter for whiskey. There
1363-401: The heading "Collins" with similarly named whisky and brandy drinks, Jerry Thomas' Tom Collins gin instructed: Tom Collins (1887) (Use large bar-glass.) Take 5 or 6 dashes of gum syrup . Juice of a small lemon. 1 large wine-glass of gin . 2 or 3 lumps of ice ; Shake up well and strain into a large bar-glass. Fill up the glass with plain soda water and drink while it is lively . This
1410-405: The inner man, and by those who like their consolations hot and strong. The term highball appears during the 1890s to distinguish a drink composed only of a distilled spirit and a mixer . Published in 1902 by Farrow and Jackson , "Recipes of American and Other Iced Drinks" contains recipes for nearly two dozen cocktails, some still recognizable today. The first "cocktail party" ever thrown
1457-414: The listener to others and that Tom Collins was "just around the corner", "in a [local] bar", or somewhere else near. The conversation about the nonexistent Tom Collins was a proven hoax of exposure . In The Great Tom Collins hoax of 1874, as it became known, the speaker would encourage the listener to act foolishly by reacting to patent nonsense that the hoaxer deliberately presents as reality. In particular,
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1504-511: The origin in St. Louis. The 1986 The Book of Cocktails provides a modern take on Thomas' 1876 recipe for this long drink : John (or Tom) Collins (1986) ice cubes 2 oz. [6 cL] dry gin 2 oz. [6 cL] lemon juice 1 teaspoon sugar ( gomme ) syrup soda water slice of lemon 1 colored cherry Place ample ice in large glass. Add gin, lemon juice and syrup. Top up with soda water and stir well. Serve with lemon slice, cherry and
1551-453: The origin of the drink and the cause for its change of name has arisen in the past due to the following: In 1874, people in New York; Pennsylvania ; and elsewhere in the United States would start a conversation with, "Have you seen Tom Collins?" After the listener predictably reacts by explaining that they did not know a Tom Collins, the speaker would assert that Tom Collins was talking about
1598-401: The question, "What is a cocktail?": Cock-tail is a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters —it is vulgarly called bittered sling , and is supposed to be an excellent electioneering potion, in as much as it renders the heart stout and bold, at the same time that it fuddles the head. It is said, also to be of great use to a democratic candidate: because
1645-550: The same drink, at once gave it the far more original name of highball . A drink known as a John Collins has existed since the 1860s at the very least and is believed to have originated with a headwaiter of that name who worked at Limmer's Old House in Conduit Street in Mayfair, which was a popular London hotel and coffee house around 1790–1817. The following rhyme was written by Frank and Charles Sheridan about John Collins: My name
1692-657: The so-called "cocktail in a can" had proliferated (at least in the United States) to become a common item in liquor stores. In the modern world and the Information Age , cocktail recipes are widely shared online on websites. Cocktails and restaurants that serve them are frequently covered and reviewed in tourism magazines and guides. Some cocktails, such as the Mojito , Manhattan , and Martini , have become staples in restaurants and pop culture. The term cocktail can refer to
1739-410: The soda water spread over the glass. In the 1884 book, The Modern Bartender’s Guide by O. H. Byron there is a drink called a "John Collins' Gin" where he calls simply for gin with no specifications of which gin, lemon juice, sugar, and filled with soda. That book also has a "Tom Collins' Brandy", which consists of brandy, lemon juice, gum syrup and Maraschino liqueur, and filled with soda water built in
1786-504: The speaker intended the listener to become agitated at the idea of someone talking about them to others such that the listener would rush off to find the purportedly nearby Tom Collins. Similar to the New York Zoo hoax of 1874, several newspapers propagated the very successful practical joke by printing stories containing false sightings of Tom Collins. The 1874 hoax quickly gained such notoriety that several 1874 music hall songs memorialized
1833-524: The term cocktail party was coined by Julius S. Walsh Jr. of St. Louis , Missouri . With wine and beer being less available during the Prohibition in the United States (1920–1933), liquor-based cocktails became more popular due to accessibility, followed by a decline in popularity during the late 1960s. The early to mid-2000s saw the rise of cocktail culture through the style of mixology which mixes traditional cocktails and other novel ingredients. By 2023,
1880-623: The word as originating in the U.S. The first recorded use of cocktail as a beverage (possibly non-alcoholic) in the United States appears in The Farmer's Cabinet , April 28, 1803: 11. [a.m.] Drank a glass of cocktail—excellent for the head...Call'd at the Doct's. found Burnham—he looked very wise—drank another glass of cocktail. The first definition of cocktail known to be an alcoholic beverage appeared in The Balance and Columbian Repository ( Hudson, New York ) May 13, 1806; editor Harry Croswell answered
1927-739: The world, and many websites publish both original recipes and their own interpretations of older and more famous cocktails. A well-known 'cocktail' in ancient Greece was named kykeon . It is mentioned in the Homeric texts and was used in the Eleusinian Mysteries . 'Cocktail' accessories are exposed in the Museum of the Royal Tombs of Aigai (Greece). They were used in the court of Philip II of Macedon to prepare and serve mixtures of wine, water, honey as well as extracts of aromatic herbs and flowers, during
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1974-612: Was allegedly by Julius S. Walsh Jr. of St. Louis , Missouri , in May 1917. Walsh invited 50 guests to her home at noon on a Sunday. The party lasted an hour until lunch was served at 1 p.m. The site of this first cocktail party still stands. In 1924, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis bought the Walsh mansion at 4510 Lindell Boulevard, and it has served as the local archbishop's residence ever since. During Prohibition in
2021-617: Was an acceptable alcoholic drink, but diluted, not a "purebred", a thing "raised above its station". Hence the highly appropriate slang word used earlier about inferior horses and sham gentlemen. The first recorded use of cocktail not referring to a horse is found in The Morning Post and Gazetteer in London, England, March 20, 1798: Mr. Pitt, two petit vers of "L'huile de Venus" Ditto, one of "perfeit amour" Ditto, "cock-tail" (vulgarly called ginger) The Oxford English Dictionary cites
2068-472: Was customary to dock the tails of horses that were not thoroughbred [...] They were called cocktailed horses, later simply cocktails. By extension, the word cocktail was applied to a vulgar, ill-bred person raised above his station, assuming the position of a gentleman but deficient in gentlemanly breeding. [...] Of importance [in the 1806 citation above] is [...] the mention of water as an ingredient. [...] Låftman concluded that cocktail
2115-459: Was distinguished from the Gin Fizz cocktail in that the three dashes of lemon juice in the gin fizz was "fizzed" with carbonated water to essentially form a "gin and sodawater" whereas the considerably more "juice of a small lemon" in the Tom Collins essentially formed a "gin and sparkling lemonade" when sweetened with the gum syrup. The type of gin used by Thomas was not specified in his 1887 book, but
2162-444: Was in 1862 – How to Mix Drinks; or, The Bon Vivant's Companion , by "Professor" Jerry Thomas . In addition to recipes for punches, sours, slings, cobblers, shrubs, toddies, flips, and a variety of other mixed drinks were 10 recipes for "cocktails". A key ingredient distinguishing cocktails from other drinks in this compendium was the use of bitters . Mixed drinks popular today that conform to this original meaning of "cocktail" include
2209-428: Was most likely Old Tom if that was responsible for the change in the drink's name. By 1878, the Tom Collins was being served in the barrooms of New York City and elsewhere. Identified as among 'the favorite drinks which are in demand everywhere' in an advertisement for the 1878 edition of The Modern Bartender's Guide by O. H. Byron, both Tom Collins gin and whiskey and Tom Collins brandy were considered fancy drinks. In
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