Who Shot Tom Collins cocktail recipe

Okay, let’s talk about the original Tom Collins. It was first published in the Bon Vivant’s Companion in 1877, so it’s safe to say this is a classic cocktail. The name supposedly comes from a prank that was popular in the late 1800s: one person would tell their friend that some guy called Tom Collins was spreading rumours about them at a nearby bar, then send their friend to go find Tom and settle the score. One day, a bartender figured out what was going on and delivered the revenge-seeking friend a cocktail named the Tom Collins, and the name stuck.

The original Tom Collins is made with gin, sugar syrup, lemon juice and soda water – simple stuff – but the Who Shot Tom Collins cocktail takes things further with the addition of shiraz gin, pioneered by Aussie distillery Four Pillars Gin. They came up with the Who Shot Tom Collins recipe – named for the purple, blood-like colour – and the shiraz gin brings peppery spice, raspberry and a sweetness to the drink. It’s a fantastic modern interpretation of the Tom Collins and makes for a really refreshing and simple cocktail, particularly with the use of old-fashioned lemonade in place of the original lemon juice, sugar syrup and soda water.

The Tom Collins and, consequently, the Who Shot Tom Collins, are part of the greater Collins family. Generally speaking, these cocktails feature a spirit base with lemon juice, sugar and soda water, though old-fashioned lemonade can be used too, as is the case with this Who Shot Tom Collins. It’s always worth trying the different variations to see which one you love the most!

This family of cocktails even has its own glass – the Collins glass. It’s like a highball glass, but taller and narrower, typically containing 300 to 410mL of liquid. So, if you’re serving a Who Shot Tom Collins to your friends, make sure you’re serving it in its proper glass.

If you’re having trouble with the shiraz gin float, do as the professionals do and slowly pour this final ingredient over the back of a teaspoon carefully placed on the top of the drink. This will help with the final effect, although it doesn’t last long as we think the best bit about this drink is mixing it all together with a straw before you take that first sip.