Its the weekend bitches!!!!
Just in time too! We owe this, one of the oldest of the classic cocktails, to John Collins, barman at Limmer's Hotel in London. In the early 1800's, Collins invented a drink composed of dry gin, sugar, lemon and soda water. Experimenters soon expanded on his idea, replacing the Dutch dry gin with a sweeter variety known as Old Tom. To distinguish between the two versions, the newcomer was dubbed Tom Collins. It quickly proved more popular than the original John Collins, and it's fame spread throughout the Empire. The drink gained a foothold in the US when World War I veterans brought it back here from over there and has been extremely popular ever since. It's the original John Collins that we are enjoying tonight, I like a dry drink, composed of gin, sugar, lemon juice and soda. It's an irresistible recipe to experiment with and its ingredients go with a variety of liquors. You know me- Give me a bromide. And put gin in it!
1 tsp sugar
Juice of 1 lemon, strained of seeds
2 1/2 oz gin
Club soda
Place three or more cubes of ice in a tall glass, Add sugar and lemon juice. Pour in gin, then fill to the top with club soda. You can also add the now ubiquitous cherry garnish if you fancy. Why not, from my point of view...gratuitous. Cheers!
Gloria Lynne is here to set the mood, with what else...
Sublime.
