Did viral joke in 1874 lead to name of the Tom Collins?
Today, we released the video Cocktails for Dog Days of Summer - Tom Collins, Part 1 - showing Anthony Triche, a former Crescent students who's now a bartender in Las Vegas, making a Tom Collins, one of the most popular cocktails ever invented.
Liquor.com reports: "The Tom Collins is essentially a sparkling lemonade spiked with a healthy dose of the juniper spirit. While there is a debate about which side of the Atlantic this drink was born, this cocktail lives up to his classic status with every sip."
Take a look at Anthony making Crescent's version of the classic Tom Collins:
Our Tom Collins recipe includes:
1 1/2 oz. premium gin
1 oz. simple syrup
1 oz. freshly-squeezed lemon juice
Club soda
Ice
Garnish with two cherries
The Tom Collins Hoax of 1874
But, do you know about the controversy about the drink and its origins way back in 1874?
The drink was reportedly named after a really bad joke. Here it goes...
A man would approach someone on the street and ask, "Have you seen Tom Collins?"
The stranger would say soemthing like: "No. I've never met him."
"Perhaps you had better do so because Tom's calling you names and telling people that you're a bloody thief."
This would upset the second man, who would run off trying to look for Tom Collins. But, the real joke was - he didn't exist.
This lame joke went viral on the streets in New York and Philadelphia. The trick was so popular that it was called "The Great Tom Collins Hoax of 1874." Some newspapers at the time even printed articles with false sightings of Tom Collins and songs were written about the joke.
Other Origin Stories
There are reports however that the Tom Collins first appeared in England. A drink called a "John Collins" did exist prior to the Tom Collins hoax. A recipe for it appears in the Steward and Barkeeper's Manual of 1869. Cocktail historian David Wondrich has noted that a few other early mentions of the drink exist. Woodrich says the Tom Collins sounds like the gin punches that were being served in London clubs (such as the Garrick) during the first half of the 1800's.
However, there is further confusion over the cocktail's origins since in 1898, American writer Charles Montgomery Skinner wrote that the Tom Collins was being served in "American bars" in England, France, and Germany because the drink was becoming so popular in America.
Whatever the case, the Tom Collins is similar to a Gin Fizz. In a Gin Fizz, the lemon juice is "fizzed" with carbonated water to form a "Gin and Sodawater," whereas in the Tom Collins more lemon juice is used, forming more of a "Gin and Sparkling Lemonade" when sweetened with simple syrup.
There are indeed many variations of the Tom Collins. In our next video, Anthony will show you how to make a Raspberry Collins. Stay tuned. And, if you're interested in exploring the bartending profession, give call us at:
Las Vegas: (702) 458-9910
New Orleans: (504) 822-3362
Gulfport: (228) 822-2444
Or, request online for information about Crescent's bartending programs to be emailed to you.
Crecent is an accredited bartending and casino gaming school in the United States.
Sources include:
Liquor.com
Business Insider
Wikipedia