Bottom Line: Zach Johnston. First and foremost, this is a breeze to make. It takes all of 30 seconds once you have everything set up. That makes using a Collins mixer seem almost pointless.

It's both a classic cocktail and a pre-prohibition cocktail that dates back to the 19th century. However, despite its advance age, the Tom Collins is neither stodgy nor old fashioned.

Use the cocktail strainer to pour the base over the ice in the Collins glass, it should fill the glass about 2/3. Top the cocktail with a small, maybe two-ounce, pour of fizzy mineral water.

About this recipe . The first notable mention of the Tom Collins was in 1882, in a cocktail handbook pithily titled New and Improved Bartender's Manual or How to Mix Drinks of the Present Style ...

Cocktail Club Cocktail recipe: Add complexity to this Tom Collins with one simple ingredient "We find each type of sherry an ingredient so complex that it can accomplish many purposes in a cocktail." ...