Which spirit is traditionally used to make a Tom Collins cocktail?
John Collins (cocktail) for Old Tom gin in the 1869 recipe is a likely cause for the subsequent name change to "Tom Collins" in Jerry Thomas's 1876 recipe. In contemporary parlance, the "John Collins" refers to a "Tom Collins" made with whiskey instead of gin. Earlier versions of the gin punch are likely to have used Hollands instead. The following rhyme was written by Frank and Charles Sheridan about John Collins: <poem>My name 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.</poem> John Collins (cocktail) A
Tom Collins creator. In the article, Mackenzie quoted an old song, the title of which he indicated to be "John Collins." However, 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. A drink called a John Collins did exist prior to the Tom Collins hoax of 1874. A recipe for it appears in the "Steward and Barkeeper's Manual" of 1869. Cocktail historian David Wondrich stated that there are several other earlier mentions of this version of the drink