Hampshire Collins

In cocktail folk-law there are many stories of the creation of the Collins and the place of its birth, from London to New York, and all assumed creators had the surname Collins including Tom, Jack and John.

Whoever actually created the drink the essence of a Collins is the same; gin mixed with citrus juice, sweetened with sugar and topped up with soda water.

While the original 'Tom' Collins may have used Old Tom Gin (a sweeter style of gin) we prefer to use a dry spirit such as our Hampshire Fine gin. The fresh lemon and lime zest that are vapour-infused in this gin work well in a Collins and produces a light, refreshing aperitif - something different from the everyday G&T, and no more difficult to make.

Ingredients

• 50ml Hampshire Fine Dry Gin
• 10ml fresh lemon juice
• 25ml sugar syrup
• 100ml Soda Water
• A few cubes of ice