John Collins recipe
Gin, lemon juice, sugar syrup, tonic water and Angostura bitters, stirred over ice in a highball glass, garnished with a lemon slice.
By Kris Barton · Updated - 2 mins total
- 7 ingredients
- Highball glass
What Ingredients do you need to make a John Collins?
Gin
Gin is a distilled alcohol drink made from Juniper Berries and is one of the most popular alcoholic beverages in the world.
Its popularity is growing year on year, with sales in the UK rising beyond £3 billion per year.
For Gin, we recommend:
Simple Syrup
Simple Syrup is a common ingredient in cocktails and is used simply to sweeten a drink.
You can buy the syrup off the shelf, but it’s also pretty easy to make yourself. It’s made by combining sugar and water in equal parts – simple, right?
If you do want to buy it off the shelf, we recommend:
Angostura Bitters
Angostura bitters is a concentrated bitters (aka a herbal alcoholic preparation) based on gentian (a plant with a bitter root), herbs, and spices.
It’s produced by the House of Angostura in Trinidad and Tobago and is called Angostura as it was created in the town of Angostura in Venezuela.
Angostura Bitters are typically used for flavouring drinks, and the House of Angostura also makes orange bitters.
For Angostura Bitters, we recommend:
Cocktails with Angostura Bitters
Maraschino Cherries
Maraschino Cherries are preserved, sweetened cherries that are regularly used as a garnish in a variety of different cocktails.
In short, they can make a cocktail pop.
For Maraschino Cherries, we recommend:
What Equipment do you need to make a John Collins?
Highball Glass
Highball Glasses are the most common glasses in the cocktail world. You can put most cocktails in there from the Long Island Iced Tea to a Bay Breeze.
Advertisement
Recipe card
John Collins
- Prep
- 1 min
- Making
- 1 min
- Total
- 2 mins
- Serves
- 1
- Glass
- Highball glass
Ingredients
Makes 1 drink.
Method
- Add ice, gin, lemon juice, sugar syrup, and tonic water to a highball glass.
- Gently stir.
- Add a dash of Angostura bitters.
- Garnish with a slice of lemon and a maraschino cherry.
Want more like this? Browse our full collection of classic cocktails.
John Collins FAQs
What Ingredients do you need to make a John Collins?
To make a John Collins, you need 45ml / 1.5oz gin, 30ml / 1oz lemon juice, 15ml / 0.5oz sugar syrup, 60ml / 2oz tonic water and a dash of Angostura bitters, plus lemon slice and maraschino cherry to garnish. There’s more about gin, simple syrup, Angostura bitters and maraschino cherries above.
What Equipment do you need to make a John Collins?
You’ll need a highball glass.
What alcohol is in a John Collins?
The only alcohol in a John Collins is gin: 45ml / 1.5oz.
Is a John Collins shaken or stirred?
A John Collins is stirred, not shaken. It’s made straight in a highball glass: add the ingredients over ice and stir.
What glass is a John Collins served in?
Serve a John Collins in a highball glass.
How do you garnish a John Collins?
Garnish a John Collins with a slice of lemon and a maraschino cherry.
