New month, new Cocktail of the Month from the Substack.
We’re fully into summer here, with temperatures going up into the 90s. This means summer drinks are the order of the day. For that, I’m going to go with the Tom Collins. On the other hand, I’ll also argue that the Collins is a class of drinks instead of a single recipe.
The Origin
There are several theories as to when and how this drink was invented. The oldest claims are that it goes back to a drink called the John Collins, invented by a guy named, surprising no one, John Collins. It was listed as a gin punch, but I would argue that it’s a lightened up sour. Instead of sour, sweet, and egg white, it’s sour, sweet, and club soda. This, plus serving it on the rocks, would lend it towards a much more refreshing summer drink. As to why it’s called the Tom Collins, there’s two theories around that. One is that it acquired the name due to a hoax that was happening back in the 1870s. The other is that the drink was originally made with Old Tom gin, which is a very different beast than the common London dry gin. Personally, I lean towards the tie to the gin as the origin.
The Recipe
- 4 part (2 oz) gin
- 2 part (1 oz) lemon juice
- 1 part (0.5 oz) simple syrup
- Club soda to top
This drink can be built in the glass (original recipe), where you add the gin, juice, and simple to a Collins glass (another point towards it being a style), give it a brief stir to combine, and fill the glass with ice. Or you can add the gin, juice, and simple to a shaker filled with ice to shake, chill, and combine (strain into a Collins glass with fresh ice). Top with club soda, and give a final brief stir to chill. Garnish with a flag (lemon wheel wrapped around a brandied cherry) if you feel the need
Variations
A final argument for the Collins being a class and not a single drink is the variations. Go ahead and swap that gin out with any spirit you want. Rum? Tequila? Whiskey? All of them will work. Don’t want lemon, go ahead and swap out another citrus for it, I would argue that the Paloma is a grapefruit tequila Collins. Want to change the flavor in other ways? Swap out the simple syrup for grenadine, orgeat, mint simple, raspberry syrup, cherry syrup, or any other flavor you would like.
Batch Prepping
Here’s my dirty little secret when it comes to summer. I rarely make my Collins from scratch. I will have bottles of sparkling lemonade, Italian/French sodas, and the like to make up my quick Collins all summer long. If you have the tools on hand to do force carbonation (think a SodaStream), you can also make your own Collins mix right to your preference and have it ready to go. Hosting a large group? Set out a variety of chilled bottles, let people select their spirit of choice, and let people go wild building their own.
Mocktail Version
In the event the previous image didn’t give you ideas, any sparkling/lightly sweetened pop will work as a mocktail. You can also make your own with juices, sweeteners/syrups, and sparkling water (or if you have the tools, forced carbonation). Ginger, strawberry, cherry, pomegranate, and dozens of other flavors exist to make some delicious libations for those who want no alcohol as well as those who want them with some hooch.
With that, I hope I’ve given you some inspiration to find your own favorite twist on the Collins. Let me know what your favorite is in the comments. I’m a particularly big fan of using strawberry gin in mine.
When I started at the state, we had a network consultant on staff named Tom Collins.
He died in his sleep at 33 from an undiagnosed heart problem. No, he was not as large as you are imagining from that cause of death.
Smart guy, but just didn’t wake up one morning.
I know this is going to be unpopular – I can’t stand gin. Any suggested substitutions?
OT – They really do just hate him
The Washington Post
Fireworks on Mall likely to cause hazardous air pollution, documents show
10 hours ago
By Jake Spring
USA Today
Should you wear a mask during July 4 fireworks in Washington DC?
55 minutes ago
Quite literally any spirit you want:
I would avoid vodka, because I prefer my spirits to be finished instead of half completed.
Spirits of Mirbane Collins has quite a kick.
Trick question. You should wear a mask everywhere all of the time, duh.
Also, do not attend 4th celebrations because Trump is a dictator.
Only a bigot would celebrate stolen land! Hmm, maybe I’ll have stollen on the 4th.
And just now I passed a chick outside wearing some sort of cross between a face mask and this ridiculous thing. Asian college chick, of course.
You should wear a mask everywhere all of the time
Unless you work for ICE.
There is truly nothing that the nanny-industrial complex won’t try to suck the fun out of…
Imagine how giddy with joy the MSM would have been in celebration of the ceremonies presided over by Madame President Harris.
Speaking of sucking the fun out…
Eeewww!
/teenage girl
So true.
Willie Brown liked this comment.
I know this is going to be unpopular – I can’t stand gin. Any suggested substitutions?
Pinochle?
Needs a special deck.
Bigot confirmed, you excluded Spades!
OK, Skat or euchre.
Too Aryan.
My dad’s “recipe” was gin, lemonade and tonic, as I recall. Very tasty on a hot afternoon.
Rat on a train from earlier:
FY19 spending was $4.4T. It spent $7T last year. Rollback the “emergency” funding rebaseline.
–‐—-‐————‐
People need to know this. They did the same thing with the 2008 crash. They increased spending by over a trillion dollars on an “emergency” basis – and then just left it there. Didnt even bother passing a budget for years.
Entitlements were already going to explode the budget because of demographics… but then we just keep adding more and more entitlements.
They are cutting open that golden egg laying goose to see if they cant get all the eggs out at once. I dont think it is going to go well.
Also, I will remind people that AOC burst on the scene with the squad, demanding $13T in spending for a Green New Deal.
We recoiled in horror.
And then passed emergency trillion dollar spending bills like they were nothing. And pretty much spent what they wanted.
I dont know exactly how this deep state thing works, but I will note that Bush said no new wars and then promptly invaded Iraq, Obama failed against those wars and Guantanamo Bay and then promptly launched all sorts of unauthorized wars and kept Guantanamo open, Trump was anti war yet after several years of fighting accusations of getting us into WWIII by not starting wars…. he now starts wars.
Somehow they get what they want, regardless of who is in office.
It do be exactly like dat.
Almost like it was designed that way.
Their cause is just so righteous and obviously right that they can convince anyone to do their bidding.
It totally isn’t anything untoward.
From before, not looking past my skis. Was just excited to see likely new pay, but really just checked out that apt place to see what was up. Was pleased with the available location, rents and options
Fun to think. I’m now 8/17ths threw w the theoretical last shift.
Now SIX/ 17ths through said shift. Silence Ted, and my mathy just-13yo nephew.
The Gin Rickey variant of a Tom Collin’s if my go to hot weather drink.
Lime instead of lemons.
I also use a premade lime aide with a few lime wedges when I’m being lazy.
Rickeys generally don’t have simple syrup or any sweetener in them, that would be the main difference.
That would be for me!
I use simple syrup only sparingly with fresh lime or more when using concentrate and none when using the limeade.
Interesting bit of PA trivia.
https://x.com/ScottPresler/status/2072406717980156218
“Staunch Jury Nullification Advocate”?
It’s what got me booted from my every 2 years like clockwork jury service here in the highest crime rate county in NJ.
outrageous
In a dissent, Judge Paul Niemeyer argued “the district court’s and the majority’s holdings, I conclude, fail with double F’s.”
“The unfettered discretion that Congress gave the Directors to terminate the employment of agency employees precludes the employees from having any entitlement to their employment and therefore precludes a finding that they had a property interest protected by the Fifth Amendment,” wrote Niemeyer, a former President George W. Bush appointee.
That’s just crazy. Once you become a government employee you are owed a job for life.
I’m ok with that idea, but they may briefly be surprised by my work around.
This isn’t me! What other Glib is it?
https://x.com/ScottPresler/status/2072406717980156218
Is that the right link?
Nope. I lost it.
Scott Presler is far too effective to be a Glib lol.
Found it!
https://x.com/AutismCapital/status/2072481791248892341
My swords are all European in heritage.
So, not me.
I don’t own any swords, nor any weeb shirts.
What are the chances that he knows how to use that?
His grip and stance look terrible.
I would not be surprised if he thinks it’ll cut like a lightsaber.
I’ve never seen such a two handed sword either.
Founding fathers spin in their graves
The information on these labels is unregulated and typically does not relate to food safety.
Oh, no. A clear and shocking abdication of the government’s duty to protect consumers from moldy potato salad.
Can we just not feed Californians?
just append “to fire ants” and I think we should feed Californians and New Yorkers (sorry, we will stage a rescue first)
#board85 5/5
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
🪄 81 points in 5 words
🔥 streak: 4
puzzlist.com/lettergrams
Back the BS red card… I missed that St. Messi avoided any censure for the exact same move in a previous match. Which was probably the correct decision, as the ref had decided similarly last night too, until a voice in his ear told him “not so fast”.
https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/stinc-just-bullpupped-your-krink-the-ost-14-groza-kit-44829238
Damn, that’s fucking hideous.
Yeah. No.
It definitely has some of that ComBlok charm…but it looks about as comfortable to use as a sandpaper buttplug.
Bullpup rifles in general can look the business, right up until you start shooting them for real. There’s a reason why the AR platform dominates practical shooting sports.
Rum? Tequila? Whiskey?
I’m intrigued.
Think towards the Caipirinha, Paloma, or Lynchburg Lemonade.
https://x.com/chrismaidmentnh/status/2072480918594273471
Fuck the fireworks batting commies. They’re as bad as the campfire hating commies.
fireworks are awesome — just not in my neighbors back yard.
Wait, that’s a police department?
Man, someone needs to preserve them just for the novelty.
Note the date. It’s old. But, it is a real post on their facebook page. You might need to login to facebook to view it.. The PD added this disclaimer:
Mandatory Disclaimer:
Note that this post is not intended to disparage, exclude, or offend our followers with fewer than ten existing fingers. We really just want everyone to end the holiday with the same number of fingers they started with, whatever amount that may be.
Interestingly, Marlborough is a heavily Democrat town.
NH state law gives municipalities the ability to regulate fireworks.
LOL
I passed a fireworks tent in the mall parking lot the other day. I am pretty sure they’re illegal here.
It’s all legal in Indiana. Just one more of our deadly exports.
I admit my ignorance on much of it, but Indiana does a pretty good job as a state, AFAICT. (Low, low bar.)
https://x.com/alphafox/status/2072417813633896798
Legit chuckle.
Twitvids seem to be blocked if you don’t sign up now.
Nitter, please
I’m assembling a team. A team that can’t be seconded.
None of you are a match.
There are 56.000 public employees in Berlin. (By comparison, the EU commission employs 33.000 people).
In 2025, they took, on average, 37 days of sick leave, compared to 22 days on average for German workers as a whole.
The average is 37. For my team sick days are probably 3-5 per year.
https://x.com/posta_octavian/status/2072672993126334709
I’ve called for 4 times in 10 years. And half of those were because of this god damn son-of-a-bitchin’ dog and the cunt I live with.
I was gonna ask if it’s combined PTO and the twit says No.
That’s nuts but unsurprising. My company’s European colleagues can be counted on to be not present for much of the summer plus the last two months or so of every year.