Tom Collins — gin drink is basically the template every bartender uses

This gin drink is basically the template every bartender uses to build cocktails. Most people think it’s just gin and soda, but they’re missing the point entirely.

Ingredients

• 2 oz gin
• 1 oz fresh lemon juice
• 1 oz simple syrup
• Top with it off and a lemon wheel to finish
• Club soda to top
• Garnish: club soda to top it off

Method

Grab your shaker and add the gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup with ice. Shake hard for twelve seconds — you want that citrus fully integrated with the gin and syrup. Strain into a tall Collins glass filled with fresh ice. Top with three to four ounces of club soda, but don’t just dump it in. Pour it slowly down a bar spoon or along the side of the glass so you don’t kill all the carbonation. The drink should be effervescent and bright, with just enough dilution from the ice to mellow the gin without watering it down.

Serve

Serve this in a Collins glass over ice. Drop in a lemon wheel and give it one gentle stir to incorporate the soda.

Pro Tip

The pro tip here is about the soda ratio. Most people either use too little soda and make it too strong, or too much and make it taste like lemon water. You want roughly equal parts of your shaken mixture and soda — so if you’ve got about three and a half ounces of liquid from shaking, add three and a half ounces of soda. That balance keeps the gin present while making the drink refreshing instead of boozy.