003 – The Jimmy McCollins

A re-imagined version of the famous John Collins cocktail. The perfect alcoholic lemon squash.

Sydney’s Covid Lockdown has inspired me to take this simple cocktail back to its roots and add a little change of my own. Here is the resulting recipe and some cocktail background.

Make your own ‘Locktail’ Jimmy McCollins. Here is the recipe:

METHOD — For Lemon Sherbet (make in advance): Obtain zest from the two lemons and muddle or work into 100gm Icing Sugar until a light-yellow paste. Add the juice from the two lemons and strain to remove all solids. Should make more than 120ml, suitable for at least two cocktails. Will refrigerate for around two weeks. For the Cocktail: Fill a high-ball or double-rocks glass with ice cubes or alternatively a large sphere or block of ice. Add 60ml Gin (in this case The Botanist from Scotland – reduce to 30ml if you prefer less alcohol), 60ml Lemon Sherbet, 3-dashes of Rhubarb Biters and approximately 60ml of soda water or to desired dilution. Garnish with lemon slice and a maraschino cherry.

HISTORICAL NOTES – The ‘John Collins’ is yet another inclusion in the International Bartenders Association (IBA) classic ‘Unforgettables’ list that is limited to 33-cocktails. It is believed to have originated with a headwaiter named John Collins who worked at Limmer’s Old House, a hotel and coffee shop in Mayfair, London. The also well known ‘Tom Collins’ uses ‘Old Tom’ style Gin instead. Many other variants have appeared with a slight change on the name to suit the shift in core spirit, however IMHO, this should really remain a Gin based cocktail.

THE OFFICIAL MIX – The IBA ‘John Collins’ version is here. It is 45ml Gin, 30ml fresh Lemon Juice, 15mil Simple (Sugar) Syrup and 60ml of soda water. Prepared in largely the same way.

TASTING NOTES – In 1948, American Writer David Embury described the John Collins as “a lemonade made with charged water and spiked with Gin”, and that is a perfect description. There are so many cocktails that start with Gin as a base, and this early example has stood the test of time. It really is ‘alcoholic lemonade’, and a wonderful refresher.

LOCKTAIL CHANGES – This ‘Locktail’ hasn’t messed with the original – much. The use of ‘Lemon Sherbet’ increases the strength of the lemon and makes it more akin to a home-made lemonade with a bit of bitterness and punch from the lemon zest. The Rhubarb Bitters is a better fit in my opinion than the modern addition of Angostura Bitters and gives the sweetness of the cocktail a boost that complements the strong lemon flavours. The Botanist is an amazing and complex Scottish Gin from the Isle of Islay that has a rich 22 botanical notes that also give the cocktail some greater breadth while still respecting the London Dry origins.

YOUR LOCKTAIL EXPERIENCE – If you’d rather taste than read, I am building an ingredient list and other sourcing information on this site (stay tuned). I will re-use ingredients where I can (good for my budget too), so that the cost goes down overtime if you are ‘playing at home’.

Let me know what you think.

Cocktails you’d like reinvented.

Recipes you’ve tried and your ‘score’.

Coming up soon, more cocktails from the 1800s. Or take a look at the previous ones, the Americano and the Sazerac.