The Tom Collins became famous after Tom Collins hoax letters circulated in New York in 1874.
The prank involved telling someone that a man named Tom Collins was insulting or looking for them in a nearby bar. The victim would then search for the nonexistent person. Newspapers and popular culture spread the joke, and drink references soon attached the name Tom Collins to a tall, refreshing gin cocktail.
The modern drink generally contains gin, lemon juice, sugar syrup and carbonated water. It is served over ice in a tall glass and is part of the Collins family of long drinks. The older John Collins was made with genever or Old Tom gin, while later versions helped establish the name Tom Collins.
The hoax explains the cocktail’s unusual name, but it did not necessarily create the recipe itself. That distinction is why accounts of the drink’s origin can differ.