Tom Collins Season

There are few drinks that embody a season as well as the Tom Collins. The deliciously refreshing combination of lemon juice, simple syrup, gin, and club soda is the personification of summer. And fortunately, you still have a couple weeks to brush up before the solstice.

The Tom Collins was invented in London in the 1820s, according to award-winning author and Liquor.com advisory board member David Wondrich, by an American bartender. (You can read Wondrich's full history of the cocktail here.) And with Old Blighty playing host to the Olympics next month, no doubt the concoction will be on more menus than normal on both sides of the pond.

But if you need a refresher on making this classic, watch top mixologist and Liquor.com advisory board member Simon Ford demonstrate the proper technique in this short How to Cocktail video.

And you should also try a tasty variation on the traditional recipe. One of our favorites is the flavorful Raspberry Collins, which adds tart muddled berries to the mix.

Looking for something even fruitier? Fix the vodka-based Mango Collins that incorporates mango nectar and orange liqueur into the basic formula. It's a perfect sipper for a day at the beach.

So get to shaking, and join us in toasting the new season. Cheers!

This article was originally published at Tom Collins Season. For more stories like this, subscribe to Liquor.com for the best of all things cocktails and spirits.