The Gin Fizz and the Tom Collins are both cocktails made with gin, but there are some distinct differences in their ingredients, preparation, serving, and consumption.
In this article, we will explore these drinks in detail and see which one comes out on top!
What is the difference between a gin fizz and tom collins?
A gin fizz, also known as a silver fizz, is a mixed drink made from gin, lemon juice, sugar, and carbonated water. The egg white in the recipe makes it frothy when shaken or blended.
The Tom Collins is similar to a Gin Fizz but replaces the sugar with sweet syrup and adds soda water for extra bubbles.
Both drinks are served in a tall glass over ice with a maraschino cherry garnish.
What’s different about the ingredients of each drink?
The main difference between these two alcoholic drinks is the use of sugar in the Tom Collins.
The Gin Fizz recipe calls for lemon juice, gin, sugar, and carbonated water, while a Tom Collins requires lemon juice, gin, simple syrup or grenadine syrup, and soda water.
In addition to this change from regular white sugar to either grenadine or simple syrup, there are also changes in some of the other ingredients.
For instance, a Tom Collins has an extra ingredient: club soda. This adds bubbles to a Tom Collins but isn’t used in a Gin Fizz recipe since it already has carbonated water added in.
These cocktails have distinctly different tastes as well. A Gin Fizz uses dry gin whereas a Tom Collins uses sweetened gin, adding a different dimension to the flavors.
What are the differences in preparation?
The Gin Fizz is shaken vigorously with ice until it becomes frothy, while a Tom Collins is more gently blended and served directly in a glass over crushed ice.
Since these drinks require slightly different techniques and ingredients, it follows that they would be served in different vessels. Additionally, gin fizzes tend to be taller than tom collinses because of the need for more foam in this cocktail.
What are the differences in serving?
The Gin Fizz is served in a tall glass with crushed ice, while the Tom Collins is served directly in a glass or on the rocks.
A Gin Fizz comes with either lemon wedge or maraschino cherry garnish, whereas you can choose whether to add fruit garnishes when making a Tom Collins.
How are they consumed?
Typically these drinks are enjoyed one at a time rather than simultaneously like other mixed alcoholic beverages such as shots or mixed drinks. Both cocktails should include some carbonated water when you make them; if not, you can make them with club soda.
Club soda is carbonated water that has sodium and potassium salts added to it, which makes it slightly more alkaline than regular filtered water. These minerals are good for the blood vessels, heart, kidneys, and bones.
How do these mixed drinks differ in America vs. Europe?
In many parts of the world, people drink Gin Fizzes during the morning hours or as an aperitif before dinner. Tom Collins also became well-known during this period but was considered a lunchtime drink because of its sweetness.
Today both cocktails are considered around the world—but they have distinctly different purposes depending on where you are drinking them. A Gin Fizz often replaces breakfast while a Tom Collins is more of an afternoon drink.
Here are some Gin Fizz recipes to try out:
The Original Silver Gin Fizz
Ingredients:
- 4-7 ice cubes
- 2 oz dry gin
- 1 oz lemon juice
- 1 tsp superfine sugar or ½ oz simple syrup
- 4-6 oz chilled club soda
- Garnish with orange slice and maraschino cherry.
Steps:
- Fill a collins glass with ice cubes.
- Pour in the gin, lemon juice, and sugar or grenadine syrup.
- stir until the sugar has dissolved.
- Top with club soda and garnish with fruit before serving.
You can also use silver rum instead of gin if you’d like! Just substitute silver rum for the gin and lemon juice, but keep everything else the same.
Here are some Tom Collins recipes to try out:
The Original Tom Collins
Ingredients:
- 2 oz dry gin
- 1 tsp simple syrup or ½ oz grenadine
- 4-6 oz chilled club soda
- a slice of orange or lime
- Garnish with fruit if desired.
Steps:
- Fill a collins glass with ice cubes.
- Pour in the gin and simple syrup; stir until dissolved.
- Add club soda and garnish with fruit before serving.
- For an extra kick, you can use sweetened red wine instead of just regular white sugar!
You can also use silver rum instead of gin if you’d like! Just substitute silver rum for the gin and lemon juice, but keep everything else the same.
Both these mixed drinks are great to serve at parties or gatherings because they are easy to make ahead of time in large batches. You just have to mix up the alcohol with separate recipes then add carbonated water right before serving so that each drink is fresh!
Now that you know all about Gin Fizzes vs Tom Collinses, which one will you choose?
