collins

collins — noun

1. a tall alcoholic drink made with a spirit (such as gin), citrus juice, sugar, an

1.nounB2
Definition

a tall alcoholic drink made with a spirit (such as gin), citrus juice, sugar, and soda water, served over ice in a tall glass

Example

On a hot summer afternoon, Priya ordered a gin collins at the rooftop bar.

collocation: gin collins + 'order at' pattern

The bartender filled a tall glass with ice before mixing the collins.

countable use: 'the collins' as a specific drink order

Common collocations
  • gin collins
  • vodka collins
  • Tom Collins
  • collins glass

Usage Note

Countable noun — you can order 'a collins' or 'two collins.' The best-known variety is the Tom Collins, made with gin. The glass used is traditionally tall and narrow, called a 'collins glass.'

Common Mistakes

I ordered a Collins with rum.
I ordered a collins with rum.
The drink name is not capitalised when used as a generic cocktail term; only 'Tom Collins' keeps the capital letters.

Common collocations

Nouns

  • gin collins
  • vodka collins
  • Tom Collins
  • collins glass

Etymology

American English

The name comes from the Tom Collins cocktail, which was linked to a famous practical joke — the 'Tom Collins hoax' — that spread through New York City in 1874. People would send someone on a wild-goose chase to find a man named Tom Collins who was supposedly spreading gossip about them. By the 1880s, bartenders had created a gin-based drink using that name, and over time 'collins' came to refer to any iced cocktail made in the same style.