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Gin often makes the short list of the essential spirits you need to have a functional home bar, and for good reason. The liquor is used in bonafide classic cocktails such as the Negroni, and it’s a versatile ingredient in your drinks regardless of the time of year. Gin can be incorporated into quintessential fall-inspired cocktails, and you can even bring the warmth to your gin and tonics for the biting cold of winter. And when summer is around the corner, gin once again emerges as a frontrunner for your cocktails of choice with the ultra-simple summer collins, a two-ingredient drink combining only gin and lemonade.
The summer collins is bright, citrusy, and floral — perfect refreshment on a summer day. The botanicals in gin, such as juniper, coriander, and citrus peel, lend a much more complex and floral flavor to this drink compared to a neutral spirit like vodka, while it has a lighter and brighter profile compared to a warmer spirit like whiskey. The thing to consider here is strength. Some recommend a simple 50/50 mix of gin and lemonade, but that’s a pretty potent glass. Consider a more traditional mixed drink ratio — around one part gin for every three parts lemonade – to combat the summer heat. With the summer collins, that last task should be pretty easy.
What makes a summer collins?
On the surface, it’s simple: just gin and lemonade. But as with all things mixology, the details provide a lot more depth and need some attention. The main thing to consider here is what qualifies as lemonade to you. In the United States, the drink is usually just a blend of lemon juice, water, and a sweetener. But across the pond in Europe, it’s often a carbonated product by default – something more akin to a citrus soda. Even the name “summer collins” hints at this fizzy origin, since its predecessor, the Tom Collins, includes soda water. Adding citrus sodas or syrups to drinks is pretty common in Europe — just look at the shandy and radler. When you use a sparkling lemonade, the summer collins becomes yet another example of this easy but effective formula.
Of course, carbonation isn’t required to make this drink sing. A summer collins made with fresh lemonade will still be plenty revitalizing in the summer heat. Just make sure to choose among the best lemonades you can buy if you don’t make your own. You could even throw a change-up with a deliciously minty Egyptian lemonade, which should mix incredibly well with your gin. And don’t forget that you can play with your gin, too, including nonalcoholic options like Monday Zero Alcohol Gin. No matter what ingredients you choose, you should be in for some fresh and relaxing summer sips.
