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The Tom Collins is a cocktail composed of gin, lemon juice, sugar, and carbonated water, often served over ice with a cherry. Its origins are intertwined with the John Collins, a similar drink. The earliest known published recipes for both appeared in Harry Johnson's 1882 bartending manual, with the Tom Collins calling for Old Tom gin and the John Collins for Holland Gin.

Debate surrounds the cocktail's precise genesis. Some accounts suggest a link to gin punches served in 19th-century London clubs. A notable historical event was the 1874 "Tom Collins Hoax" in the United States, where people were tricked into believing in a non-existent individual named Tom Collins, a practical joke that gained widespread attention and was even memorialized in songs and newspapers. This hoax is considered by some historians, like George Sinclair, as a plausible source for the cocktail's name.

Over time, the drink's origins became obscured. By the 1890s, it was popular in American bars abroad, reflecting American cultural influence. While early recipes varied, modern versions often use dry gin, lemon juice, sugar syrup, and soda water, sometimes with variations like Vodka Collins or South Side. The drink's popularity has seen periods of both high demand and diminished interest.

The earliest documented recipes for both the Tom Collins and the John Collins appear in Harry Johnson's 1882 "New and Improved Bartender’s Manual." The Tom Collins recipe specified Old Tom gin, while the John Collins called for Holland Gin. Cocktail historian David Wondrich notes similarities between these early Collins recipes and gin punches served in London clubs during the first half of the 19th century. An alternate theory suggests the John Collins originated with a headwaiter of that name at Limmer's Old House in London around the early 1800s. The specific use of Old Tom gin in later recipes, such as Jerry Thomas's 1887 version, is thought to be the reason for the drink's name evolving to "Tom Collins."

A significant event in the drink's lore is the "Great Tom Collins Hoax of 1874." This widespread practical joke involved individuals initiating conversations by asking if the listener knew "Tom Collins." Upon a negative response, the hoaxer would claim Tom Collins was speaking about them to others or was nearby. This deception, designed to make people act foolishly, was amplified by newspapers printing false sightings of the nonexistent Tom Collins. The notoriety of the hoax led to its memorialization in music hall songs and is considered by some historians as a likely origin for the cocktail's name, particularly given its inclusion in Jerry Thomas's guide shortly after the event.

By the late 1870s, the Tom Collins was a recognized drink in New York City and elsewhere, advertised as a favorite. Various early recipes existed, with some 19th-century variations substituting lime for lemon juice or even using brandy or whiskey instead of gin. By the turn of the 20th century, the drink had made its way to "American bars" in Europe, seen as a reflection of American culture. Despite periods where its origins became less clear, the Tom Collins has endured, with modern interpretations maintaining its core elements of gin, citrus, sweetener, and soda, alongside numerous variations like the Vodka Collins and South Side.

“Attention must be paid not to let the foam of the soda water spread over the glass.”

“The origin of the ... Tom-Collins ... remains to be established; the historians of alcoholism, like the philologists, have neglected them.”

“The essentially American character of [this and other drinks] is obvious, despite the fact that a number have gone over into English.”

“The English, in naming their drinks, commonly display a far more limited imagination.”

“Seeking a name, for example, for a mixture of whiskey and soda-water, the best they could achieve was "whiskey-and-soda".”