The Pedro Collins is the Collins made with light rum. It is the same long, lemony, fizzy drink, given a faint sugarcane warmth — the family's standing invitation to summer.
Every spirit, it turns out, has a Collins in it.
The Collins Family Names
The Collins template was given a roster of first names — John for whiskey, Pedro for rum, Pierre for brandy, Mike for Irish whiskey. The convention is a piece of old bartending humour, and the Pedro Collins is its rum entry.
Rum Choice
A light, dry rum keeps the drink crisp and lets the lemon stay in front. A richer aged rum can be used, but it pushes the Pedro Collins toward a tall Daiquiri — pleasant enough, though no longer quite a Collins.
Lengthen It Your Way
As with every Collins, the soda is the variable. A short pour gives a sharper, more spirituous drink; a long one gives something close to rum lemonade. Build it tall, and let the ice and soda do the rest.
The Tom Collins Family
The classic — gin, lemon, sugar, and soda, served long and fizzy over ice.
- 2 ozGin
- 1 ozFresh lemon juice
- 1/2 ozSimple syrup
The Collins built on bourbon — tall, fizzy, with a whiskey backbone.
- 2 ozBourbon
- 1 ozLemon juice
- 1/2 ozSimple syrup
The Collins at its most neutral — vodka for the gin, letting the lemon lead.
- 2 ozVodka
- 1 ozLemon juice
- 1/2 ozSimple syrup