The title of this Libation article is kind of funny. We had a friend working at Resurrection Hospital by the name of Tom Collins if you can believe that. Resurrecting the drink that's named after him is almost a crusade of ours to say the least.

We told you how bartenders have almost killed a venerable drink in the Manhattan, but Tom Collins has suffered an even bigger misfortune.

The problem with both drinks is that bartenders tend to take shortcuts when mixing these classics. It seems to us the next drink that will suffer the ignominy of the Manhattan and the Collins is the Margarita. Thankfully there are enough bubble headed bimbos drinking the Margarita to keep it alive, but us connoisseurs have to be careful. Tom Collins hasn't had that luxury unfortunately.

Like the Margarita, the Tom Collins has fallen victim of the prepared mixes. There are enough Tom Collins mixes to hang somebody with. But why? How hard is it to squeeze the juice out of a lemon?? Do we really need a pre-made mix to make a Tom Collins. A bartender at a busy bar probably does, but his mixes are the commercially prepared variety and not homemade.

The ironic thing about Tom Collins is that it is every bit as refreshing a summer drink as the aforementioned Margarita. All you need is a lemon, some bar syrup, soda water (or any sparkling water) and some gin and a tall glass..

Garnish with an orange slice and a cherry and you have the PERFECT summer drink. Why screw it up using a mix?

See our Tom Collins recipe and make one up right now!