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John Collins recipe
The whiskey Collins — bourbon, lemon and sugar, topped with soda.
A John Collins is 45 ml (42.3 g) Bourbon, 30 ml (30.9 g) Fresh Lemon Juice, 15 ml (16.7 g) Simple Syrup and 60 ml (60 g) Soda Water, built and served in a highball glass. It pours to about 150 ml before ice, at roughly 12% ABV. Weighing the ingredients instead of measuring them is what keeps the balance identical from one round to the next.
- Glasshighball glass
- Methodbuilt
- Pour volume150 ml
- Strength (est.)12% ABV
- Time3 min
John Collins ingredients — in millilitres and grams
Grams are what the PourPilot coaster actually targets. They are not the same as the millilitres: a spirit is lighter than water, a syrup is heavier, so 30 ml of one is never 30 g. The right-hand column is the density we use, in grams per millilitre.
| Ingredient | Volume | Weight | g/ml | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bourbon | 45 ml | 42.3 g | 0.94 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Fresh Lemon Juice | 30 ml | 30.9 g | 1.03 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Simple Syrup | 15 ml | 16.7 g | 1.11 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Soda Water | 60 ml | 60 g | 1.00 | Top with soda |
How to make a John Collins
- Set your highball glass on the scale (or on the PourPilot coaster) and zero it. Every measurement below is given in millilitres and in grams, so you can use either.
- Fill the highball glass with fresh ice.
- Build Bourbon, Fresh Lemon Juice and Simple Syrup straight into the glass, weighing each pour.
- Top with Soda Water and stir once, gently, from the bottom up.
John Collins: the questions people actually ask
How strong is a John Collins?
Roughly 12% ABV as poured, before the ice dilutes it — typically another 15–25% water by the time you finish stirring or shaking. Medium strength. About the same as a fortified wine, poured short.
What glass should a John Collins be served in?
A highball glass. Fill it with fresh ice, not the ice you mixed with.
Can I make a John Collins without a jigger?
Yes — that is what the gram column is for. Put the glass or tin on a kitchen scale, zero it, and pour to the weight. It is more accurate than a jigger because nothing is left clinging to the inside of the measure. The PourPilot coaster does the same thing without you having to watch a display: it lights up as you approach the target and tells you when to stop.
If you like the John Collins
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Mint Julep
Bourbon and sugar over crushed ice with a mint bouquet.
New York Sour
A whiskey sour crowned with a float of red wine.
Old Fashioned
The original cocktail. Whiskey, sugar, bitters.
Paper Plane
Sam Ross's equal-parts modern classic. Sour, bitter, boozy.
Boulevardier
Bourbon instead of gin. The Negroni's brooding American cousin.