This is my healthy, refreshing version of the classic cocktail, a Tom Collins, which is mentioned in the 1877 Bon Vivant’s Companion, by Jerry Thomas, the George Washington of American mixology. I love it for it’s simple elegance, few drinks are as refreshing on a summer afternoon.
Quick history of the Tom Collins:
A certain John Collins, a waiter at Limmer’s Old House in Hanover Square in London get’s his name attatched to a drink with lemon, sugar, soda and Holland gin. Later, someone had the bright idea to make it with Old Tom gin and switched the name accordingly. So there we have it, A Kale Tom Collins. -Cheers!
Springtime in a glass.
Ingredients:
2 oz Gin (preferably Hendrick’s)
1/2 oz each fresh squeezed Lemon, Kale and Green Apple Juice
1/4 – 1/2 oz pure Maple Syrup (depending on taste, I like 1/4 oz)
Sparkling Mineral Water
Combine the ingredients in a Collins glass 3/4 full of cracked ice. Stir briefly, then top with club soda or sparkling mineral water. Garnish with a lemon wheel with a small kale leaf poked through the middle, balance it on the top of the glass and serve with a straw or a stirring rod.