The collins glass is an essential member of your barware collection. Every time I look at the collins glass, it reminds me of my first go-to drink, the Tom Collins. You might be thinking how old is this woman, wasn’t the Tom Collins popular in the 1940s through the 1960s? The answer to that question is “yes”! But I grew up in rural Wisconsin and the cocktail culture never diminished (even with the onslaught of wine bars in the 1970s that prominently featured ferns). There was a great Irish bar in Fond du Lac called Irish’s Bar (very literal) that made a killer Tom Collins (which is funny that it took me almost two more decades to embrace gin) that quickly became my go-to drink.
The collins glass is a tall, thin glass that generally holds between 10 and 14 ounces. However, they do come in smaller and larger sizes. The Collins glass can be clear or frosted.
When using the collins glass, fill the glass almost full, leaving an ounce or two at the top to avoid spillage. In addition to serving the famous Collins brothers (Tom, John, Ivan), the Collins is a great glass to use for serving sours, juice based drinks, Bloody Mary’s, soft drinks and water. It’s often the go to glass for Mocktails. The other great thing about the collins glass is that its tall, slender shape is deceiving and people often think that they are drinking more than they actually are.
