Classic cocktail · Guided recipe

Juan Collins

Tequila does something strange in a Collins. With no orange liqueur and no salt to frame it, the agave's raw pepper comes straight through the soda, which is either the point or the problem depending on who's holding the glass.

Preparation~2 minSuper easyStrengthMediumabout 13% ABVMethodBuilt in glass7 guided stepsIngredients4Tall (highball) glass

Highball

In the glassTequila (blanco) · Fresh lemon juice · Simple syrup · Soda water

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Make it with guidanceOne clear action at a time, with timers built in.

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What goes in

Ingredients

An empty clear highball glass with tall straight sides and a substantial base. — Serving glassHighball glass

Set up before you pour

Use a highball glass.

The tall, straight shape leaves room for plenty of ice and mixer while keeping a long drink lively.

Standard size: 350 ml11¾ oz
Ice & serve: Fill it with fresh ice cubes.
If you don’t own one: Use a Collins glass or any tall, straight-sided tumbler.

Tools to set out

jigger or measuring spoon

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Scale to your tall (highball) glassWe’ll remember this glass size.

Tequila (blanco)45 ml
Soda water60 ml
Fresh lemon juice22 ml
Simple syrup15 ml

Start making

From bottle to glass

Method

01
Ice the glass
Fill the glass with ice
02
Measure and pour
Pour 45 ml tequila
- Tequila (blanco)
03
Measure and pour
Add 22 ml fresh lemon juice
- Fresh lemon juice
04
Measure and pour
Add 15 ml simple syrup
- Simple syrup
05
Top gently
Top with 60 ml soda water
- Soda water
06
Stir around the ice
Stir gently to combine
07
Finish the drink
Finish it — add a lemon slice

Know your drink

About the Juan Collins

A salt-rimmed Margarita, coral Paloma and mezcal rocks drink on an agave terrace.

Collins, Paloma, Ranch Water

Three tall agave drinks sit very close together. Juan Collins is lemon, sugar and soda. Ranch Water is lime and mineral water with nothing sweet in it at all. Paloma is grapefruit soda and a salted rim. Same spirit, three genuinely different drinks, and the Collins is the roundest and sweetest of the set.

Name is a straight joke on Tom Collins, which was gin. John Collins took whiskey. Nobody has a real claim on inventing the tequila one, and you will find it written with lime as often as lemon. Lemon is the version that keeps it recognizably a Collins rather than a long, thin Margarita.

Common questions

Juan Collins FAQ

Does the bottle have to say 100% agave?

It should. Anything missing that line is a mixto, where up to 49 percent of the sugars come from cane rather than blue agave. A Margarita papers over that with orange liqueur and salt. Here you have lemon and bubbles and nowhere at all to hide.

Is this a Margarita in a tall glass?

No, and the differences stack up. Lemon rather than lime, sugar syrup rather than orange liqueur, and 60 ml of soda on top. What you get is longer and much drier, closer to a lemonade with agave underneath it than to a proper sour.

Can I use agave syrup instead of sugar syrup?

Yes, and it doubles down on the spirit. Agave nectar is sweeter than simple syrup, so pour about 10 ml instead of 15, and thin it with a splash of water first or it will sit at the bottom of the glass in a lump.

No highball glass. What else works?

Anything tall and narrow, around 300 ml. A pint glass is fine, a wide tumbler is not, because it gives the soda too much surface and the drink goes flat quickly. Whatever you use, fill it to the rim with ice rather than halfway.

What ingredients are in a Juan Collins?

A classic Juan Collins calls for 45 ml (1.5 oz) Tequila, 22 ml (0.75 oz) Fresh lemon juice, 15 ml (0.5 oz) Simple syrup, 60 ml (2 oz) Soda water. That single-serve spec scales cleanly — the recipe above converts it to oz and multiplies it for 2–4 drinks.

How strong is a Juan Collins?

A standard Juan Collins is roughly 13% ABV once mixed (before ice melt softens it further). That makes it about as strong as a glass of wine.

Is a Juan Collins shaken or stirred?

A Juan Collins is built directly in the glass over ice — no shaker required. Add the ingredients in order and give it a brief, gentle stir.

Sharpen the technique