Classic cocktail · Guided recipe

Vodka Collins

Same build as a Tom Collins with the gin taken out, which means the botanicals go with it. What's left is lemonade with a spine, and it disappears faster than 45 ml of vodka ought to.

Preparation~3 minEasyStrengthMediumabout 13% ABVMethodShaken9 guided stepsIngredients4Tall (highball) glass

Sour

In the glassVodka · 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

cocktail shaker
strainer (or a small sieve)
jigger or measuring spoon

Compare all glass types

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

Vodka45 ml
Soda water60 ml
Fresh lemon juice22 ml
Simple syrup15 ml

Start making

From bottle to glass

Method

01
Measure into the shaker
Pour 45 ml vodka into your shaker
- Vodka
02
Measure into the shaker
Add 22 ml fresh lemon juice
- Fresh lemon juice
03
Measure into the shaker
Add 15 ml simple syrup
- Simple syrup
04
Ice the shaker
Fill the shaker with ice
Why it mattersFill it right up — more ice chills faster with less watering down.
05
Seal and shake
Seal and shake hard
Why it mattersCold hands mean it’s working. Shake until the tin frosts over.
06
Ice the glass
Fill your glass with fresh ice
07
Strain cleanly
Strain into your glass
Why it mattersPour through the strainer so the spent shaker ice stays behind.
08
Top gently
Top with 60 ml soda water
- Soda water
09
Finish the drink
Finish it — add a lemon slice and a cocktail cherry

Know your drink

About the Vodka Collins

A copper mug, Espresso Martini and clear vodka highball against evening city lights.

Why the glass is tall

A Collins glass is not decoration. Packing it with cubes from the bottom up builds a column of ice that melts slowly and evenly, which is what holds a drink cold for twenty minutes without flooding it. Half-fill the same glass and the few cubes you did use surrender inside five, leaving warm, watery lemonade.

Soda deserves as much attention as the vodka does. Open a fresh small bottle rather than pouring from the two-litre that has been in the fridge door since last weekend. Carbonation is an ingredient here, and a flat one collapses the whole drink back into a diluted sour.

Common questions

Vodka Collins FAQ

How do I keep the fizz alive in a tall glass?

Three fixable culprits: warm soda, an unchilled glass, and stirring after the top-up. Build over ice, pour the soda down the side of the glass last, then give it one gentle lift with a bar spoon. Carbonation escapes into anything warm or agitated.

Is this a Collins or a Fizz?

A Collins. A Fizz comes in a smaller glass with no ice and is meant to be drunk quickly; a Collins sits over a full column of cubes and is meant to be nursed. Same ingredients, different pacing, and the ice is what separates them.

Can I use tonic water instead of soda?

You can, but drop the syrup to about 5 ml first. Tonic carries its own sugar plus quinine bitterness, and left unadjusted the drink turns cloying and slightly medicinal. What you end up with is closer to a vodka tonic with lemon in it.

How strong is it actually?

Around 10 percent by volume once the ice has done some work, so roughly a glass of wine stretched over a taller, colder serving. That is the trap. It drinks like lemonade, and two disappear in the time one Martini would take.

What ingredients are in a Vodka Collins?

A classic Vodka Collins calls for 45 ml (1.5 oz) Vodka, 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.

Is a Vodka Collins shaken or stirred?

A Vodka Collins is shaken — the rule of thumb is to shake anything with citrus juice. About 13 seconds with plenty of ice chills and dilutes it correctly.

What glass do you serve a Vodka Collins in?

Serve a Vodka Collins in a highball (tall) glass, over fresh ice cubes.

Sharpen the technique