Collins

12-16 oz

Taller and narrower than a highball, built for long drinks with a high ratio of mixer to spirit.

History

Origin

The Collins glass is named after the Tom Collins cocktail, which itself comes from a bizarre 1874 hoax called "The Great Tom Collins Hoax." People would approach a mark and say, "Tom Collins is in the bar around the corner saying terrible things about you." The mark would rush to confront the fictional Tom Collins — and bartenders, ready for the joke, started serving a gin lemonade they called a Tom Collins. The tall, narrow glass that held it took the name.

Evolution

Originally just a tall tumbler, the Collins glass became standardized in the early 20th century as a slightly taller, slightly narrower vessel than the highball. The distinction between Collins and highball glasses has blurred over the decades — many bars use them interchangeably. However, proper Collins glasses remain taller (14-16 oz vs 10-12 oz) and narrower, optimized for drinks with higher mixer ratios.

Why This Shape

The extra height over a highball serves two purposes: it accommodates more mixer (Collins drinks have a higher mixer-to-spirit ratio) and the narrower diameter preserves carbonation better. The narrow column of liquid means each sip contains a more consistent ratio of spirit to mixer, top to bottom. The straight sides also make it easier to build layered drinks.

Fun Fact

The 1874 Tom Collins Hoax was so widespread that it made newspapers across America. The New York Times covered it. Bartenders were so delighted by the free marketing that they ensured the cocktail outlived the joke by centuries.