Rum Collins
Serves 1 · 5 minutes · Collins glass
Last updated 1 November 2026
A Rum Collins lengthens a lemon-and-rum sour with measured soda, served tall over fresh ice. This Difford’s version adds rich syrup and aromatic bitters; the existing still rum sour remains on the cocktails guide.
Ingredients
- — 60ml aged Caribbean blended rum (40% ABV assumed)
- — 22.5ml fresh lemon juice
- — 15ml rich sugar syrup (2:1)
- — 1ml Angostura bitters (44.7% ABV assumed; house measure for one dash)
- — 60ml chilled soda water
- — Ice cubes
- — Lemon wheel and cherry, optional garnish
Method
- Measure rum, lemon, rich syrup and bitters into a shaker; keep soda aside.
- Add ice, seal and shake for 10–15 seconds until cold.
- Strain into a Collins glass filled with fresh ice. Add 60ml chilled soda and stir gently once to combine.
- Add the optional lemon and cherry garnish and serve while sparkling. Never shake sealed carbonated ingredients.
The classic vs the spiced version
The liquid measures follow Difford’s Rum Collins, with one dash made explicit as 1ml. Replace the 60ml aged rum with 60ml Dilay for a labelled spiced Collins. This is a sparkling highball, not a new page for the existing still rum sour.
Tips for getting it right
- — Soda goes in after shaking, preserving carbonation and avoiding pressure in the shaker.
- — Use rich 2:1 syrup; 15ml of simple 1:1 syrup has a different balance.
- — The 60ml rum measure contains 2.4 units at 40%, before the bitters. A tall glass does not make it a low-alcohol drink.
Related serves
Related recipe: Rum Fizz
For the still version: the existing Rum Sour
Frequently asked questions
Can I shake the soda?
No. Shake only the still ingredients, then add chilled soda after straining and stir gently.
How does it differ from a rum sour?
It is lengthened with 60ml soda and served over ice in a tall glass. The existing sour has its own still, shaken method in the cocktails guide.
Dilay 1949 is our own spiced rum, for sipping as well as mixing. Any substitution described above is a maker’s adaptation, not part of the credited specification.
BUY DILAY 1949 PANJABI SPICED RUMRecipe references
Our method and spiced adaptations are described separately from the referenced classic specifications.
Approx. 2.44 UK units per serving from the measured alcoholic ingredients. Where a source gives US fluid ounces, our rounded conversion uses 30ml per ounce. Stated strengths are calculation assumptions, not verified specifications for every bottle. Bitters use an explicit house measure of 1ml per dash, not a universal dash conversion. Check all labels; dilution does not remove alcohol.
Please drink responsibly. 18+. Visit drinkaware.co.uk for the facts.