It’s safe to say that we often drive our publisher, Justin Matase, to drink. But being the sport that he is, he turns the proverbial lemons into, well, in this case, a Violet Collins Cocktail: your new spring/summer cocktail perfectly refreshing as it is delicious, simple to make, and eye-catching in color.
How Did The Violet Collins Cocktail Get Its Name?
The “Collins” cocktail originated in the 1892 bartending manual Harry Johnson’s New and Improved Bartender’s Manual, or How to Mix Drinks of the Present Style, in English and German. Johnson’s “Tom Collins” called just for Old Tom gin, lemon juice, and carbonated water. The later “John Collins” was the same, but with Holland Gin. Our addition to the Collins family is the colorful, flirtatious Violet Collins; we’ve simply added créme de violette, a violet flower liqueur, to the classic Collins recipe to balance the herbaceous flavors of the gin with a graceful springtime botanical. We’ve used an orange for garnish, but there are many other ways you could decorate this cocktail. Try some edible flowers, a citrus twist, or funky glassware for presentation.

Violet Collins Cocktail
Description
A gin cocktail with a dash of purple.
Ingredients
- Ice
- 1/2 oz Crème de Violette
- 1 1/2 oz gin
- 3/4 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 oz simple syrup
- 2 oz club soda
- Blood orange slice for garnish
Instructions
- Fill a rocks glass with ice and place in the freezer while you prepare your Violet Collins cocktail.
- In a cocktail shaker, combine gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup with 1 1/2 cups of ice, and shake for approximately 15 seconds.
- Remove your glass from the freezer and pour the Crème de Violette over the ice into the chilled glass.
- Layer the gin mix over the Crème de Violette by slowly straining it into the glass.
- Top off with club soda.
- Add a slice of blood orange for garnish and enjoy a sippable cocktail with Violet Collins!
Recipe by Justin Matase
Styling by Keith Recker
Photography by Dave Bryce
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