Collins
Some say that the Tom Collins was named after 'Old Tom' Gin which is a sweetened gin used rarely today. There are also accounts that it was named after the creator of the drink. England, Australia and America have all laid claim.
One such claim states that after a chance meeting with an elderly gentleman at a dinner party, last name Collins, a very charming story was told about the gentleman's grandfather who was born in 1850 and at the age of 23, worked in the garment district of NYC.
To supplement his income he took a second job bartending at a tavern across the street from where he worked during the day. A place called the Whitehouse. His friends wanting something with less of a bite than straight whiskey asked him to make them something quenching. There he started pouring a 'thirst quencher' made with gin that he had concocted.What started out as a gin and tonic evolved into a drink with lemon juice. His name was Tom Collins. Supposedly this was where the Tom Collins drink originated?