White Lady

The modern White Lady is heavy on the citrus, gently sweet and silky in texture. The most delicious summer sip.

It's 2023! A whole new year! Crazy! Wild! And at the same time, not. I hope you all had a fantastic new year with friends, family or anyone that makes you feel happy and full of joy. I've got big and exciting plans for this year, of which a Friday cocktail still remains a part of. Today's drink - the White Lady.

The White Lady falls under the sidecare family of cocktails and is quite similar to a gin sour. Egg white is optional, but the addition gives this drink a lovely, silky texture. This drink is tangy and refreshing, perfect for sipping on a summer afternoon.

Created by the famous British bartender Harry MacElhone in London in 1919, the original recipe contained equal parts creme de menthe, triple sec and lemon juice. Come 1923, Harry was behind the bar at Harry's New York Bar in Paris and swapped the creme de menthe out in favour of gin. The history of this drink is fuzzy; at some point he reverts back to creme de menthe, but changes the ratios and swaps lemon juce for brandy. All while keeping the White Lady name.

In 1930, Harry Craddock publishes the White Lady in the Savoy Cocktail Book and it's back to the gin, triple sec and lemon juice variation. It's hard to keep up! This is similar to the modern version we drink today. Egg white was added in later on and remains as an optional ingredient for this cocktail. I love to add it. I think it gives wonderful texture to the drink.

Watch the video here. If you make this one, tag me on Instagram or TikTok. I love to see it!

White Lady

The modern White Lady is heavy on the citrus, gently sweet and silky in texture. The most delicious summer sip.

Print Pin Rate

Course: Cocktails

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 1 drink

Author: Andrea

Ingredients

• 45 mL gin
• 22.5 mL triple sec
• 22.5 mL lemon juice
• 10 mL rich sugar syrup 2:1 ratio sugar to water
• 15 mL egg white optional
• Lemon oil from zest

Instructions

• Add gin, triple sec, lemon juice and sugar syrup into the base of a cocktail shaker.
• Dry shake first to emulsify (be careful, the shaker can pop open!) and then add ice and shake to chill, about 10-15 seconds.
• Double strain into a chilled coupe glass. Finish with a spritz of lemon oil.

Notes

• Leave out the egg white if you'd prefer, or replace with aquafaba.

Looking for more drinks inspiration? Check out my Pickle Martini or Kir Royale.