White Lady
Gin, orange liqueur and lemon, often with egg white. A gin Sidecar with a pale, silky finish.
- MethodShaken
- GlassCoupe
- IceNone (served up)
- Strengthabout 19.7% ABV
- BaseGin
- Tastesour, fruity
Recipe
| 45 ml 1½ oz | London dry gin |
| 22.5 ml ¾ oz | Orange liqueur (triple sec) |
| 22.5 ml ¾ oz | Fresh lemon juice |
| 1 egg white | Egg white (or 25 ml aquafaba) (optional) |
Garnish. A small lemon peel expressed over the foam, or no garnish.
Method
- Chill a coupe.
- If using egg white, shake everything without ice for 15 seconds first.
- Add ice and shake hard for 12 to 15 seconds.
- Double strain into the coupe and garnish.
About the White Lady
The White Lady is the gin member of the Sidecar family: gin, orange liqueur and lemon. It is crisp and citrusy, with the orange liqueur giving a little sweetness and perfume. Egg white, used in many British versions, softens the texture and gives it the white top that suits its name.
History
Earliest record 1930: Harry Craddock, The Savoy Cocktail Book, London (gin version)
Documented
Harry MacElhone printed a White Lady in his Harry's ABC of Mixing Cocktails in the early 1920s, but it was made with white crème de menthe, triple sec and lemon, with no gin. The gin, Cointreau and lemon version is in Harry Craddock's The Savoy Cocktail Book (London, 1930), and that form replaced the earlier one.
Legend and lore
MacElhone later said he switched his recipe to gin at Harry's New York Bar in Paris in 1929, and the Savoy credits Craddock. A story that Craddock buried a shaker of White Ladies in the walls of the Savoy's American Bar is told often but has not been confirmed.
Disputed or unclear: Who first made the gin version is disputed between MacElhone, Craddock and other London bartenders of the 1920s.
Variations
- Sidecar. Cognac in place of gin.
- Margarita. Tequila in place of gin and lime in place of lemon.
- Corpse Reviver No. 2. Adds a quinine aperitif wine and a trace of absinthe.
Bartender's notes
- Without egg white, cut the orange liqueur to 15 ml and add 7.5 ml simple syrup for a softer drink if it is too sharp.
- A high-strength triple sec gives a drier, cleaner result than a sweet, low-strength one.
