The White Lady cocktail is a classic cocktail, the invention of bartender Harry MacElhone in 1919 during his tenure at Ciro’s Club in London.
White Lady Cocktail – Photo © Cocktails & Bars
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The White Lady cocktail we know today didn’t start as a gin cocktail with orange liqueur and lemon juice with optional egg white. Created by bartender Harry MacElhone in 1919 during his tenure at Ciro’s Club in London, the concoction was comprised of crème de menthe as documented in the early 1920s in Harry’s ABC of Mixing Cocktails by Harry MacElhone.
1/6 Brandy, 1/6 Crème de Menthe, 2/3 Cointreau.
Shake well and strain.
Several years later in 1929, MacElhone changed his creation while working at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris, favouring gin in lieu of crème de menthe.
The White Lady cocktail appears in the 1930 edition of Harry Craddock’s The Savoy Cocktail Book as follows:
1/4 Lemon Juice.
1/4 Cointreau.
1/2 Dry Gin.
Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.
In The Complete Home Bartender’s Guide (2012), Salvatore Calabrese specifies equal parts.
1oz/3cl gin
1oz/3cl Cointreau
1oz/3cl fresh lemon juice
Pour all ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake. Strain into a cocktail glass.
The use of egg white is a more recent addition, attributed to Peter Dorelli, former Head Bartender at the American Bar of the Savoy Hotel.
The ratio of gin is increased in Mr. Boston Official Bartender’s Guide and there is still no mention of egg white in the cocktail.
1 1/2 oz. gin
3/4 oz. triple sec
1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice
Shake with ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass.
The PDT Cocktail Book by Jim Meehan Chris Gall (2011) which references Harry McEllhone, ABC of Mixing Cocktails 1929 adds a little simple syrup.
2 oz. Beefeater Gin
.75 oz. Cointreau
.75 oz. Lemon Juice
.25 oz. Simple Syrup
Dry-shake, then shake with ice and strain into a chilled egg coupe.
No garnish.
The recipe below balances the gin with the sharpness of citrus elements with the richness and smooth texture from the addition of egg white or aquafaba.
White Lady Cocktail Recipe
Ingredients
- 50ml gin
- 20ml Cointreau
- 20ml lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 egg white or aquafaba
Glassware: coupette
Garnish: none
Method
Add gin, Cointreau, lemon juice and egg white (or aquafaba) to a cocktail shaker and shake without ice. Add ice cubes and shake until chilled. Strain into a chilled coupette.
