Classic Cocktails: The White Lady

Every once in a while I come across a cocktail recipe that seems to be lacking in one way or another and more often than not requires little more than a bit more research. At times a drink may lack complexity, others may be out of balance. When a drink comes across with a dominant flavour it may be the way the drink was designed however occasionally it needs a little something extra. I recently had this experience with The White Lady.

The first recipe I came across for this cocktail seemed simple enough; a blend of gin, lemon juice and simple syrup with the option of an egg white. This cocktail seemed like it was a simple gin sour by any other name. After trying it I found a strong lemon flavour that while balanced with the simple syrup appeared at first glance to be lacking. After a little more research I came across several variations that included triple sec, or some other orange liqueur. After my first sip I knew I had found the missing link.

The White Lady was first crafted by Harry MacElhone in 1919. Originally the choice was made to use creme de minthe as the base spirit. That was misguided as it more than likely threw the cocktail into a sugar rush, however, when he moved to Harry’s New York Bar in Paris in 1929 the choice to swap the creme de minthe to gin was made. A year later in 1930 Harry Craddock printed this recipe in his book The Savoy Cocktail Club Book. While there is no guarantee of exactly how cocktails come to life, this is one story that seems to make sense.

Recipe

Ingredients:

2 oz. gin

.5 oz. lemon juice

.5 oz. triple sec

1 egg white

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients, other than the egg white, with ice in a shaker tin.
2. Place egg white in a separate shaker tin, or sealed container, shake vigorously for 30 seconds.
3. Add shaken egg white to liquor mixture, shake for 20 seconds or until thoroughly chilled.
4. Pour into martini glass or other glassware and serve.

At first glance, and first impressions this drink did not wow me. The White Lady seemed to lack the complexity I have come to expect from sours and daisies. The missing triple sec had been there all along, I just needed to do a little more homework to find it. As is often the case with foods and drinks that are “okay” they often need a little tweaking to turn them into exactly what you are looking for. It is understandable that most people will not put the same level of effort into their cocktails as myself however if you are willing to assess a drink, and figure out what you do not like it has the possibility of transforming the drink with one minor shift of ingredients.

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