The White Lady

Friday, August 12, 2011

In a world of complicated cocktails and smart phones, it's nice to stumble on something so wonderfully simple. John and I were discussing the perfect proportions for this cocktail and he couldn't believe it was a three-ingredient libation (plus that pesky egg white)! Nearly any liquor cabinet has the ingredients for this cocktail and you can shake this up at the end of a busy week, but you can just as easily serve it to guests and impress them with your cocktail savvy!


White Lady

1 1/2 oz of gin
1 oz of Cointreau
3/4 oz of freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 egg white

Combine all ingredients and shake without ice for 10-15 seconds. Add ice and shake for 5-10 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
 

Notes: There's debate about this cocktail's provenance–both Harry MacElhone of Harry's New York Bar in Paris and Harry Craddock, author of The Savoy Cocktail Book both claim to be its creator–but this cocktail is simply a Sidecar made with gin instead of brandy.

I'd probably pluck the Plymouth gin from our liquor cabinet when shaking up this cocktail, and use the inexpensive orange curaçao instead of picking up a bottle of Cointreau. Triple sec works, too. And if you're feeling squeamish, don't be embarrassed to omit the egg white. Cheers, darlings!


Photo by 7x7SF.

19 comments:

  1. Am I completely backwards if I have never had a drink with an egg white in it? Would love to try it! Happy weekend! xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm reading The Help (finally) so the title took me by surprise! It sounds yummy. I'm going to hit your archives for a drink for our island trip next weekend. I'm thinking the El Diablo...

    Happy Weekend Lena!

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a fabulous way to kick off the weekend - cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  4. oo I love it! sooooo ... cocktail hour with my white gloves.. very ncie.. very swank.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I need a yummy cocktail to kick off the weekend :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. WHY the egg white? What would that even add to the taste? I would have to omit that for sure, but the rest sounds tasty!

    ReplyDelete
  7. That egg white is scarring me off a bit.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm super excited that we have all of these ingredients at home!

    ReplyDelete
  9. girl we are both on the lemon train today. pour one out and let's get to cheersing!

    xo,
    c

    ReplyDelete
  10. Ah it looks fancy and yummy. I'd feel sophisticated drinking that for sure! :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. An egg white? That's crazy! Although, it's what makes it so pretty!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I was making faces at the egg white and then I got to your comment about omitting it if it makes you squeamish and it made me laugh! Totally read my mind, though I am up to give it a try!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hmm, as usual... I'd drink this if you put it in front of me, but I don't know that I'd make it. The egg white freaks me out a little.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Ooh, this looks about my speed. And we happen to have Plymouth on hand! Delightful.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Sounds like this definitely worth a try...egg white & all!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I'm chicken when it comes to egg-white (no pun intended), but if you can get really honestly fresh eggs from a farmer's market (or your fiance's parents' back yard if you're really lucky),give it a try. I'm pretty sure it's the industrial chicken farms that have caused such problems with salmonella. Sure enough to bet the contents of my stomach on it anyway.

    ReplyDelete

 

A Crimson Kiss – Timeless Events and Classic Cocktails by Ana Degenaar : Blogger