The White Lady cocktail recipe
The lovely White Lady cocktail, sometimes called “Delilah” is as beautiful as it sounds. Invented by Harry MacElhone in 1919, while working in Ciro’s Club in London. The cocktail originally featured creme de menthe, triple sec, and lemon juice, but it didn’t last more than a decade, because MacElhone changed the recipe in 1929 when he was already working in his own bar – “Harry’s New York Bar” in Paris. The recipe we know today calls for gin, orange liqueur, lemon juice, and egg white, and it definitely is an improvement compared to the original. The combination of the botanical gin and the tart citrus flavor from the orange liqueur and lemon is just perfect, and the egg white gives that smooth white texture to the drink. A gorgeous drink with amazing flavor.
On the list of IBA Official Cocktails.
Warning: Consuming raw eggs possesses a minor risk of food poisoning.
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ Ounce (45 ml) of gin.
- 1 Ounce (30 ml) of Cointreau.
- ½ Ounce (15 ml) of fresh lemon juice.
- 1 egg white.
- A bar spoon of simple syrup – Optional.
Preparation:
-
- In a cocktail shaker add gin, Cointreau, lemon juice, egg white, and simple syrup (if using) and perform a Dry Shake for about 15 seconds. Dry Shake is when you shake using no ice. We usually do this when using egg white.
- Add ice and shake again.
- Strain into a chilled coupe glass.
- Enjoy.
- No need for garnish. The cocktail is pretty enough as it is. However, if you insist on garnishing, an orange or a lemon twist would be appropriate.