Review:

A generous measure of gin and high-proof applejack provide spirituous spice which, along with lemon juice sourness, ensures that this cocktail is neither sweet nor weak. Indeed, this is a very tasty sour. So tasty, that to spare this Lady's blushes, our friend Ted "Dr Cocktail" Haigh would prefer you refer to it as "The Secret Cocktail".

Variant:

With the addition of half a shot apple brandy.

History:

The first known reference to the Pink Lady is in Jacques Straub's 1913 Manual of Mixed Drinks.

PINK LADY COCKTAIL
½ Jigger Lime Juice.
½ Jigger Gin.
½ Jigger Apple Jack.
5 Dashes Grenadine.
Shake well.

Jacques Straub, 1913

Later recipes, such as the one in Harry Craddock's 1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book, omit the hard-to-obtain applejack (at least for UK bartenders) and in its place, add egg white to produce an all-round fluffy affair.

The cocktail is probably named in honour of the American actress Hazel Dawn (1890-1988), who played the lead role in the 1911 Broadway hit musical comedy The Pink Lady by Ivan Caryll. She rose to fame playing this role and subsequently appeared in 15 feature films, but always retained The Pink Lady nickname.

The cocktail's creator is not recorded, but sometimes it is attributed to the American actress and interior decorator Elsie de Wolfe (1859-1950).

Nutrition:

One serving of Pink Lady contains 199 calories