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White Lady
A simple, silky and delicious gin-laced classic with a sour finish. My White Lady recipe is authentic to the proportions in Harry Craddock's 1930 recipe...
Stephen Broughall
8th August at 00:27
Agree with all the previous commentators. I am wondering how the Lady would do as a pitcher full for a summer cocktail party? Must try it…
13th June at 21:37
A fine cocktail and one I mix often.
22nd March at 15:16
What a wonderful classic. I went scannt on the lemon as the local versions frequently overpower, but regretted it as the drying quality is essential here. A brilliant concoction.
13th November 2024 at 00:11
White, pink, or even blue - The Lady is a winner.
22nd May 2024 at 20:06
Had only grand marnier in the house. Liked it a lot though! Fresh and smooth and I’m really just a big fan of gin. This is a wonderful combination.
19th March 2024 at 19:57
Crisp, clean, and silky smooth. One of the few places that actually wants Cointreau over a curacao.
22nd December 2023 at 09:50
This drink is requested by my partner regularly and made to spec as above - sometimes a little less rich syrup though.
And so today I made a 2x brew for us but ran out of lemon at 30-35ml so completed the 45 ml with 10-15ml of freshly squeezed lime. The result - I will definitely will do this again- the expressed lemon zest and rub gave the sweet fragrance and the little bit of lime brought a sharpness to the lemon. It's now my go-to formula. Cor Blimey it's a limey white lady.
And so today I made a 2x brew for us but ran out of lemon at 30-35ml so completed the 45 ml with 10-15ml of freshly squeezed lime. The result - I will definitely will do this again- the expressed lemon zest and rub gave the sweet fragrance and the little bit of lime brought a sharpness to the lemon. It's now my go-to formula. Cor Blimey it's a limey white lady.
8th March 2024 at 23:45
That's really funny - I just did the exact same thing - running out of fresh lemon and adding a bit of fresh lime. It makes a more compelling cocktail!
23rd February 2023 at 12:28
Hi Simon - Just for your interest. The earliest 'egg white' version of the White Lady that I've found was in the 1938 Cocktails as served in the Cafe-Bar Martinique (NYC). I'm still looking for an older reference and if you know of one (or if anyone does) please let me know: 1 egg white, juice of 1/2 lemon, 1 tsp sugar, 1/2 jigger Gin, 1 dash Cointreau
13th July 2022 at 05:05
Maybe it was they wrote it, but my palate agrees with that anonymous downvoted commenter - I couldn’t finish this before the acidity began burning. Tried topping with soda water which helped for half the remainder, but still had to quit...not for me!
28th May 2023 at 20:29
@Jesse M I made it with aquafaba, but I felt it was really nice. It was balanced, with tiny wisps of orange, nice lemon sourness (not pure tartness) and of course, the botanicals of the gin (the citrus parts of the gin felt more highlighted). I even got a decent (if still weaker) foam with the egg white.
13th July 2022 at 05:31
Maybe there’s something about the egg white that helps with balance? I made it eggless using aquafaba...
9th March 2022 at 06:44
FWIW, I went almost to the recipe because I had a good sized martini glass to fill. 1.75oz Gin, 1oz homemade triple sec, 1 oz lemon, and the rest as advertised.
This is the cocktail for the mall rat GenXer. I've been there. For me this was the adult, lemon version of the mall Orange Julius stand. The taste and the texture are right there.
This is the cocktail for the mall rat GenXer. I've been there. For me this was the adult, lemon version of the mall Orange Julius stand. The taste and the texture are right there.
25th January 2022 at 02:52
Two words I'd use to describe this cocktail: "tangy" and "silky" and I think they complement each other very well.
6th December 2021 at 02:09
I’m not sure if I’m making a Maiden’s Prayer without the OJ or a White Lady with added bitters - whatever you call it I love it.
I use a sweet triple sec, forgo the syrup and add three drops of bitters. My go to when having company. Everyone loves it.
I have yet to try it with egg white.
I use a sweet triple sec, forgo the syrup and add three drops of bitters. My go to when having company. Everyone loves it.
I have yet to try it with egg white.
Anonymous
5th October 2021 at 02:18
Terrible! I love strong, citrus forward cocktails, but this is ridiculous. I added more gin and simple until finally, I diluted with a ton of water.
1st October 2021 at 22:30
Delicous and well balanced. I think this is easily onto my favourites. Thanks for instructions too on dry shaking second - it definitely seems to make a better foam than the other way around.
Do you have any opinions on shelf-stable egg white alternatives like Ms Better's Bitters Miraculous Foamer? I'm not against egg white. I think they make every cocktail using them much better, but I'd prefer to avoid wasting most of an egg when I make these as a once off.
Do you have any opinions on shelf-stable egg white alternatives like Ms Better's Bitters Miraculous Foamer? I'm not against egg white. I think they make every cocktail using them much better, but I'd prefer to avoid wasting most of an egg when I make these as a once off.
2nd October 2021 at 13:07
I personally don't like foamers as they don't deliver the mouthfeel of egg white and most I've sampled have an unpleasant flavour. I use 220ml bottles of pasteurised egg white - search "Bulk" in the search above to view. This lasts a few days in the fridge once opened, is very convenient to use and foams brilliantly.
18th August 2021 at 16:57
I have to agree with some of the others here in that I prefer mine sans egg white and syrup; proportioned correctly the triple sec is enough to round it out a delightfully citrusy drink all by itself while also helping the botanicals of the gin come more to the forefront.
5th June 2021 at 15:43
Very rarely use egg white and when I do I remember why not. I definitely lean to the Japanese persuasion for this drink.
Anonymous
18th April 2021 at 11:13
I tried this and found it very agreeable indeed, although I halved the amount of sugar syrup and found it pleasingly tart. Definitely one to try again. I do wonder if some kind of aromatic addition might be beneficial.
9th April 2021 at 03:07
My apologies, Simon, for my delay in testing the two recipes side-by-side and reporting back. My only semi-plausible excuse is I’ve been enjoying so many other cocktails I’ve discovered on your site that I forgot my White Lady mission. In any event, after comparing by sipping back and forth, both of us find your recipe a bit more interesting, balanced, and delicious. By the way, I’ve swapped out sugar syrup for my trusty Velvet Falernum (in both) and find it adds some additional complexity.
9th April 2021 at 06:45
Great news Andrew and many thanks for the feedback. I'm such a fan of Falernum that you'll soon see a Difford's Falernum on the market.
27th March 2021 at 20:44
Kind of a lemon meringue pie cocktail. Which is good, of course.
5th December 2020 at 21:53
Perfection.
1st November 2020 at 21:43
We came across this when researching the ‘Kinross Special’ that Noel Coward drank in the film ‘In which we serve’. If Noel had managed to get lemons on the black market I’m sure he’d have preferred this and would have given good protection from scurvy to boot.
15th October 2020 at 16:21
One of my favourites! I've recently starting experimenting with this one, replacing the Cointreau with Grand Marnier, the syrup with orgeat and dusting the froth with some nutmeg. I really like where it’s heading, although I haven’t yet nailed the balance, as the orgeat quickly becomes too prevalent, but is also what makes this riff worthwhile. Would love your expert take on this if you ever get around to it Simon :-)
6th December 2020 at 08:37
Simon, splitting the syrup 50/50 might do just the trick for me. Hadn’t even thought of that. Thanks!
5th December 2020 at 21:02
Hi Alexander. Just been experimenting and I think it’s going to lead to me adding a “Grand White Lady” to the site. However, I’m not sure the orgeat works harmoniously with the other trio and if included needs to be split 50/50 with sugar syrup. With Grand Marnier and without the orgeat then reminiscent of a Red Lion.
11th July 2020 at 22:48
A drink with memories, as it's the first drink Ueno-san prepared for me during my first visit to his first Bar High Five location in Ginza. I recently asked for his recipe. His is 3-1 rather than 2-1, so less Cointreau and less lemon juice, no syrup and, as you mentioned, no egg white. Plays up the gin a bit more and it's a great drink. Next time, I will follow yours (sans egg white, so not as lovely as yours) and do a side by side. Thank you for this incredible website, by the way!
12th July 2020 at 08:31
Many thanks for your kind words. I'm keen to hear the result of the comparison.