White Lady Cocktail Recipe

A White Lady is essentially a Sidecar made with gin instead of brandy. What makes it different from a simple gin sour is the use of triple sec instead of sugar. The cocktail sometimes also includes additional ingredients such as egg white, sugar and cream. The classic white lady is most commonly served in a Martini glass but when an egg white is added, a champagne saucer is preferable as the silky foam clings more pleasingly to the curved glass. It is disputed who originally invented this cocktail. There are at least two different opinions. Firstly, that this cocktail was devised by Harry MacElhone in 1919 at Ciro’s Club in London. He originally used crème de menthe, but replaced it with gin at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris in 1929. The Savoy’s Harry Craddock also claims to have invented the White Lady (gin, Cointreau, fresh lemon juice). The recipe also appears in his Savoy Cocktail Book, published in 1930.Joe Gilmore, former Head Barman at The Savoy, says this was one of Laurel and Hardy’s favourite drinks.