White Lady（ホワイト・レディ）
Gin, Cointreau, lemon — the Sidecar's drier sibling, dressed in white.
01Recipe
Recommended recipe
House spec — an editorial spec drawing on the sourced versions below.
| Ingredient | Measure |
|---|---|
| Gin | 40 ml |
| Cointreau | 30 ml |
| Fresh lemon juice | 20 ml |
| Egg whiteoptional |
Total volume (pre-dilution)
2 : 1.5 : 1
- 01
Shake all ingredients hard with ice (egg white optional — it softens the edges).
- 02
Double-strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
- 03
Lemon twist, expressed.
Garnish — Lemon twist
02Taste profile
- Sweetness
- 40Moderate
- Sourness*
- 89Intense
- Bitterness
- 15Faint
- Fruitiness
- 45Moderate
- Herbal*
- 0Faint
- Alcohol
- 55Moderate
- Crisp
- 68Strong
Independent editorial scores, 0–100. *Estimated from the ingredient list — a profile sketch, not a verdict.
03History
1919 — MacElhone invents a mint version at Ciro's Club, London; 1929 — rewrites it at the Savoy's American Bar as the gin sour we drink.
It is the canonical 'lady' — same chassis as the Sidecar, spirit swapped from cognac to gin, profile gone drier and sharper.
Sources — Harry MacElhone, ABC of Mixing Cocktails · The Savoy Cocktail Book (1930)
04Recipe versions
Each version is shown exactly as recorded in its source — unverified claims are flagged.
- IBA Official Cocktails
International Bartenders Association · iba-web-current · Official
- Gin40 ml
- Triple Sec30 ml
- Lemon Juice20 ml
Pour all ingredients into cocktail shaker, shake well with ice, strain into chilled cocktail glass.
- The Savoy Cocktail Book
Harry Craddock · 1930 · Book · unverified
- ⅓ gin
- ⅓ Cointreau
- ⅓ lemon juice
Shake, strain.
Pick 2 versions to compare — up to 3 on a wider screen
05Variations
- Ingredient swapSidecarCognac instead of gin — the other sibling→
- VariationChelsea SidecarGin, triple sec, lemon — the same drink by another name
- Ingredient swapBalalaikaVodka instead of gin — cleaner, colder→
- SimilarMaiden's PrayerLemon and orange split the citrus — the softer sister→
- VariationJasmineCampari threads through — the bitter modern heir→
06The map
Spirits
People
