History

Harry MacElhone invented the original White Lady recipe in 1919 while working in London at Ciro's Club. There he mixed a rather unusual cocktail containing creme de menthe, triple sec and freshly squeezed lemon juice. For unknown reasons, the recipe changed drastically just ten years later to the one we know today. It wasn't because of a world war, Prohibition, or hard-to-find products: it's simply because MacElhone changed his creation in 1929, when he was working at his own bar, Harry's New York Bar in Paris. Although only one element of the recipe was changed, the resulting cocktail is significantly different. Instead of creme de menthe, he used gin, and this results in a cocktail that is drier and has a much nicer balance.

How to make a White Lady cocktail

Cool your cocktail glass. Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker, fill up with ice and shake the cocktail. The cocktail is then fine strained into your chilled cocktail glass. Garnish the cocktail with lemon zest and serve. Cheers!