My all time favourite cocktail !
A White Lady is my favourite cocktail; cool, smooth with a surprising sharpness at the end. It was with great pleasure when I created my first with our Moorland Gin it was genuinely the best I had ever had !
But what is the secret?
To start you have to decide whether you want the egg white on top - my personal preference is without (some would call this a Gin Sidecar ... not me) but the egg white does give it a lovely smoothness.
If using egg white don't add the ice into the cocktail shaker until you have emulsified the egg white then add ice.
Keep your gin, Cointreau and fresh lemon juice in the fridge.
Which mixer?
I prefer Cointreau as some triple secs can be a bit thin if using triple sec you might need a little syrup (volume white sugar add same volume boiling water and stir then cool).
Always use fresh lemon - if you don't have it don't do it!
How to garnish?
A twist of lemon if you have added no egg white. With egg white add nothing.
Personal story
I once asked for a White Lady at a beach bar in St Lucia ... you have never seen a ladies eyebrows go up so far! She refused to make one and said only Dark Ladies were worth the trouble. Not being aware if there was one, Goldie, she was a great friend for the whole visit, and I, concocted one to our satisfaction - to be shared later.
Ingredients
25ml Moorland Gin
25ml Cointreau
25ml Fresh lemon juice
1 egg white (optional)
Note: the equal quantities make it so easy for an unknowledgeable bar tender to be instructed!
Most recipe are of the 2:1:1 variety but this isn't my preference ... if its too tart add 5ml syrup or reduce the lemon ... shocking!
Directions
Combine Moorland Gin, Cointreau, fresh lemon juice and egg white into cocktail shaker. If adding egg white don't add the ice yet. Shake until the egg white has emulsified - maybe 20 seconds.
Then add the ice and shake until cold.
Add to coupe glass (or cocktail).
If no egg white add a twist of lemon.