The White Lady is a classic cocktail that was created by Harry MacElhone in 1919 while he was working at Ciro’s Bar in London, England. His original recipe called for crème de menthe instead of gin before he swapped them out about a decade later after he’d opened his own establishment, Harry’s New York Bar in Paris, France. The altered cocktail now made with gin, citrus, and egg white eventually became a favorite of Errol Flynn, Laurel & Hardy, and other Hollywood stars, and it also earned a mention in several novels.
Add gin, triple sec, lemon juice, and egg white to a shaker.
Fill shaker with cubed ice.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Using tongs, remove ice from shaker.
Dry shake for 5-10 more seconds to emulsify egg.
Using a Hawthorne strainer, strain into a coupe glass.