Skip to content
Spirlix
All cocktails Pink Lady

Log in to see whether your bar can pour this

Pink Lady

Aperitivo/aperitif · Citrusy · Classic/vintage

4.2 92 ratings

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz Gin
1/2 oz Applejack brandy
3/4 oz Lemon juice
5/12 oz Sugar syrup 'rich' (2:1)
1/6 oz Grenadine syrup
1/2 oz Egg white (pasteurised)

How to make

Serve in a coupe glass

Prepare

  1. 1 Select and pre-chill a COUPE GLASS.
  2. 2 Prepare garnish of Luxardo Maraschino Cherry.

Method

  1. 3 SHAKE all ingredients with ice and strain back into shaker.
  2. 4 DRY SHAKE (without ice).
  3. 5 FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.

Garnish

  1. 6 Garnish with maraschino cherry.

Flavour profile

50.0% alc./vol. · 1.5 standard drinks · 199 calories

History

Generous gin and high-proof applejack add spirituous spice, while lemon juice sourness ensures this is neither sweet nor weak. A very tasty sour, indeed. To spare this Lady's blushes, Ted "Dr Cocktail" Haigh preferred it be referred to as "The Secret Cocktail".

Jacques Straub's 1913 Manual of Mixed Drinks contains the earliest known mention of the Pink Lady. PINK LADY COCKTAIL ½ Jigger Lime Juice. ½ Jigger Gin. ½ Jigger Apple Jack. 5 Dashes Grenadine. Shake well. Later versions, such as the one in Harry Craddock's 1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book, exclude applejack, which was difficult for UK bartenders to find, and instead add egg white for a frothy texture. The cocktail is likely named in honor of American actress Hazel Dawn (1890-1988). She starred in the 1911 Broadway musical comedy The Pink Lady by Ivan Caryll, a role that brought her fame. She later appeared in 15 feature films, consistently retaining the nickname "The Pink Lady." While the creator is not identified, the American actress and interior decorator Elsie de Wolfe (1859-1950) is sometimes credited with its creation.

Also known as The Secret Cocktail or the Pink Shimmy · Created by Jacques Straub