Meet your new favorite gin martini, The Pink Lady! She is an old time cocktail and is like a girly version of a Gin Fizz. It is delicious, simple, and perfect for ladies night in.
This classic cocktail is made with gin, pasteurized egg white, grenadine, and lemon juice. It originated in the early 20th century and was also known as a Pink Shimmy. It may have become popular to cover the poor taste of the bad quality gin during prohibition. The result was a delicious drink, and the good news is now that we have good gin, it’s even better!
Pink Lady Ingredients
This simple cocktail has ingredients you may already have in your bar cart! Here is a little bit more on what we will be using to shake up a Pink Lady cocktail.
- Good-quality gin: See more on choosing a gin below.
- Pasteurized egg white: Be sure to use a pasteurized egg for food safety purposes.
- Grenadine: A pomegranate-flavored bar syrup also used in the classic Dirty Shirley, this adds flavor and the pink color to the cocktail.
- Lemon juice: Freshly squeezed lemon juice is always best for cocktails, so grab some fresh lemons.
How to Make a Pink Lady Drink
This easy cocktail only has four ingredients and comes together with a good shake. For the full recipe and measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker of ice.
- Shake vigorously.
- Strain into a coupe glass or martini glass. Enjoy!
Choosing a Quality Gin
When choosing a bottle of gin, there is a wide price range. We have broken down for you the best bottle of gin at each price point.
- Top-shelf gin: At the highest price point, our pick is Sipsmith London Dry Gin.
- Mid-level gin: A good middle-of-the-road gin is Bombay Sapphire or Tanqueray.
- Budget-friendly gin: If your budget is tight, you’ll enjoy Gordon’s gin.
How to Make the Pink Lady Sweeter
This recipe typically does not call for any sweeteners. We have added a little bit of simple syrup to cut the bitterness of the lemon juice. You might want to consider making it without simple syrup and deciding if you think it needs some added sweetness. Stir just a 1/4 teaspoon into the cocktail to start.
Shake Vigorously
Because we are adding a pasteurized egg, you really need to shake this drink. If you don’t shake it enough you risk ending up with clumps of egg white in your drink. No one wants that.
When we give this a vigorous shake in the cocktail shaker, you will end up with a beautiful, frothy drink.
How to Serve
Serve your Pink Lady drinks right away for the freshest flavor. Strain into a coupe glass or martini glass. Garnish with a cherry for a fun and flavorful addition.
Variations
While this drink is perfectly delicious as written, if you have some apple brandy in your liquor cabinet, add 1/2 an ounce for a fun extra punch of flavor.
Other Gin Cocktails
If you make this Pink Lady drink, leave us a comment and let us know!
Pink Lady
Ingredients
- 2 ounces gin
read our thoughts on gin above - 1 pasturized egg white
- 2 to 3 dashes grenadine (1/4 teaspoon)
- 1/2 ounce lemon juice (1 tablespoon)
- 1/2 ounce simple syrup
(1 tablespoon) optional, see note about sweetness in the post</a>
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
- Shake the cocktail shaker vigorously.
- Using a cocktail strainer, strain into a coupe glass or a martini glass.
Bonnie says
Oh my, I’d had this drink years ago and loved it, but never knew how to make it. Was so glad to see it and now I can have it whenever I want, which will be a lot. So pretty to look at ingredients not complicated. Thanks for posting this