Pink lady (cocktail)
Encyclopedia
The Pink Lady is a classic gin-based
cocktail
with a long history. Its pink color is due to adding grenadine
.
The exact ingredients for the pink lady vary, but all variations have the use of gin, grenadine and egg white in common. In its most basic form the pink lady consists of just these three ingredients. According to the Royal Cafe Cocktail Book of 1937 you take a glass a of gin, a tablespoon of grenadine and the white of one egg, shake them and strain the result into a glass.
Often lemon juice is added to the basic form as well and in that case the Pink Lady is identical to another cocktail called Clover Club
. Some authors argue that the "real" or "original" pink lady differs from the Clover Club by adding applejack
to mix, which provides the Pink Lady with its own distinct flavour.
Another creamier version of the Pink Lady that has been around at least since the 1920s adds sweet cream to the basic form. In New Orleans this version was also known as Pink Shimmy. In some recipes the cream is not added to the basic form but simply replaces the egg white and sometimes lemon juice is added as well.
Usually the ingredients for any of the versions are shaken over ice and after straining it into a glass the cocktail might be garnished with a cherry.
The exact origin of the Pink Lady is not known for sure. Occasionally its invention is attributed to the interior architect and prominent society figure Elsie de Wolfe
(1865-1950), but the recipe associated with her nevertheless clearly differs from the common recipes for the Pink Lady. The name of the cocktail itself is sometimes said to be taken from the 1911 Broadway musical
by Ivan Caryll
of the same name. During the prohibition era
(1920-1933) the cocktail was already known. During this time it was a popular drink at the Southern Yacht Club
in New Orleans, where it was offered under the Pink Shimmy as well. Its recipe was due to Armond Schroeder an assistant manger of club. The popularity of the Pink Lady might partially be explained by the often bad quality of pure Gin during the prohibition era. Due to that there was a need to add additional flavours to compensate for the Gin's bad taste.
Latest in the 1930s the Pink Lady started to acquire the image of a typical "female" or "girly" drink. This was due to its name and its sweet creamy flavour usually associated with a woman's taste in publication like the Esquire's
Handbook for Hosts (1949). It is said of the Hollywood star and sex symbol Jane Mansfield, that she used to drink a Pink Lady before a meal. Subsequently the cocktail fell out of favour with male cocktail critics, who were put off by its alleged "female" nature. The writer and bartender Jack Townsend speculated in his 1951 The Bartender's Book that very non-threatening appearance of the Pink Lady may have appealed to women who did not have much experience with alcohol. At one point the Pink Lady ended up on Esquire's list of the ten worst cocktails.
Gin
Gin is a spirit which derives its predominant flavour from juniper berries . Although several different styles of gin have existed since its origins, it is broadly differentiated into two basic legal categories...
cocktail
Cocktail
A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink that contains two or more ingredients—at least one of the ingredients must be a spirit.Cocktails were originally a mixture of spirits, sugar, water, and bitters. The word has come to mean almost any mixed drink that contains alcohol...
with a long history. Its pink color is due to adding grenadine
Grenadine
Grenadine is traditionally a red syrup. It is used as an ingredient in cocktails, both for its flavor and to give a reddish/pink tinge to mixed drinks. "Grenadines" are also made by mixing the syrup with cold water in a glass or pitcher, sometimes with ice....
.
The exact ingredients for the pink lady vary, but all variations have the use of gin, grenadine and egg white in common. In its most basic form the pink lady consists of just these three ingredients. According to the Royal Cafe Cocktail Book of 1937 you take a glass a of gin, a tablespoon of grenadine and the white of one egg, shake them and strain the result into a glass.
Often lemon juice is added to the basic form as well and in that case the Pink Lady is identical to another cocktail called Clover Club
Clover Club Cocktail
The Clover Club Cocktail is a cocktail consisting of Gin, Lemon Juice, Raspberry Syrup , and an Egg white. The Egg white is not added for the purpose of giving the drink flavor, but rather acts as an emulsifier...
. Some authors argue that the "real" or "original" pink lady differs from the Clover Club by adding applejack
Applejack (beverage)
Applejack is a strong alcoholic beverage produced from apples, popular in the American colonial period.Applejack was historically made by concentrating hard cider, either by the traditional method of freeze distillation or by true evaporative distillation. The term applejack derives from jacking, a...
to mix, which provides the Pink Lady with its own distinct flavour.
Another creamier version of the Pink Lady that has been around at least since the 1920s adds sweet cream to the basic form. In New Orleans this version was also known as Pink Shimmy. In some recipes the cream is not added to the basic form but simply replaces the egg white and sometimes lemon juice is added as well.
Usually the ingredients for any of the versions are shaken over ice and after straining it into a glass the cocktail might be garnished with a cherry.
The exact origin of the Pink Lady is not known for sure. Occasionally its invention is attributed to the interior architect and prominent society figure Elsie de Wolfe
Elsie de Wolfe
]Elsie de Wolfe was an American actress, interior decorator, nominal author of the influential 1913 book The House in Good Taste, and a prominent figure in New York, Paris, and London society...
(1865-1950), but the recipe associated with her nevertheless clearly differs from the common recipes for the Pink Lady. The name of the cocktail itself is sometimes said to be taken from the 1911 Broadway musical
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
by Ivan Caryll
Ivan Caryll
Félix Marie Henri Tilkin , better known by his pen name Ivan Caryll, was a Belgian composer of operettas and Edwardian musical comedies in the English language...
of the same name. During the prohibition era
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
(1920-1933) the cocktail was already known. During this time it was a popular drink at the Southern Yacht Club
Southern Yacht Club
The Southern Yacht Club is located in New Orleans, Louisiana's West End neighborhood, on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain. Established in 1854, it is the third oldest yacht club in the United States.-Sailing:...
in New Orleans, where it was offered under the Pink Shimmy as well. Its recipe was due to Armond Schroeder an assistant manger of club. The popularity of the Pink Lady might partially be explained by the often bad quality of pure Gin during the prohibition era. Due to that there was a need to add additional flavours to compensate for the Gin's bad taste.
Latest in the 1930s the Pink Lady started to acquire the image of a typical "female" or "girly" drink. This was due to its name and its sweet creamy flavour usually associated with a woman's taste in publication like the Esquire's
Esquire (magazine)
Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
Handbook for Hosts (1949). It is said of the Hollywood star and sex symbol Jane Mansfield, that she used to drink a Pink Lady before a meal. Subsequently the cocktail fell out of favour with male cocktail critics, who were put off by its alleged "female" nature. The writer and bartender Jack Townsend speculated in his 1951 The Bartender's Book that very non-threatening appearance of the Pink Lady may have appealed to women who did not have much experience with alcohol. At one point the Pink Lady ended up on Esquire's list of the ten worst cocktails.