White Lady

White lady (also known as a Delilah, or Chelsea sidecar) is a classic cocktail that is made with gin, cointreau or Triple Sec, fresh lemon juice and an optional egg white. It belongs to the sidecar family, made with gin in place of brandy. The cocktail sometimes also includes additional ingredients, for example egg white, sugar, cream, or creme de menthe. The classic concoction is most commonly served in a martini cocktail glass. When an egg white is added a champagne coupe is preferable; the silky foam clings more pleasingly to the curved glass. Origin The white lady was made in honor of Eveline Alice Wander Gorkiewicz, who helped British prisoners of war escape Turkey in the first world war. She would dress up as an old Turkish wash lady (dressed in white) and hide the prisoners in the washing trolley. The drink was named by the soldiers she rescued. The original recipe for the white lady was devised by Harry MacElhone in 1919 at Ciro's Club in London. He originally used crème de menthe, but replaced it with gin at Harry's New York Bar in Paris in 1929. According to the American Bar at the Savoy Hotel, the drink was created there by Harry Craddock.