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It’s no secret that Romain has fallen in love with the Rosemary Gimlet. He’s featured in Drinking French sipping the drink. But I’ve been trying to shake things up, so to speak, and get him to branch out to similar cocktails. And the White Lady is a good one, especially if rosemary isn’t available. But it’s an equally bracing gin and citrus cocktail, that’s easy to make, and drink.

The not-so-secret ingredient is Cointreau, a clear triple sec that gives the drink its shimmering clarity. The lemon juice blurs things up a bit, but is a tangy contrast to the herbaceous gin and complements the orange notes of the iconic French orange liqueur.

The White Lady cocktail

Using Cointreau, a clear triple sec, is the orange-flavored liqueur of choice to keep the cocktail white. But if you have another orange liqueur, feel free to use that. (Realizing the color of the cocktail may vary.)
Servings 1 cocktail
  • 1 1/2 ounces gin
  • 3/4 ounce Cointreau, (or another orange-flavored liqueur, see headnote)
  • 3/4 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • lemon twist, for garnish
  • Add the gin, Cointreau, and lemon juice to a cocktail shaker. Fill two-thirds with ice, cover, and shake vigorously until well-chilled, about 15 seconds.
  • Strain into a chilled coupe glass and garnish with a lemon twist.

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23 comments

    • angela billows

    Here you say you can use another orange liqueur and having bought a bottle of triple sec I’m wondering if I can substitute it for Cointreau in all the recipes in the book, or whether I should go out and buy a bottle of Cointreau as well for when you specifically saying to use it. (I’m trying not to have too many half used bottles sitting around).

      • angela

      (Sorry that left before I had a chance to check it)

    • TxLaurieLou

    This sounds pretty good to me. I love citrus. I’ve got Paula’s Texas Orange so am using that for triple sec. Will be watching IG Live

    • Antonia Hyde

    I love both rosemary and basil gimlets. This last one my favorite drink last summer. This lady sounds lovely only it would be in the treat category because as you know, Cointreau is extremely expensive in the US. Way more so than passable gin.

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      Yes, it’s not inexpensive in the U.S. but it is available in half-bottles. The Pierre Ferrand Triple Sec I mentioned is about one-third less in price in the U.S. and is very good, so that would work as well.

    • Debraellen

    Making this tonight! Thanks so much for the daily Instagram lives! Love watching you and Romain! Got my copy of your book this weekend for Motherโ€™s Day!

    • Dimitri

    So, a lemon drop that uses gin and no sugar? Sounds great! (But I may have to modify with some simple syrup)

    • Anne

    I really enjoyed the Apero hour! I totally get you might want to take a break but hope they appear every now and then. Go enjoy Paris!

    • Carol-Ann

    May I also suggest the French liqueur Beauchant? I prefer it to Cointreau because it isn’t quite as viscous. I also use it in Margaritas.

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      You could use that for sure, although it’s cognac-based so like the Ferrand Triple Sec (or Grand Marnier) the color of the drink will be darker as it’s not clear. But if you have that on hand, you could def. use it.

    • Monica

    I love gin. Never thought to pair it with orange liqueur! Great drink! Thanks for the recipe!

      • David Lewis

      Tanqueray have a Seville orange flavoured gin in Europe. It’s slightly sweet, 41.3% ABV, and good on the rocks or even with tonic.

      They also do one with lime infusion.

    • Adriana

    Oh my! Got sidelined by the Rosemary Gimlet. It was exquisite! Thank you, Romain for the recommendation!

    • Christian

    So a Margharita with gin for tequila.

    • Vala

    Too easy to drink this one Ohlala

    • Margaret

    Weโ€™ve been making this for years but imho this recipe calls for way too much lemon juice. We use much less, maybe a half a teaspoon. Otherwise, great drink.

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      You could certainly use less lemon juice. The original recipe in The Savoy Cocktail Cocktail Book calls for “1/2 dry gin, 1/4 Cointreau, 1/4 Lemon Juice” but it’s adaptable to taste.

      • Nanci Courtney

      Lovely to have a bowl of cherries as my first image of June! Thank you so much!!

    • Cindy Williamson

    David, made your rhubarb infused gin that Deb has on her blog now but I did it sous vide – 150/2 hours and it was fantastic with a splash of champagne – no need to wait a month!

    • serafinadellarosa

    I’ve been drinking White Ladies for years during the summer. It’s a great drink! Thanks for giving it such a nice write up!

    • Christina

    Is dry curaรงao an acceptable substitute for Cointreau, or are they too different? Thanks!

    • Jennifer

    I mixed this up tonight and found it was just the thing to end a sunny Tuesday in Brooklyn. I’ve been enjoying your Instagram live apรฉro videos so much! Thanks for all the inspiration.

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      Happy you like the cocktail and the videos! :)

A

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