Showing Some Love to The Pink Lady
Mixology
Recipes
We all know that Valentine’s Day is about love, and during a holiday meant to celebrate affection and togetherness, of course no one wants to be left out. So, in that spirit, Blue Plate Mixologist, shows some love to a lesser-known and forgotten cocktail: The Pink Lady. This is the first in a series of posts where we’ll show love to a bygone beverage or bar technique.
The Pink Lady
This pink, frothy concoction might look light and demure, but it secretly packs a punch. Made with gin, applejack, lemon, grenadine, and egg white, this cocktail was popular during the boozy pre-Prohibition days. The exact birthplace of the Pink Lady is unknown and the original recipe has been hotly debated. But by the 1920s, the recipe as we know it was canon, mostly due to the fact that the grenadine served to mask the poor taste and quality of the bathtub gin that was available during that time.
During the 1930s and ‘40s, the Pink Lady began to fall out of favor with men, due to the color and glassware. By the 1950s, it was firmly known as a “woman’s drink,” after female celebrities such as Jayne Mansfield claimed the Pink Lady as their favorite cocktail. And of course, like most pre-Prohibition classics, it had fallen completely out of favor and off the radar by the last quarter of the 20th century. But thanks to the cocktail revival of the last decade, the Pink Lady has been quietly dusted off and is slowly returning to her rightful place in the world of craft cocktails.
The Pink Lady is a slightly sweet, perfectly balanced cocktail that’s easy to make at home. Try it this Valentine’s Day whether you’re curled up with your favorite book or your favorite person—either way it will keep you warm.
The Pink Lady
1.5 oz gin
0.5 oz applejack brandy
0.5 oz fresh lemon juice
1 egg white
2-3 dashes grenadine
Vigorously shake all ingredients without ice in order to create a good egg white froth. Add a few pieces of ice, shake again. Strain into your favorite stemmed cocktail glass, allow head to form at top of glass. Enjoy!
For more Blue Plate Mixology inspiration and photos, take a look at our PartySlate album. Let us know if you’d like to add specialty beverages to your next event.