Name: Pink Lady Cocktail
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 4 ounces AppleJack liquor; 1.5 ounces gin; 1.5 ounces freshly squeezed lemon juice; 1 ounce grenadine; 2 egg whites; 2 lemon twists

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This pink lady cocktail recipe is not only a gorgeous color, but it’s delicious and perfect to sip at your next party!

The pink cocktail in a coupe and martini glass with lemon twists as garnish

This cocktail is not just for women

Just because the pink lady cocktail is pink, doesn’t mean it’s only for women. It’s not! This potent combination of applejack whiskey and gin wrapped in frothy egg whites is the proverbial iron fist in a velvet glove, with enough flavor and punch for both men and women alike.

Fascinatin’ history of Laird’s AppleJack blend

Have you tried Laird’s AppleJack blend before?

Laird’s is a family run business and has been making spirits since 1698. Prior to their first recorded sale in 1760, George Washington wrote to the family and requested the recipe so he could continue to enjoy the AppleJack that was served to the troops by one of his soldiers, Robert Laird.

Today’s AppleJack blend is lighter, with less alcohol, than what was served to George Washington. The company changed the recipe in 1972 to satisfy consumer demands. Unlike what Georgie enjoyed, it is no longer straight apple brandy but is made from a base of 35% apple brandy combined with neutral grain alcohol. This gives it a unique smoothness as well as deeper, richer flavor than other whiskeys.

Yum!

Check out the fun history of this special spirit!

I’ve wanted to use this liquor for the longest time but I wasn’t able to find it at the mom & pop liquor store I frequent. I asked for it on several occasions because I thought I was just overlooking it. But each time I was told they didn’t have it.

Perhaps my repeated questions irritated them. Or perhaps they took pity on me. In any case, I finally found it on their shelves! Yahoo!

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What makes this cocktail so thick and creamy?

The egg white.

Making cocktails with egg whites ensures you’re going to get a rich, creamy cocktail. Is there a danger using raw egg whites? There is always some danger, but if you buy the freshest eggs you can get it cuts down the time the egg could be exposed to bacteria. Also wash your hands before and after you handle them.

What is a dry shake?

When you dry shake, it means you don’t initially add ice to the shaker. When you make a cocktail with egg whites and sometimes cream, you want to dry shake it so the ice won’t stop the emulsification of the egg whites. The higher the temperature, the better chance of the egg whites to thicken.

Helpful tips

This starts out as a dry shaken cocktail.
When an egg white is added to a cocktail, you want to shake the ingredients without ice because it allows the egg proteins to unravel and form foam without being diluted. Here is a great article that explains adding egg whites to cocktails.
When you are doing the dry shake, hold on tightly to the lid as the pressure of the egg in the shaker could cause the liquid to drip all over the place.
After the dry shake, you add ice. This addition cools the liquid and lends a nice velvety texture to the cocktail.
For the garnish, you can either use a channeling knife to cut strips from a lemon or do what I did with this cocktail: cut two thin lemon wheels, remove the flesh from their rinds and wrap them around something to make them curl (like a chopstick).

How to mix the pink lady cocktail

Pre-step

Get a cocktail shaker and do not add ice. Also get out a coupe glass and martini glass. Cut two lemon twists out of the rind. (See helpful tips above.)

After measuring each ingredient below, add it to the cocktail shaker.

Step one

Gather the ingredients: AppleJack liquor, gin, a lemon, an egg and grenadine.

AppleJack liquor, gin, grenadine, lemon and egg on the black table

Step two

Measure 4 ounces of AppleJack liquor.

AppleJack liquor measured out with the bottle, shaker and glasses in the background

Step three

Measure 1.5 ounces gin.

Gin measured out with the bottle, glasses and shaker in the background

Step four

Measure 1 ounce of grenadine.

Grenadine measured out with the bottle, shaker and glasses in the background

Step five

Measure 1.5 ounces freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Lemon juice measured out with the lemon, shaker and glass on the table

Step six

Separate two egg whites from their yolks and add to the shaker.

Egg white in a measuring glass with the shaker in the background

Step seven

Cap the cocktail shaker and shake it for at least 15 seconds. Just a warning: shaking will cause the contents to pressurize. Make sure you hold the top tightly.

Step eight

Add a few ice cubes into the cocktail shaker and shake it for another 15 seconds.

Step nine

Strain and divide contents of the shaker between the two glasses. Place the lemon twists on the side of the glass.

Vertical view of the pink cocktail both in the coupe glass and martini glass

Let’s look at the other glass in front.

Tall martini glass in front filled with the cocktail with lemon twists as garnish

Yum!!

Other popular, vibrant cocktails

I hope you enjoyed this pink lady cocktail recipe. It’s so pretty isn’t it?

Leave me a comment to tell me what cocktail you really enjoy drinking as I’d love to know!!

And as always, may all your dishes/drinks be delish!

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