White Lady (low-calorie)
Dry shake ∙ 5 min ∙ 19.7% ABV ∙
This lower-calorie White Lady shakes London dry gin, triple sec, lemon juice, sugar-free syrup and egg white to a silky finish. A plush, cloud-like foam cushions a crisp, tart core, with a clean spirit backbone and a bright citrus-oil snap from the twist finishing it off.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake all ingredients with ice: London dry gin 45 mlTriple sec 15 mlLemon juice 25 mlSugar-free sweetener syrup 15 mlEgg white 15 ml
- Strain back into the shaker
- Dry shake (without ice)
- Fine strain into the chilled glass
- Express a lemon twist over the cocktail and use as garnish
Tips
- Shake with ice first, then strain out the ice and dry-shake the same mix — the reverse order builds a denser, more stable foam.
- Express the lemon twist directly over the drink right before serving so its oils sit on top of the foam.
- Fine-strain into the pre-chilled coupe so no egg-white clumps break the surface.
History
This version reworks the classic White Lady into a lower-calorie sour, swapping the usual sugar syrup for a sugar-free sweetener while keeping the gin, orange liqueur, lemon juice, and egg white of the original build. It is a modern bartender's adaptation rather than a drink with its own separate origin story, designed simply to cut the calorie and sugar content of the traditional recipe.
The White Lady itself is generally credited to bartender Harry MacElhone, who first mixed it in 1919 at Ciro's Club in London using crème de menthe, orange liqueur, and lemon juice, later replacing the crème de menthe with gin at Harry's New York Bar in Paris. A rival claim credits Harry Craddock of the Savoy Hotel's American Bar with creating the drink, and the gin-based version was popularized through his 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book.
FAQ
What's in a White Lady cocktail?
London dry gin, triple sec, fresh lemon juice, and egg white, double-shaken until silky and strained into a chilled glass. This version uses a sugar-free sweetener syrup in place of regular syrup, keeping the drink lower in calories while preserving the classic sour balance.
What are the ingredients of a White Lady?
Gin, triple sec, lemon juice, a sugar-free sweetener syrup, and egg white make up this White Lady, double-shaken and served up with a lemon twist.
What is the lowest calorie cocktail you can get?
Cocktail calories vary widely, but a shaken sour like this White Lady runs around 167 calories per serving, thanks to a sugar-free sweetener syrup swapped in for regular syrup. Spirit-forward drinks with no sugary mixer or liqueur, or ones cut with soda water, tend to sit lowest on the calorie scale.
What is a skinny alcoholic drink?
A skinny drink is one built to cut calories, usually by dropping sugar syrup, sweet liqueurs, or juice in favor of lower-calorie substitutes. This White Lady is one example, using a sugar-free sweetener syrup instead of regular syrup to bring it to about 167 calories per serving while keeping the classic gin-sour profile.
