Pink Lady Cocktail Recipe

This post will show you exactly how to make a Pink Lady Cocktail recipe. 

The Pink Lady cocktail is a delicious, frothy, gin and apple brandy based cocktail that was popular amongst women around the 1950’s. Although during that time it was immaturely named a “ladies” cocktail because of its light pink hue, there is a reason why it has stood the test of time.

The botanical gin and apple brandy come to life when combined with a flavorful grenadine. The fresh lemon juice and egg whites brighten up the cocktail and tie the whole thing together.

Today you will see this cocktail being enjoyed by ALL, as it always should have been. Let’s get right into it!

“Pink Lady” 

What You Will Need

Alcohol:

For one of the bases of this pink lady cocktail we will need a London dry gin! I chose to use Fords. With this gin you get notes of juniper, citrus, floral, and a bit of lavender. All of these delicate notes will go so well with the pomegranate notes coming from the grenadine. Fords is a great gin to have at your home bar. It’s great in classic cocktails, in a gin and tonic, or just on the rocks! This gin is very easily accessible and should be available at most liquor or grocery stores. I picked up my bottle at Total Wine and More!

For the other base in this pink lady cocktail we will need a Calvados, A.K.A. Apple Brandy! I chose to use Berneroy Fine Calvados. This brandy is made in Normandy, France. Since this brandy is made from apples and pears, you will distinctly get those notes. You will also get delicate notes of vanilla! This brand is smooth and great to mix cocktails with. This specific brand is very affordable as well! I picked up my bottle at Total Wine and More!

Citrus and Other Fresh Ingredients:

To brighten up this cocktail we will be using Fresh Lemon Juice! Fresh juice is always the way to go. Once you taste the difference there will be no turning back! You get that sharp flavor from the rind of the fruit, and it just elevates your cocktail every single time. Above I am using my Stainless Steel Hand Pressed Citrus Juicer! This thing has got to be one of my favorite tools I own. It makes it so easy to make individual cocktails, it has a convenient little pour spout, and it’s fun to use for little dinner parties! I highly recommend getting one for your home bar so you can start using fresh fruit as soon as possible!

Next, we will be using some delicious grenadine in this cocktail! I will be using Giffard Grenadine. I used to order this for my bar consistently for the quality and taste!!! It has notes of red fruits, raspberries, black currants, pomegranate, and vanilla. It truly tastes amazing and is a great addition to have handy in your own bar!

Also if you have any kids around this makes a MEAN shirley temple! I will admit this was a tricky brand to find. I was able to get my bottle from Reup Liquor. The bottle itself was affordable but the shipping was a little much in my opinion. Was it worth it? Most definitely..this product speaks for itself! If you are interested in checking out Reup Liquor, I will leave a link for you RIGHT HERE!

Another crucial ingredient is Egg Whites! Egg whites are an awesome way to give an extra creaminess and froth to a cocktail! You don’t need to use much. I actually use egg whites straight from a carton that have already been separated for me. You can pick up egg whites at any local grocery store, just make sure they are pasteurized.

When using egg whites in a cocktail you will use a technique called Dry Shaking before you shake again with ice. Dry shaking just means shaking a cocktail vigorously without any ice in the tin. This allows proteins in the egg whites to awaken and stretch out which results in a foamy texture. After it is strained, the foam resides on the top of your cocktail giving it a layered and professional appearance.

If you are Vegan don’t fret! There are several good options as replacements. The top two would be Aquafaba or Fee Brothers Fee Foam.

Aquafaba is the liquid that chickpeas sit in. You can buy a can of chickpeas from the store, strain out the water, and there it is! This foams up your cocktail easily and actually doesn’t have any taste that I have ever picked up on. It’s a great egg white substitute.

Fee Brothers Fee Foam comes in a bottle with a dropper. This allows you to put a couple droplets into a cocktail before shaking and voila! It also will give your cocktail the same creamy and frothy result. You can check out Fee Brothers Fee Foam RIGHT HERE!

Bar Supplies:

The main component you will need for this pink lady cocktail is a shaker. I usually use a Boston shaker when building my cocktails, but recently for guests and for filming I have been using a Glass Cobbler Shaker! I love the look of this shaker and the ease of the pour. This particular cocktail has a built in strainer! When you shake a cocktail you are diluting it and building it in volume at the same time! This is a crucial step for most drink builds. If you want to check out the glass shaker that I used you can do so right HERE!

Next up, we will need to have a Jigger on deck! A jigger is a tool that you use to measure the liquid ingredients going into your cocktail. A perfect cocktail is always balanced, delicious, and consistent! If you’re using a jigger, then you just made your life 10 times easier!

My jigger shown above ranges from 1/4th oz to 2 oz.If you want to check out one identical to mine you can do so RIGHT HERE!

I must say that when I was just a beginner in the bartending world, I used a jigger that was much more simplified. It was great and truly let me build my skills with confidence. This jigger has only one side, very clear measurement lines, and a pour spout! If you’re just beginning and want to use this jigger to learn I will link the exact one I used to use RIGHT HERE!

Lastly you will want to make sure you have a Y Peeler! We will be using this to get a lemon peel to express our cocktail! We will also use this to get a nice lemon peel for our garnish!

When you express a lemon peel over a cocktail, you are releasing all of the oils and strong aromas right on top of the drink and around the edges. This will leave a beautiful fresh smell, and have you tasting notes of lemon before you even take your first sip!

These Y Peelers are such a handy little tool to have. I like them wide set like this in order to get yourself a nice sized peel from your fruit. Just remember to be CAREFUL!! These are very sharp and I have definitely had some clumsy accidents before! (Not fun). Check out the exact one I have RIGHT HERE on Amazon!

I also must mention that you will need ICE. Lots of people have fridges with an ice dispenser which is perfect for you to use. Alas, if you do not have accessible fridge ice, AKA ME, you will have to freeze your own! As you can see in the photo above I use a silicone perfect ice cube tray. You can find an identical one that comes with a LID right HERE! I am lucky enough to have a cocktail store near me as well that  carries perfect ice in every size but that is not always the most affordable option. I would still suggest you check if any such stores exist near your location! Although a little more pricey, definitely worth it in quality!!!

I do recommend that if you are starting to create multiple cocktails at home, you should invest in your own personal Bartending Kit. Most come with everything you will need as a beginner while others provide several items for more complex creations. I will put links to both a beginners set, and a more advanced set on Amazon below!

Beginners Kit : HERE

Advanced Kit : HERE

Let’s Build!