When life hands you a lemon, find someone with gin and Triple Sec, and make a White Lady!

Actually, life is great, and this only involved an *actual* lemon. Cold, refreshing, lemony … happy birthday to me!! 

The White Lady is a cousin of the Margarita and the Sidecar, with a century of history and tradition behind it. Of note, this drink is fine with or without the egg white (try it both ways!), but the egg contributes a pleasing, desserty texture to the drink. If the notion of mixing egg white in yours makes you uncomfortable, Fee Foam is also acceptable.

WHITE LADY
1½ oz London dry gin of choice
¾ oz Triple sec liqueur (40 percent abv ideally—e.g. Cointreau or Dry Curaçao)
¾ oz Lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
⅓ oz Simple syrup
1 raw egg white or ¾ oz Pasteurized egg white (optional)

Add all ingredients to a shaker and DRY SHAKE (i.e., without ice) vigorously for at least a minute to get the froth going. Add ice and shake for another 30-60 seconds to chill, then fine-strain into chilled coupe. Garnish with lemon peel; I used a channel knife to carve a thin curl of peel that wrapped beautifully around the glass.