silver lady

2 oz Dry Gin (Beefeater)
1/2 oz Kümmel (Helbing)
1/4 oz Simple Syrup
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1 Egg White

Shake once without ice and once with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with lemon oil (if using a lemon peel coin, feel free to float the twist).

While reading Gin Glorious Gin, I was reminded of the Silver Bullet from the Savoy Cocktail Book which is two parts gin, one part kümmel, and one part lemon juice. The drink came up in a discussion of British royalty shaping the perspective on gin and its uses, and how Prince Philip was rather fond of the Silver Bullet besides the royal family favorite of Gin & Tonic. Since kümmel can be rather forward, I wondered how to better balance the drink, and I decided to merge it with another Savoy Cocktail Book classic, the White Lady. Actually, the 1930 recipe lacks egg white, but the 1940s recipes starting with Crosby Gaige soon included it. Using the 4:1:1 structure in the White Lady recipe I linked to (plus a touch of simple to also smooth things out), I crafted my mashup: the Silver Lady.
The Silver Lady greeted me with a lemon oil bouquet. Next, a creamy lemon sip transitioned into a juniper, caraway, and cumin swallow with lemon tartness on the finish.