Clover Club
Shake ∙ Cocktail glass ∙ 3 min ∙ 20.7% ABV ∙
The Clover Club is a pre-Prohibition gin sour, shaken with lemon, raspberry, and egg white, and named for a Philadelphia gentlemen's club. Tart lemon and sweet raspberry sit over juniper gin beneath a silky egg-white foam, with a dry vermouth backbone — an elegant pre-dinner or brunch drink.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake all ingredients with ice: London dry gin 45 mlFresh raspberries 5 pcsDry vermouth 15 mlLemon juice 20 mlEgg white 10 ml
- Fine strain into the chilled glass
- Express a lemon twist over the cocktail and discard
- Garnish with a raspberry
Tips
- Dry-shake without ice first for 10 seconds to whip the egg white, then add ice and shake again to chill.
- Muddle fresh raspberries in the shaker and double-strain to catch the seeds and leave a clean foam.
- Fine-strain into a chilled cocktail glass so the head sets cleanly on top rather than breaking up.
History
The Clover Club pre-dates Prohibition and is named for the Philadelphia men's club of the same name, chartered in 1882, which met at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Center City. Recipes nearly identical to the modern drink appear as early as 1908, when J. A. Grohusko's Jack's Manual listed a "Clover Leaf" said to be popular in the city of brotherly love. Its first appearance as "The Clover Club Cocktail" came in 1910 in Raymond E. Sullivan's The Barkeeper's Manual. The drink rose quickly among the club's captains of industry, then declined sharply; by 1939 Charles Browne's The Gun Club Drink Book panned it, and it was nearly forgotten before a modern revival.
FAQ
What is in a Clover Club cocktail?
A Clover Club is made with London dry gin, lemon juice, raspberry, egg white, and a measure of dry vermouth. It is shaken and served straight up in a cocktail glass, garnished with a lemon twist and a raspberry. Some historic recipes use raspberry syrup rather than fresh berries.
Is a Clover Club shaken or stirred?
Shaken. Because it contains egg white, it needs a hard shake to emulsify and build its signature foam. Bartenders typically dry-shake without ice first, then add ice and shake again to chill and dilute before straining into a chilled cocktail glass.
Why is it called a Clover Club cocktail?
It is named for the Clover Club, a Philadelphia men's club chartered in 1882 that met at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel. Captains of industry among its members drank it, and the cocktail carried the club's name into print by 1910.
What's the difference between a Pink Lady and a Clover Club?
Both are shaken pink gin sours with egg white, but a Clover Club takes its color and flavor from raspberry, while a Pink Lady uses grenadine and often applejack. The Clover Club also includes dry vermouth, giving it a drier backbone.
How do you make Julie Reiner's Clover Club?
Julie Reiner, of the Clover Club bar in Brooklyn, builds it with gin, fresh lemon juice, dry vermouth, raspberry syrup, and egg white. Combine in a shaker, dry-shake without ice, then shake again with ice and strain into a chilled glass.
