Foam-topped pink Clover Club in a cocktail glass with a raspberry

IBA

Clover Club – IBA

Name: Clover Club – IBA
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 1 serving
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: London dry gin — 45 ml (1 1/2 oz); Raspberry syrup — 15 ml (1/2 oz); Lemon juice (freshly squeezed) — 15 ml (1/2 oz); Egg white — 5 ml (1/6 oz)

Dry shake ∙ 5 min ∙ 22% ABV ∙

The Clover Club is a shaken gin sour made with raspberry syrup, lemon juice, and egg white, finished with a frothy pink head. Tart lemon and ripe raspberry lead, softened by a creamy egg-white foam that turns the finish silky rather than sharp — a good pre-dinner opener.

Ingredients

Servings

Garnish

Raspberry

Instructions for 1 serving

Pre-chill a glass
Dry shake (without ice) all ingredients: London dry gin 45 mlRaspberry syrup 15 mlLemon juice 15 mlEgg white 5 ml
Shake again with ice
Fine strain into the chilled cocktail glass
Garnish with raspberries

Tips

Dry shake the gin, raspberry syrup, lemon juice, and egg white first without ice for about 15 seconds to fully emulsify the protein before adding ice.
After the dry shake, add cubed ice and shake hard for another 15 seconds to properly chill and dilute, then fine-strain into the chilled cocktail glass for a smooth, tight foam.
Use freshly squeezed lemon juice rather than bottled, since the acidity is essential to stabilize the egg white foam and balance the raspberry syrup's sweetness.
Float a single raspberry on the surface of the foam as garnish rather than dropping it in, so it sits visibly on the head.

History

The Clover Club is a pre-Prohibition cocktail with a disputed, undocumented origin, tied to a Philadelphia gentlemen's club chartered in 1882. This build reflects the version formally recognized by the International Bartenders Association as one of its "Unforgettables" — the classic pre-Prohibition formula of gin, lemon juice, raspberry syrup, and egg white that became the standardized reference recipe after decades of variation across early 20th-century bar guides.