Clover Club
Ingredients
- 4 ounces raspberries
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 ounces gin
- 3/4 ounces lemon – juiced (~0.5 medium lemons)
- 1/4 ounces dry vermouth
- 1/2 ounces raspberry syrup
- 1 large egg white
- 1 1/2 cups ice – for shaking
- lemon peel – twist (for garnish)
Instructions
1. Make raspberry syrup: Combine raspberries, granulated sugar, and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring and mashing, until the berries slump and the liquid is deeply red, 3–5 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve without pressing too hard; cool to room temperature, 15–20 minutes.
2. Chill a coupe glass in the freezer while you prepare the drink.
3. In a cocktail shaker, add gin, the lemon (juiced) to measure 0.75 oz, dry vermouth, 0.5 oz raspberry syrup, and the egg white. Seal and dry shake (no ice) vigorously until foamy, 10–15 seconds.
4. Add the ice and shake again until the shaker is very cold and the foam is thick, 12–15 seconds.
5. Double strain into the chilled coupe, catching ice shards and pulp.
6. Express the lemon peel over the surface, twist, and place on the rim or drop it in. Serve immediately.
The Clover Club is a pre-Prohibition pink gin sour with a silky cap of egg-white foam and bright, raspberry-laced acidity. It balances tart fresh lemon with the round fruit of raspberry syrup, lifted by the botanicals of gin. The texture is creamy yet light, and the finish is crisp, making it both elegant and refreshingly approachable.
Born in Philadelphia, the drink takes its name from the Clover Club—a gentlemen’s club that met at the Bellevue‑Stratford Hotel in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It appeared in early American bar manuals and later in the Savoy canon, then faded as quality syrups and fresh juices fell out of favor mid‑century. The modern cocktail revival restored its reputation, re-centering fresh ingredients and classic technique to reclaim the drink’s original charm.