Cocktails › Classics › Clover Club
Clover Club
Pink, silky, and far more serious than it looks. A Clover Club takes the clean snap of a gin sour and folds in ripe raspberry, so the glass opens with juniper and soft botanicals, turns fruity and round in the middle, and finishes bright with lemon under a tall cap of foam.
Ingredients
- 2oz (60ml) gin
- 0.75oz (22ml) raspberry syrup
- 0.75oz (22ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1 egg white, or aquafaba for a plant based foam
- Plenty of fresh ice
- 3 fresh raspberries, for garnish
Method
- Chill a coupe glass in the freezer, or fill it with ice water while you work.
- Add the gin, the raspberry syrup, the lemon juice, and the egg white to a shaker with no ice.
- Shake hard for 12 to 15 seconds with no ice to build the foam.
- Add plenty of fresh ice and shake hard again for 12 to 15 seconds until the shaker is frosty and the drink is well chilled.
- Strain into the chilled coupe and let the foam settle for a moment.
- Rest the fresh raspberries on top of the foam to garnish.
Tip: The first shake with no ice is the whole trick. Foam built before the ice goes in stands taller, pours smoother, and lasts to the last sip. Use a raspberry syrup with real fruit in it, because the berries carry the middle of this drink and a thin syrup leaves the glass tasting flat.
Serve It With
Our sister site Cooking with Dade pairs it with No Bake Lemon Cheesecake.
Variations
- Fresh Raspberry Clover Club. Skip the syrup and muddle 5 or 6 fresh raspberries in the shaker with half an ounce of simple syrup instead. The fruit reads wilder and fresher, the colour runs deeper, and a fine strain keeps the seeds out of the glass.
- Clover Leaf. Add 3 or 4 fresh mint leaves to the first shake and garnish with a small mint sprig beside the raspberries. The mint lifts the fruit, cools the finish, and turns an old classic into something that tastes like spring.
Questions
What is in a Clover Club?
Gin, raspberry syrup, fresh lemon juice, and egg white. The drink is shaken first without ice to build the foam, then again with ice, strained into a chilled coupe, and garnished with fresh raspberries.
Where does the Clover Club come from?
The Clover Club comes from Philadelphia, where a group of writers and lawyers called the Clover Club met at the Bellevue Hotel in the years before Prohibition. The drink took the group name and became one of the great gin sours of its era.
How do I make raspberry syrup for a Clover Club?
Warm equal parts sugar and water until the sugar melts, take the pan off the heat, and steep a cup of fresh or frozen raspberries in the syrup for 30 minutes. Strain it, chill it, and keep it in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Can I make a Clover Club without egg white?
Yes. Aquafaba, the liquid from a can of chickpeas, foams the same way and keeps the silky cap. You can also leave the foam out entirely, and the drink stays bright and fruity, just leaner on top.
What gin works best in a Clover Club?
A classic dry gin with clear juniper and a little citrus works best, because the raspberry is soft and sweet and needs a firm botanical base to lean on. A very floral gin can turn the glass perfumed, so start with a dry style.