Clover Club Cocktail Recipe

WRITTEN BY: SCOTT VAN DORT

The Clover Club is a classic Gin cocktail that dates back to the late 19th century and one of the personal favorites of Ricardo ‘Rico’ Dynan, Bartender and Absolut Global Ambassador.

Sweet, sour, and bursting with flavors reminiscent of homemade Raspberry Jam. The Clover Club blends the herbal notes of Gin with the bright tang of Lemon Juice. Its incredibly creamy, cloud-like top and delightful mouthfeel make the drinking experience feel exceptionally luxurious. 

One sip of the Clover Club and it may just be your new favorite drink.

How To Make a Clover Club

What You’ll Need

• Paring Knife 
• Citrus Elbow (or Citrus Press)
• Jigger or Measuring Instrument 
• Boston Shaker
• Hawthorne Strainer
• Fine Mesh Strainer
• Coupe Glass
• Small Bowl (for the Egg Whites)

How to Mix

1. Crack an Egg and separate the Egg Whites from the Yolk into a small Bowl and set aside for later.
   Pro tip! Place a Hawthorne Strainer over a Bowl, crack the Egg over the Strainer, and shake it to filter the Egg White.
2. Cut a Lemon in half and use a Citrus Elbow to extract the juice into a Jigger, then pour the Lemon Juice into the smaller tin of your Boston Shaker.
3. Measure and pour Raspberry Syrup into the Shaker, followed by Beefeater Gin.
4. Measure and pour the Egg White into the Shaker.
5. Fill the Shaker with Ice Cubes and shake until chilled.
6. Separate the Shaker and place a Hawthorne Strainer over the larger tin of your shaker. 
7. Hold the Hawthorne Strainer in place and pour the mixture through a Fine Mesh Strainer into the smaller tin of your Shaker to strain out the Ice. Discard the Ice.
8. Reassemble the Shaker and shake again, this time without Ice.
9. Pour the cocktail directly into a Coupe Glass.
10. Garnish with three Raspberries on a Cocktail Stick and place it across one side of your glass. Sip and enjoy!

The History of the Clover Club

The Clover Club, ironically named after a gentleman’s club, belongs to the ‘Ladies’ family of cocktails, which includes the Perfect Lady and the White Lady.

As Rico mentions in the video, this cocktail allegedly dates back to 1882, though its first printed mention appeared around 1908 or 1909.

The Clover Club is essentially the same as the Clover Leaf cocktail, sparking debate over which came first. Regardless, the Clover Club is a pre-Prohibition classic. Its popularity took a nosedive in the 1930s when a popular U.S. magazine labeled it one of the worst drinks of the decade.

However, with the cocktail renaissance of the 2000s, the Clover Club experienced a much-deserved revival. In 2008, a Brooklyn bar played a pivotal role in revitalizing the drink and even revamping it by incorporating Dry Vermouth into the recipe to balance the sweetness.

Tips for Making the Perfect Clover Club

• Make your own Raspberry Syrup
  When I told Rico I was going to make a Clover Club over the weekend, he gave me a great tip on making my own Raspberry Syrup, which works for any fruit.

  Coat Fresh Raspberries in Superfine Sugar in an airtight container overnight. The sugar will magically pull the liquid from the fruit through a process called maceration, turning it into an intensely flavored syrup. Rico suggested a 1:1 ratio, just like with Simple Syrup. Since my punnet of Raspberries was 125 g (4.5 oz), I added 125 gm (4.5 oz) of Sugar.

  Once the berries have formed a syrup, get a fine mesh sieve and, using the back of a spoon, press the berries and syrup mixture to extract as much liquid as possible into an airtight jar.
  
  Considering it was winter when I made this, Raspberries were not cheap, but making this Syrup really made the Raspberries go a lot further.

• Sweeten to your liking
  You can adjust the sweetness of your drink by reducing or increasing the Raspberry Syrup to your liking.

• Add Egg Whites last
  When adding the ingredients to your Boston Shaker, always add the Egg Whites last. Since citrus ‘cooks’ Egg Whites, you should only add them after the Lemon Juice to prevent the Egg Whites from turning into, well, scrambled eggs.

• Reverse dry shake
  The reverse dry shake is great for any drink with Egg Whites, and will give your drink an amazing frothy and velvety texture. The reverse dry shake technique involves first shaking the cocktail with Ice Cubes, then straining out the Ice Cubes. Next, shake again, only this time without the Ice. Believe me, it’ll make a huge difference to the foaminess of your drink.

Variations of a Clover Club

• With Dry Vermouth
  In the 2000s, the Clover Club enjoyed a resurgence and was even given a twist by adding Dry Vermouth to balance its sweetness. Nowadays, it’s quite common to find the Clover Club made with the same ingredients as the recipe on this page, but with the addition of 15 ml (0.50 oz) of Dry Vermouth for an extra layer of complexity. See for yourself which version you prefer.

• With Raspberry Vodka
  As you’ll see in the video, Rico makes a version of the Clover Club using Absolut Raspberri instead of Gin and uses Aquafaba instead of Egg Whites. What is Aquafaba? Check out this article.

  Rico dubs it the Absolut Raspberri Club. We call it absolutely delicious. Absolut Raspberri brings full-bodied flavors that are reminiscent of homemade Raspberry Coulis, with a long-lingering aftertaste that works perfectly in this version of a Clover Club.

• Royal Clover Club
  Similar to the Clover Club (and Clover Leaf), the Royal Clover Club substitutes Grenadine for Raspberry Syrup, bringing an added layer of sweetness and the fruity essence of Pomegranate Juice. Discover our recipe for the Royal Clover Club.

Serving and Garnish Ideas for a Clover Club

We recommend serving the Clover Club in a Coupe Glass and garnishing with three Fresh Raspberries on a Cocktail Stick placed across one of the sides of the Glass.