The Clover Club recipe
for your table
First, shake all the ingredients for 10 seconds without ice to create a firm layer of foam.
Add ice and shake for another 15 seconds.
Double-strain into a chilled coupe.
Garnish with a raspberry on a cocktail pick balanced over the rim.
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The story
In the late nineteenth century, the Clover Club was a bona fide gentlemen's club of lawyers, writers, and businessmen who gathered at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia. Their house cocktail, gin with raspberry, lemon, and egg white, became so famous that it outlived the club. After Prohibition, it faded into obscurity and was dismissed as 'too pink', until bartender Julie Reiner restored its reputation in 2008 with her Brooklyn bar Clover Club. Since then, it has once again taken its rightful place: among the great classics.
The right glass
With its pastel pink colour and white foam cap, the Clover Club is made for a coupe. The wide, shallow bowl displays the colour gradient at its best and leaves room for the garnish. A size of 22 to 33 cl works perfectly. Choose clear crystal glass without decoration; with this cocktail, the contents are the decoration. If you want a smaller stemmed glass that is less likely to spill, take a look at our Nick & Nora glasses.
Nude Glass Savage Champagne Glass / Coupe 22 cl (6 pieces)
RCR Aria Champagne Glass / Coupe 33 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 108,90.
The right tools
For a Clover Club, in addition to the glass, you use a Boston shaker, a jigger for precise measuring, a cocktail strainer, a fine strainer for double straining and a citrus squeezer. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find them all in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glassware set (our choice 01) + 5 bar tools together € 133,70.
What do you make a Clover Club with?
For a Clover Club, you need the right base. On each drink page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it goes with and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
Muddling fresh raspberries instead of using syrup makes it fruitier and less sweet. The Clover Leaf, the same cocktail with a mint leaf as a garnish, is the official sister variation. Aquafaba works perfectly for a vegan foam layer; no one can taste the difference. Looking for more inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Serving tip
Use raspberry syrup made from real raspberries or muddle four fresh raspberries in the shaker; then strain extra well. Half a barspoon of dry vermouth makes it even more classic.
Good to know
The dry shake: how to get the foam
Shaking twice isn't an extra step here but the heart of the recipe. Do the first round for ten seconds without ice: this gives the egg white time to absorb air bubbles without immediately cooling down. Only then add the ice and shake for another fifteen seconds to chill and dilute. If you skip the first round, you'll get a thin layer of coarse bubbles that collapses within a minute. Double straining is the final requirement, because ice shards will pierce the foam.
Without egg: the aquafaba version
For guests who would rather not drink raw egg, replace the egg white with 2 cl aquafaba, the unsalted liquid from a can of chickpeas. The proteins in it foam almost identically, and you won't taste it in a cocktail with raspberries and lemon. Shake without ice first this time too. Aquafaba needs a little more force than egg white, so give that first round a full fifteen seconds. A 400-gram can provides enough for about six cocktails; frozen in an ice cube tray, it keeps for months.
Making raspberry syrup or using fresh raspberries
The raspberry syrup determines whether this cocktail turns out fruity or merely sweet. Making it yourself takes ten minutes: heat 200 grams of raspberries with 200 grams of sugar and a splash of water until the fruit breaks down, let it steep for half an hour, and strain through a fine sieve. The syrup keeps for two weeks in the refrigerator. If you prefer to use fresh ingredients, muddle four raspberries in the shaker and reduce the sugar syrup to 1 cl instead of 1.5 cl. Then strain extra carefully, otherwise the seeds will end up in the glass.
Clover Club, Clover Leaf, or Pink Lady
These three are related and are often confused. The Clover Leaf is exactly the same cocktail with a mint leaf on the foam; the mint mainly changes the aroma, not the taste. The Pink Lady replaces the raspberry syrup with grenadine and sometimes a splash of applejack, making it sweeter and less fruity. The Clover Club falls between them with its raspberries and 1.5 cl lemon juice: soft in texture, but with enough acidity to remain dry. If you're unsure, start with the original and only add mint afterward.
Frequently asked questions
What is in a Clover Club?
A Clover Club consists of 4.5 cl gin, 1.5 cl fresh lemon juice, 1.5 cl raspberry syrup, and one egg white, garnished with a fresh raspberry. The egg white creates the velvety foam that gives the cocktail its character, while the raspberry syrup makes it soft pink without making it sweet.
Why do you shake a Clover Club twice?
The first time, shake for ten seconds without ice so the egg white can foam. Then add ice and shake for another fifteen seconds to chill and dilute. That dry shake is the difference between a thin layer of bubbles and a thick, creamy foam.
Can you make a Clover Club without egg?
Yes, replace the egg white with 2 cl aquafaba, the liquid from a can of chickpeas. It foams just as well, is completely plant-based, and you won't taste it at all. Even then, shake for ten seconds without ice first, otherwise the foam layer won't form properly.
Which glass do you use for a Clover Club?
A coupe glass holding 22 to 33 cl. The wide, shallow bowl shows the transition from soft pink to white foam the best and leaves room for the raspberry on the rim. Choose undecorated crystal, because here the contents are the decoration: see our champagne coupe glasses.
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