The history of the Clover Club Cocktail recipe is somewhat unexpected. This pretty pink cocktail was originally the go-to drink for a group of gentlemen who regularly gathered at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia around the turn of the 20th Century. In fact, it was named after their crew, which was called the ‘Clover Club’. Its popularity waxed and waned over the years, and these days it’s popular with cocktail lovers from all walks of life. Tangy, frothy, bright pink, and pretty as a picture, it is an excellent option for gin lovers who want to expand their drinks repertoire.
Clover Club Cocktail
PREP TIME 5 min
QUICK TIPS
INSTRUCTIONS
01
1.
Add the gin, lemon juice, raspberry syrup, and egg white to a shaker without ice, and shake well
02
2.
Add ice, and shake again, until frosty
03
3.
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass
04
4.
Garnish with 3 raspberries speared on a cocktail pick
05
5.
Serve
The Clover Club drink can seem daunting for newbie cocktail drinkers because of the ‘raw egg white’ bit of the recipe. This is also one of the reasons why this rather delightful cocktail is often passed up on cocktail menus at restaurants and bars. So, what to do if you are keen on shaking it up at home, but don’t quite feel comfortable about the raw egg? Here are a few options:
Pasteurized egg whites
Packaged or bottled pasteurized egg whites are quite widely available these days, since many folks enjoy the convenience of having it on hand when they are baking in their home or commercial kitchens. This can be a good way to go if your main concern about the egg is the potential for salmonella (VERY unlikely if you are using a fresh, organic egg and rinse the shell with warm water beforehand BTW), or splitting the white from the yolk.
High-protein fruits
If you want to mimic the effects of the egg white to create that perfect foam crown while steering clear of egg white altogether, high-protein fruit like pineapple or passion fruit could be your answer. The addition of the fruit will naturally change the flavor profile of the drink, but you will get that lovely creamy mouthfeel that the Clover Club Cocktail is known for.
High-quality honey
Honey can also help you to achieve a nice fluffy foam crown on a drink without the use of egg white. However, you will need to adapt the Clover Club recipe quite a bit to make it work, so if you are happy to put your own spin on it give it a go. Dry shake the ingredients without ice, then refine it with the addition of high-quality honey before straining it into a glass and topping it off with Champagne. When executed to perfection, the result should be a thick, stable foam.
Make your own raspberry syrup
If you really want to push out the boat on your Clover Club Cocktail prep, making your own raspberry syrup at home is a great way to go. The freshly-made syrup does require a bit of effort, but that flavor of fresh raspberries it adds to the drink is very hard to top.
Here is what you will need:
Ingredients
- 2 cups of fresh or frozen raspberries
- 8 oz water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
Method
- Simmer the raspberries in the water in a small saucepan until the water and berries are the same color (around 5-10 minutes)
- Strain the juice through a fine-mesh strainer while pressing the berries to extract their juice
- While the liquid is still hot, add the sugar and stir to dissolve
- Let the syrup cool before bottling it or pouring it into a jar
- Store in the fridge for up to three weeks
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The Clover Club Cocktail is a fantastic all-rounder drink that suits just about any occasion. It has been called one of the best wedding cocktails and is also likely to make an appearance when you’re planning a bachelorette party.
The Clover Club Cocktail comes in at 20.53% alc./vol, which makes it 41.6% proof.
The Clover Club Cocktail had its origins at the bar of the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia around 1900. It has a long history of ongoing popularity that remains firmly in place to this day.
The Clover Club Cocktail tastes as delicious as it looks—like raspberry ice cream that has been infused with a kiss of gin, yet not too sweet. Simply dreamy!
The Clover Club Cocktail is one of the various popular drinks that features raw egg white as an ingredient. Others include the Golden Fizz, Round Robin, and Tom & Jerry cocktails.
If you do not have an allergy to egg whites, raw egg white is completely safe to use in a cocktail. We recommend using organic eggs from a sustainable source, and to ensure that the egg is nice and fresh.
