Clover Club, a gentleman's literary and social club, Bellevue-Stratford Hotel, Philadelphia, 1882–1920s. The club met monthly for dinner and debate; the Clover Club cocktail became their signature. The recipe appears in multiple early 20th-century cocktail books. The revival is credited to Julie Reiner, who opened Clover Club bar in Brooklyn in 2008 and championed the drink's rehabilitation.
The Clover Club is the Prohibition-era gin cocktail that gets an undeserved reputation as a feminine or dated drink — gin, fresh lemon juice, raspberry syrup, and egg white, shaken into a pale pink, silky sour that is one of the most texturally beautiful cocktails in existence. Named after the Clover Club, a gentleman's association of Philadelphia lawyers, journalists, and businessmen who drank it at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel from 1882 to the 1920s, the drink was consumed by men at a men's club and has no historical gender association. Its rehabilitation is complete: Julie Reiner's Clover Club in Brooklyn (opened 2008, named for the drink) has made it one of New York's signature cocktails.
FOOD PAIRING: The Clover Club's raspberry-lemon-gin florality pairs with light, fresh, and berry-forward preparations. Provenance 1000 pairings: strawberry shortcake (berry-berry harmony with lemon's shared acidity), lemon curd tart with fresh raspberries (direct citrus-berry echo), smoked salmon with crème fraîche on blinis (the lemon-gin cuts the fat), goat cheese with raspberry coulis, and almond friands with fresh berries.
{"Fresh raspberry syrup: muddle fresh raspberries through a fine mesh strainer with 1:1 simple syrup, or simmer briefly and strain. The raspberry provides tartness and colour without the artificial quality of store-bought raspberry liqueur. Alternatively: high-quality Chambord (raspberry liqueur) at 1/2 oz provides a consistent result.","London Dry gin (2 oz): the juniper's dryness prevents the raspberry from becoming sweet. Beefeater and Tanqueray are the classics; Sipsmith is the contemporary premium choice.","Fresh lemon juice (3/4 oz): the sour backbone. The lemon-raspberry combination is one of the most natural citrus-berry harmonies in cocktail making.","Egg white (one white): dry shake for 15 seconds, wet shake for 12 seconds. The foam should be thick, white, and stable — a platform for the drink's pale pink colour.","Ratio: 2 oz gin, 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice, 3/4 oz raspberry syrup or Chambord, 1 egg white. Double-strain into a chilled coupe.","Garnish with three fresh raspberries placed on the foam, or a rose petal if available. The berries on white foam against the pale pink liquid is the drink's signature visual."}
Julie Reiner's Clover Club recipe at Clover Club Brooklyn uses Greenhook Ginsmiths American Dry gin, fresh lemon, and fresh raspberry syrup — the fresh raspberry approach is the definitive contemporary version. For service: make the raspberry syrup fresh daily (fresh raspberry muddled through strainer with simple syrup keeps 3–4 days refrigerated). The Clover Club's raspberry-lemon-gin combination also works beautifully with a rosé wine base instead of gin — a Clover Club Spritz style.
{"Using commercial raspberry syrup (artificial): the bright, synthetic flavour of artificial raspberry syrup produces a flat, cloying drink. Fresh raspberry (or Chambord) is essential.","Skipping the dry shake: without pre-emulsification, the egg white produces no foam. Always dry shake first.","Over-sweetening with too much raspberry: the Clover Club should be a gin sour with raspberry, not a raspberry cordial with gin.","Using a warm coupe: the pale pink colour and white foam are most striking against a frosted glass."}