Clover Club Cocktail Recipe: A Silky, Berry-Forward Classic
The Clover Club is a pre-Prohibition gin sour built on 2 oz gin, ½ oz fresh lemon juice, ½ oz raspberry syrup, and one egg white. It tastes like a creamy, tart, berry-forward cocktail with a velvety foam head, and takes about 4 minutes to make one drink.
- Basegin
- Strength22% ABV, approximate
- Methodshake
- Glasscoupe
- Difficultymedium
- Total4 min
- Serves1
- Tart
- Berry-forward
- Creamy
- Botanical
- Jigger or measuring spoons
- Cocktail shaker
- Strainer
- Bar spoon
- Fine strainer
- Coupe glass
- Contains eggs (Egg white)
The Clover Club is a pre-Prohibition gin sour that disappeared for decades and then came back harder than almost any other lost classic. Named after a Philadelphia men's club that met at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel, it's a drink people remember the moment they taste it. The egg white is the trick: it turns a straightforward gin, lemon, and raspberry combination into something silky and rich, with a foam cap that makes it feel like a dessert and a cocktail at the same time. This clover club cocktail recipe keeps the classic ratio intact. Two ounces of gin, half an ounce of lemon, half an ounce of raspberry syrup, and one egg white. The gin should be a London dry style, something with juniper backbone that won't get lost under the raspberry. The syrup matters too — use a good one, not a cheap imitation. You'll spend four minutes making this, and most of that is shaking. The payoff is a drink that looks like a pink cloud and tastes like a tart, creamy, berry-forward cocktail with a clean finish.
About the Clover Club Cocktail
The Clover Club cocktail originated at the Clover Club, a private men's club in Philadelphia that operated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its members met regularly at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel. The drink is part of the sour family. Its defining feature is the egg white, which was common in cocktails of that era. The Clover Club fell out of fashion during the mid-20th century but was revived by bartenders in the craft cocktail movement. It is often compared to the Pink Lady, a similar gin-raspberry-egg white cocktail, but the Clover Club uses lemon juice while the Pink Lady typically uses grenadine and sometimes applejack or cream.
Why it works
- 1The egg white creates a dense, silky foam when shaken properly, giving the drink a luxurious texture.
- 2Fresh lemon juice provides the necessary acidity to balance the sweetness of the raspberry syrup.
- 3A London dry gin's juniper and botanical notes stand up to the fruit without being overpowered.
- 4The dry shake (shaking without ice first) emulsifies the egg white, creating a stable foam that doesn't collapse.
- 5The balanced ratio of equal parts lemon and syrup keeps the drink tart rather than cloyingly sweet.
Ingredients
Serves 1.
2 oz London dry ginJuniper-forward gin holds its own against the raspberry.
1/2 oz Fresh lemon juice, freshly squeezedBottled juice lacks the brightness needed to balance the syrup.
1/2 oz Raspberry syrupHomemade or high-quality syrup gives a true raspberry flavour, not artificial candy.
1 Egg white, from a large eggProvides the silky foam and rich texture.
ingredients
The gin matters more than you'd think. A soft, floral gin will get bullied by the raspberry. Go for something like Beefeater or Tanqueray, a classic London dry with a solid juniper core. For the raspberry syrup, you have two good options: buy a small-batch syrup from a brand like Liber & Co, or make your own by simmering equal parts sugar, water, and fresh raspberries for about 10 minutes and straining. For the egg white, use the freshest egg you can find. Older eggs have thinner whites that make less foam. And if you're serving someone pregnant or immunocompromised, swap in aquafaba, the liquid from a can of chickpeas, which foams just as well.
You need: jigger or measuring spoons, cocktail shaker, strainer, bar spoon, fine strainer, coupe glass.
Method
Chill the coupe
Fill your coupe glass with ice or pop it in the freezer. A cold glass keeps the foam stable when you pour. While it chills, measure your ingredients into the shaker tin.
Look for: Frost forms on the outside of the glass if it's in the freezer; the ice inside sits clear and cold.
Common mistake: Skipping the chill. A warm glass melts your foam instantly and you'll have a flat, sad drink.
Add the gin, lemon juice, raspberry syrup, and egg white to your shaker tin with no ice. Seal it tightly and shake hard for 15 seconds. This is the dry shake — it emulsifies the egg white and builds the foam before any water dilutes it.
Look for: You'll feel the pressure drop in the tin as the egg white aerates. The liquid turns frothy and pale pink inside.
Common mistake: Adding ice first. If you do, the egg white won't foam properly — the cold slows the emulsification and you'll end up with a thin, watery head.
Open the shaker, add a handful of cracked ice, and shake hard for another 12-15 seconds. This chills the drink and adds the right amount of dilution. You're looking for a thoroughly cold drink — the tin should feel almost painful to hold.
Look for: The tin frosts over and you hear the ice rattle less as the liquid thickens with foam.
Common mistake: Shaking too long. Beyond 20 seconds you over-dilute and the drink goes watery, dulling the raspberry flavour.
Discard the ice from your coupe. Strain the drink through both the shaker strainer and a fine mesh strainer into the chilled glass. The double strain catches any ice shards and leaves you with a silky, uniform liquid.
Look for: A pale pink liquid with a thick, creamy foam head fills the glass. The foam should sit about half an inch above the liquid line.
Common mistake: Skipping the fine strainer. Ice shards will break the foam's surface and you'll see them floating in the drink.
The foam is the garnish here. Let it settle for a moment, then, if you have them, float three fresh raspberries on top. Serve immediately.
Look for: A bright pink, velvety foam cap with three red raspberries resting on top. The drink is still and silky, not bubbly.
Common mistake: Garnishing with a lemon twist. The citrus oil will break the foam down. Raspberries are the right call.
Tips from the bar
- 1Use a Boston shaker with a tight seal. A loose lid during the dry shake means egg white all over your counter.
- 2If you're using aquafaba instead of egg white, use 1 tablespoon — it foams just as well and skips the egg entirely.
- 3Make your own raspberry syrup. Simmer 1 cup each of sugar and water with 1 cup raspberries, then refrigerate. It keeps for two weeks.
- 4For a slightly sweeter drink, bump the syrup to ¾ oz. For a tarter one, go the other way. The classic ratio is a good starting point, not a law.
- 5Double strain into the glass even if you're confident. It's the difference between a silky cocktail and one with ice chips.
Variations
- The Pink Lady — swap the raspberry syrup for grenadine and add a splash of cream for a fruitier, richer drink.
- The Clover Club Royale — top the finished drink with a splash of champagne for a sparkling, celebratory version.
- The Vodka Clover Club — swap gin for a good vodka for a smoother, less botanical version that lets the raspberry shine.
- The Aquafaba Clover Club — replace the egg white with 1 tablespoon of aquafaba for a vegan version with the same silky texture.
Substitutions
- Aquafaba for egg white — same foam, no egg; use 1 tablespoon of chickpea water.
- Grenadine for raspberry syrup — sweeter and less tart, with a different fruit character; use a good pomegranate grenadine.
- Vodka for gin — smoother and less botanical; the drink becomes more fruit-forward.
Serving, storing, batching
Serve the Clover Club as an aperitif before dinner or at a spring brunch. Its tart, creamy character pairs well with light finger foods like smoked salmon canapés or fresh fruit tarts.
This drink is best made fresh. The foam collapses within minutes. If you want to batch it, mix the gin, lemon, and syrup together and refrigerate for up to 24 hours, but add the egg white and shake just before serving. Do not freeze — the texture will break.
To batch for a party, scale the gin, lemon, and syrup up by the number of guests and keep it in the fridge. Do not add the egg white until you're ready to shake. Per drink, add one egg white and shake dry, then wet, then strain. Expect each drink to take about 30 seconds to finish once the batch is ready.
Questions people ask
The Pink Lady typically uses grenadine instead of raspberry syrup, and often includes a splash of cream or applejack. The Clover Club sticks to gin, lemon, raspberry syrup, and egg white. The Clover Club is tarter and more botanical; the Pink Lady is sweeter and richer.
The Clover Club originated at a private men's club in Philadelphia in the late 19th century. The club met at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel, and the drink was named after it. It fell out of fashion mid-century but was revived during the craft cocktail movement.
It's tart and berry-forward with a silky, creamy texture from the egg white foam. The gin's juniper notes come through on the finish, balanced against the bright lemon and sweet raspberry. It's closer to a dessert sour than a dry martini.
Yes. Use 1 tablespoon of aquafaba, the liquid from a can of chickpeas, as a direct substitute. It produces the same silky foam without the egg. Alternatively, skip it entirely for a thinner, tarter drink, but you'll lose the signature texture.
Chambord is a black raspberry liqueur, not a syrup. It's sweeter and less tart than a raspberry syrup. You can substitute it, but you'll want to reduce the amount to ⅓ oz and possibly add a dash of simple syrup to balance the sweetness.
The classic Clover Club cocktail ingredients are 2 oz gin, ½ oz fresh lemon juice, ½ oz raspberry syrup, and one egg white. It's shaken with ice and strained into a chilled coupe glass.
The foam comes from the egg white. When shaken without ice first, a technique called a dry shake, the egg white emulsifies and traps air, creating a stable, silky foam. This was common in pre-Prohibition cocktails to add texture.
A London dry gin like Beefeater or Tanqueray works best. Its juniper-forward profile stands up to the raspberry and lemon. A softer, floral gin will get lost, and a heavily barrel-aged gin will clash with the fruit.
Simmer equal parts sugar and water with fresh raspberries for about 10 minutes, then strain. Use 1 cup each of sugar and water with 1 cup of raspberries. Store in the fridge for up to two weeks.
It leans sour. The equal parts lemon and raspberry syrup create a balanced tartness, with the egg white softening the edges. It's not a dessert drink, but it's not a dry martini either. The raspberry comes through clearly without dominating.
You can, but the drink will be noticeably worse. Fresh lemon juice has a brightness and acidity that bottled juice lacks. Bottled juice often tastes flat and slightly metallic, which will dull the raspberry and gin.
At roughly 22% ABV, the Clover Club is a moderate-strength cocktail. The egg white and syrup dilute the gin significantly. It's lighter than a martini but stronger than a spritz, so it sits in the middle of the ABV range.
Use a fresh egg white and dry shake hard for a full 15 seconds. Make sure your shaker is sealed tight. If you want an even denser foam, add a small steel ball or a cocktail whisk ball to the tin before the dry shake.
The simplest cocktail is the Gin and Tonic — two ingredients plus a garnish. But if you want something a step up that's still easy, a classic Daiquiri is just rum, lime, and sugar.
Last word
The Clover Club is a drink that earns its place in any home bar. It's tart, creamy, and berry-forward, and the foam makes it feel special without any hard technique. Once you've made it once, you'll know exactly why it's survived for over a century. Try it with a good London dry and fresh raspberries — you'll see.
