The recipe
for your table
Shake all the ingredients without ice for 10 seconds first to create a firm foam layer.
Add ice and shake for another 15 seconds.
Double-strain into a chilled coupe.
Garnish with a raspberry on a cocktail pick across the rim.
The story
At the end of the nineteenth century, the Clover Club was a genuine 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 returned to where it belongs: among the great classics.
The right glass
The Clover Club, with its pastel pink color and white foam cap, is made for a coupe. The wide, shallow bowl shows off the color 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. Would you prefer 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 — €102.90 together, free shipping from €50.
Variations & twists
Using fresh raspberries muddled instead of syrup makes it fruitier and less sweet. The Clover Leaf—the same cocktail garnished with a mint leaf—is the official sister variation. Aquafaba works perfectly for a vegan foam layer; no one can taste the difference. Looking for more inspiration? Browse all 80 cocktail recipes.
Servingtip
Use raspberry syrup made from real raspberries or muddle four fresh raspberries in the shaker; then strain extra thoroughly. Half a bar spoon of dry vermouth makes it even more classic.
The dry shake: how to get the foam
Shaking twice is not 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 shards of ice will puncture the foam.
Without egg: the aquafaba version
For guests who would rather not drink raw egg, replace the egg white with 2 cl of 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 as well. Aquafaba needs a little more force than egg white, so feel free to give it fifteen seconds for that first round. A 400-gram can provides enough for about six cocktails; frozen in an ice cube tray, it keeps for months.
Make raspberry syrup or use fresh raspberries
The raspberry syrup determines whether this cocktail is 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 infuse for half an hour, and strain through a fine-mesh sieve. The syrup keeps for two weeks in the refrigerator. If you prefer to work with fresh fruit, muddle four raspberries in the shaker and reduce the sugar syrup to 1 cl instead of 1.5 cl. Strain extra carefully afterward, or 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 sits between them with its raspberries and 1.5 cl of 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's 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 cap 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?
First, 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 firm, creamy foam cap.
Can you make a Clover Club without egg?
Yes, replace the egg white with 2 cl of 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. Shake for ten seconds without ice first, otherwise the foam won't develop properly.
Which glass do you use for a Clover Club?
A 22 to 33 cl coupe. The wide, shallow bowl shows the transition from soft pink to a white foam cap at its 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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