The Famous Clover Club Cocktail Recipe

This post is going to show you step by step how to make the amazing Clover Club cocktail!

The Clover Club cocktail was officially acknowledged in the early 1900’s by the New York Press. It is a cocktail showcasing gin, raspberry syrup, fresh lemon juice, and egg whites! For this recipe I will be adding dry vermouth as well. I am adding in dry vermouth because that is how the Clover Club is made at the Clover Club Bar in Brooklyn, New York. This is the recipe I will be sharing with you all!

The Clover Club battled for popularity once the Pink Lady cocktail came about in the mid 1900’s, but it was never truly lost. The fact that this cocktail still remains in high demand speaks volumes!

I personally love this light, airy, and refreshing cocktail. If you love gin, bright flavors, berries, and fresh ingredients then this is the cocktail for you! Let’s get right into it! This is the:

“Clover Club” 

What You Will Need:

Alcohol:

The gin I am going to use in this Clover Club cocktail is going to be Plymouth Gin! I love this approachable London Dry Gin. The juniper is present, but it is softened by notes of citrus, coriander, cardamon, and black pepper. This gin compliments the raspberry syrup we will be making and the fresh lemon juice! This is a great gin to have on hand at your home bar. It really is an entry level London dry gin that’s a perfect gateway into more intense flavor profiles. I picked up my bottle at Total Wine and More but you can also find it at Bevmo, Grocery Stores, and Liquor Stores!

As I mentioned before, I am following the recipe that is used at the Clover Club bar in Brooklyn. This recipe calls for the addition of Dolin Vermouth De Chambery Dry! Adding dry vermouth to this cocktail adds complex notes of citrus, floral, and herbaceous flavors. Vermouth is an aromatized and fortified wine that is flavored with different spices, herbs, and botanicals depending on the brand. Dry vermouth is less sweet and lighter in color than sweet vermouth. This delicate yet profound Dolin Vermouth enhances the fresh lemon juice, raspberry syrup, and gin that goes into this final cocktail. I got my bottle at a very affordable price from Total Wine and More! You can also find this vermouth at Bevmo, Grocery Stores, and Liquor Stores.

Citrus and Other Fresh Ingredients:

The citrus going into this cocktail is going to be Fresh Lemon Juice! At Sweet Nectar we love to juice everything fresh! It really is the easiest way to elevate a cocktail and truly enhance it! The awesome thing is that it’s actually so simple to do! The tool I am using in the photo above is my stainless steel hand-pressed citrus juicer. I absolutely love this thing. There’s an ease with the squeeze, space from multiple pieces of fruit, a pour spout, and there’s never ANY mess!!! I use this tool daily. You can check one out just like mine RIGHT HERE! I highly recommend you get one of these into your home bar stat. The results will speak for themselves!

*Tip : Fresh citrus juice usually lasts in the fridge for 5 days. Sometimes lemon and lime juice can last a little longer so be sure to label and date all of your product! I also encourage you to taste everything before mixing. *

What makes this cocktail have that creamy texture and signature foamy layer on top is Egg Whites! I usually only eat egg whites at home so I always have the Kirkland Egg Whites on deck! I get this in large quantities at Costco. Of course you may still use an actual egg to extract your egg whites, but this is what I always have on hand. When you add egg whites to a cocktail it not only gives your final product an aesthetically pleasing foam layer, but it adds a richness and creaminess to your drink. We will be Dry Shaking this cocktail. In a section below I will explain the Dry Shaking Method, what that entails, and what it produces. Some other cocktails that use egg whites are the Pisco Sour, Gin Fizz, Pink Lady, and more! If you use a full egg to extract your egg whites I recommend making sure your egg is at the proper temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit or lower.

If you are vegan, do not fret! There are some great substitutes out there for egg whites! One of the best happens to be Aquafaba. Aquafaba is the water that chick peas sit in. When you buy a can of chick peas you will always notice that they are being held in a liquid. Who knew that liquid actually contains some of the same proteins that are found in eggs?! When shaken, aquafaba emulsifies and works as a foaming agent in the same way that an egg white would. I find that it also doesn’t alter the taste of the cocktail! In fact, egg whites have a more distinct and noticeable taste than aquafaba in my opinion.

2 tablespoons of aquafaba should give you the same effect as 1 egg white.

You can keep your strained aquafaba in the fridge for up to a week! Remember to label and date whatever container you chose to store it in. Mason jars are my go too for storing aquafaba.

Word on the street is that Goya is one of the best brands out there to attain your aquafaba from. I would have to agree! You can find this brand at most grocery stores. If you cannot, don’t sweat it at all, another brand should do the job just fine!

Homemade Raspberry Syrup

One of the main ingredients that makes the Clover Club so memorable is the delicious Raspberry Syrup! Making your own raspberry syrup is simple, fun, and elevates your cocktail. You can taste the freshness from the berries as opposed to using something that is store bought. This syrup can also be used on baked goods, in coffee, on top of ice cream, you name it! The ratio’s of ingredients will be 1 part white sugar to 1/2 parts water and fresh raspberries! This syrup will stay good in the fridge for 3-4 weeks so make as small or as large of a batch as you would like!! I have chosen to make a small batch so I will be using 1 cup of white sugar, 1/2 a cup of water, and 1/2 a cup of fresh raspberries.

• In a pot on the stove add in equal parts of water and raspberries and bring the mixture to a light boil.
• As the water heats up the raspberries will start to break down. I like to use a Muddler to push down on the raspberries and twist. This helps them break down and release flavor.
• Once the water reaches a light boil add in your sugar! Bring the heat down just a bit because you do not want to burn the sugar.
• Stir mixture continuously until it starts to thicken into a syrup like consistency.
• Remove from heat and let sit for about 20-30 minutes.
• After mixture has cooled, strain into a container of choice! I like to strain this syrup through my Fine Mesh Cocktail Strainer. Push down any excess raspberry pieces with the back of a spoon to make sure you don’t miss any goodness!
• Enjoy!

Bar Supplies:

One of the first bar essentials you will need to make this classic cocktail is a shaker of choice! I absolutely love to use a Boston Shaker. This is always the shaker I have used in bars, and at home. I love the ability to make the cocktail in two separate tins, and the feel of the overall shake and strain. When you are shaking your cocktail you are diluting it, and building it in volume at the same time. There are various methods of shaking. We will actually be using one of them for this Clover Club! We will be Dry Shaking this cocktail, and I will explain what that means fully in a section below. I highly recommend having a boston shaker set in your home bar. You can check a set out just like mine RIGHT HERE!

Next up you will want to have one of the most important important tools yet. At your home bar you will definitely need a Jigger! A jigger is a device you use to measure the ingredients that will be going into your cocktail! An amazing cocktail is always balanced, consistent, and beautiful! If you have a jigger on deck you will always be in the clear. My jigger pictured above measures liquid from 1/4 oz to 2 oz! You can check one out identical to mine RIGHT HERE!

I do have to say that when I just began bartending, I used a jigger that was a little more simplified. This particular jigger had only one side, a pour spout, and very clear measuring lines. While I was learning it helped me grow my skills and get better everyday! If you want to check out the exact jigger I used and recommend for beginners I will leave it RIGHT HERE!

You most certainly will need to have a Strainer! For this Clover Club recipe we will be using a technique called Double Straining. This means that you strain the cocktail through a Hawthorne Strainer and then a Fine Mesh Cocktail Strainer simultaneously. Hawthorne strainers stop large particles from entering a finished drink, but the fine mesh cocktail strainer will catch any small pieces of pulp or tiny shards of ice. It’s helpful to stop any small shards of ice because you do not want to further dilute your cocktail while you are enjoying it. This technique really gives you a clean and professional looking final cocktail!

You can check out a fine mesh cocktail strainer like mine HERE and a hawthorne strainer like mine HERE!

I also must mention that you will need ICE. Lots of people have fridges with an ice dispenser which is perfect for you to use. Alas, if you do not have accessible fridge ice, AKA ME, you will have to freeze your own! As you can see in the photo above I use a silicone perfect ice cube tray. You can find an identical one that comes with a LID right HERE! I am lucky enough to have a cocktail store near me as well that  carries perfect ice in every size but that is not always the most affordable option. I would still suggest you check if any such stores exist near your location! Although a little more pricey, definitely worth it in quality!!!

I do recommend that if you are starting to create multiple cocktails at home, you should invest in your own personal Bartending Kit. Most come with everything you will need as a beginner while others provide several items for more complex creations. I will put links to both a beginners set, and a more advanced set on Amazon below!

Beginners Kit : HERE

Advanced Kit : HERE

Dry Shaking

When using egg whites in a cocktail you will always want to Dry Shake. This is a technique that was brought about in the mid 1900’s. Dry shaking means to shake your cocktail WITHOUT any ice. You will want to do this hard and fast. You are doing this to emulsify the egg whites and add air to the proteins. This will leave you with a frothy and light texture. Applying this technique leads to the iconic foamy top on a cocktail. After shaking with no ice you will then add ice and shake again to dilute. Dry shaking is very simple and it is a fun way to add another dimension to your drink! Try it for yourself and see your results!

*When making with vegan ingredients such as Aquafaba, you will still want to use the dry shake method! *

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