Clover Club Cocktail
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This clover club cocktail is a refreshing take on a sophisticated classic. It's vodka, dry vermouth, fresh raspberry syrup, and lemon juice shaken and served with a foamy top. With just a handful of ingredients and a few minutes, you can make this beautiful cocktail at home, too!
If you love raspberry-flavored drinks as much as we do, try our raspberry martini and coconut raspberry mojito jello shooters!
This clover club cocktail is classy, bright, and bursting with fresh raspberry flavor. While we're not necessarily all about hearts or frills, we do love celebrating and this clover club cocktail is the perfect pink drink for special occasions like Valentine's Day.
We make it with vodka, dry vermouth, our homemade raspberry syrup, and fresh lemon juice. Just shake it all together with cocktail foamer or an egg white and then strain it into martini glasses.
If you're new to using a cocktail foamer, it's a great alternative to messy raw egg white. It's also completely vegan. Just a couple of drops will give you that bubbly, frothy mouth feel we're after.
It's a luscious drink that's cheerful, festive, and goes down easily. You don't need many ingredients to make it, and everyone loves it!
Clover club cocktail history
The history of the clover club cocktail pre-dates the prohibition and can be traced back to the 1800s. It's named after a men's club of the same name; a group of lawyers, writers, and influential businessmen that convened at Philadelphia's Bellevue-Stratford hotel.
They are known to have enjoyed and popularized this drink which all but disappeared until it made a resurgence in 2008 when Julie Reiner opened a bar in Brooklyn and put it on the menu.
It's a beautiful shaken cocktail made traditionally with gin, lemon juice, raspberry syrup, and egg white which gives it its characteristic foamy head.
Clover club cocktail ingredients
This bright and flavorful clover club cocktail recipe is made with just a few ingredients. Here's what you need:
- Vodka ā a high-quality vodka will make a great clover club cocktail, but any sipping quality vodka works great. You can also use gin if you prefer, which is actually the spirit used in the classic version of this cocktail.
- Dry vermouth ā to make it dry and floral.
- Raspberry syrup ā we use our easy homemade raspberry simple syrup but a store-bought syrup works in a pinch.
- Lemon juice ā fresh lemon juice for a pop of brightness and acidity to balance out the sweetness.
- Cocktail foamer or an egg white ā to give this drink its characteristic foamy head. We've been enjoying using cocktail foamer because it's less messy and easy to use, but a classic raw egg white works great too!
- Fresh raspberries and lemon peel ā to serve.
How to make a clover club cocktail
The clover club cocktail might look fancy, but it's surprisingly simple to make. All you need to do is shake, shake, and strain. Here's how we make it in a few basic steps:
- Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker.
- Shake it well to work up the foam. You can also try the dry shake method without the ice, then add ice after and shake once more.
- Strain it into a martini glass and serve!
When to serve a clover club cocktail
The clover club cocktail is a sophisticated and refreshing drink you can enjoy anytime. It's the perfect pink drink for Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, or birthdays. Serve it to brighten up happy hour, as a beautiful welcome drink at dinner parties, or to add a special touch to occasions of all kinds!
Recipe FAQs
Can I use grenadine instead of raspberry syrup?
Yes, you can. Apparently, grenadine was used originally before they began using raspberry syrup. It will yield a sweeter cocktail with less raspberry flavor.
Can I make it ahead of time?
Because of its distinctive foamy top, this is a cocktail you want to serve immediately. You can still get all the ingredients ready, and make the raspberry syrup ahead of time, but wait until you're ready to serve it to shake it up.
How do I get that thick foamy top?
One way to get that thick foamy top is to dry shake your cocktail (without ice) first. Add the ice cubes after you get a nice white foam to chill it, then give it another shake.
What is cocktail foamer?
Cocktail foamer is an easy-to-use ingredient that gives cocktails a nice foam, without the mess of egg whites. A few drops gives this drink bubbles and the foamy head we're after. It's also good for vegans.
More classic cocktails
Clover Club Cocktail Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Ā½ ounces vodka
- Ā½ ounce dry vermouth
- Ā½ ounce raspberry syrup
- Ā½ ounce lemon juice
- Cocktail foamer or an egg white
- Raspberries and lemon peel (to serve)
Instructions
- Fill a cocktail shaker or jar halfway full with ice. Add the vodka, dry vermouth, raspberry syrup, lemon juice, and cocktail foamer or egg white.1 Ā½ ounces vodka, Ā½ ounce dry vermouth, Ā½ ounce raspberry syrup, Ā½ ounce lemon juice, Cocktail foamer or an egg white
- Put the lid on tightly and shake for 30 seconds to work up the foam.
- Strain into a martini glass and garnish with raspberries and a lemon peel.Raspberries and lemon peel
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
For more inspiration, check out all of our cocktail recipes!
