| A Clover Club Cocktail made with Gin Lemon Juice and Grenadine. | |
| Type | Cocktail |
|---|---|
| Served | Straight up; without ice |
| Standard drinkware | Cocktail glass |
| Commonly used ingredients |
|
| Preparation | Dry shake ingredients to emulsify, add ice, shake and served straight up. |
The Clover Club Cocktail is a cocktail consisting of Gin, Lemon Juice, Raspberry Syrup (or Grenadine), and an Egg white. The Egg white is not added for the purpose of giving the drink flavor, but rather acts as an emulsifier. Thus when the drink is shaken a characteristic foamy head is formed.
Contents |
The Clover Club Cocktail is a drink that pre-dates Prohibition, and is named for the Philadelphia mens club of the same name, which met in the Bellevue-Stratford hotel.[1] It has a long history dating back to at least 1911, and was enjoyed by the captains of industry who were members of the famous club.[2] In its Heyday the drink was described by Jack Townsend as being enjoyed by the pre-prohibition gentleman who would have fit in with those of the club, and was a "Distinguished patron of the oak-paneled lounge."[3] However, by the time that Townsend was writing about the drink it was becoming unpopular, and was eventually all but forgotten.[3] The drink seems to have been forgotten partly due to the use of raw egg in the cocktail, which many people shy away from, and partly due to the complexity of its preparation (See Below).[4] Despite the use of what some may consider to be strange ingredients the cocktail is enjoyable, and has been described as tart with the added syrup giving the drink complexity, and the egg white providing body as well as a foamy head.[1][5]
The drink can be a complex one to make due to the extra steps involved to get the head of foam on top of the drink. Several sources recommend that the drink be "dry shaken" (shaken without ice) with one source suggesting this be done for at least a minute.[4][5] At this point Ice should be added to the shaker to chill the drink. There are several variations of this drink with the most common replacing the raspberry syrup with Grenadine or red currant syrup.[5]