Classic Sour

Clover Club

Name: Clover Club
Total time: 2 min
Ingredients: 50 ml London Dry Gin; 25 ml Fresh Lemon Juice; 20 ml Raspberry Syrup; 20 ml FOAMY WHITES

The Clover Club is one of the great pre-Prohibition classics. Built on gin, fresh raspberry and lemon, it delivers a bright, elegant balance with a silky texture that has made it a favourite for more than a century. While visually refined, it demands precision to achieve the clean foam and vibrant acidity that define a properly made Clover Club.

Clover Club served in a coupe with a dense pale pink foam topped with a single fresh raspberry, photographed on a warm off-white surface.

Glass: Coupe
Ice: None
Difficulty: Easy
Technique: Single shake · Fine strain

Ingredients

50 mlLondon Dry Gin
25 mlFresh Lemon Juice
20 mlRaspberry Syrup
20 mlFOAMY WHITES

Method

01Fill a shaker with large, solid ice cubes.
02Add all ingredients.
03Shake hard for approximately 10–12 seconds.
04Fine strain into a chilled coupe glass.
05Garnish with one fresh raspberry.

Build

Glassware: Coupe
Ice: None
Garnish: One fresh raspberry
Technique: Single shake · Fine strain

Tasting notes

Bright
Elegant
Silky
Fresh Raspberry

Family: Sour

Origin

Era: Late 19th century
Place: Philadelphia, United States

The Clover Club takes its name from the Clover Club, a private gentlemen's club that met at Philadelphia's Bellevue-Stratford Hotel during the late nineteenth century. By the early twentieth century, the cocktail had become one of the defining gin classics of the pre-Prohibition era. Although its exact creator remains unknown, the Clover Club has endured as one of the finest examples of a fruit-driven sour and continues to appear on the menus of leading cocktail bars worldwide.

Bartender notes

Fresh raspberry syrup produces a cleaner and more vibrant cocktail than heavily processed alternatives. Balance is critical; excessive sweetness quickly masks the gin's botanical character.
Fine straining is recommended for this cocktail because raspberry seeds and fruit particles should not appear in the finished drink. Unlike a Whiskey Sour, fine straining here improves texture rather than simply removing small ice crystals.
Serve in a thoroughly chilled coupe glass to preserve both temperature and foam stability.

FOAMY WHITES Note

FOAMY WHITES creates the dense, silky foam expected from a classic Clover Club without using fresh egg white or requiring a dry shake. The result is a clean, stable foam that complements the cocktail's delicate fruit profile.