Clover Club

This classic cocktail is well over a century old. It originated at Philadelphia’s Bellevue-Stratford Hotel – which was the meeting place for the men’s social group known as the Clover Club. It’s very similar to a Pink Lady, but without the Applejack. We have a Pink Lady variation on the blog – see our In the Pink cocktail where we replaced the gin with aquavit. Some Clover Club cocktail recipes call for grenadine (which is what is traditionally used for the Pink Lady), but most use raspberry simple syrup. We have a number of cocktails on our blog that call for raspberry syrup, so it’s an ingredient we make and keep on hand. Check out our Up North Raspberry and Rye or Raspberry Smash – or use the syrup in a Daiquiri. 

Back in October, the Cocktail Artist team took separate overnight trips. Beth (the team mixologist) was in New York City visiting our daughter – where she went out for drinks at the Dingle bar in Fraunces Tavern. This historic tavern has been operating since 1762 and, in addition to the bar, includes a dining room and a museum dedicated to American Revolutionary era history. The bar menu has a very extensive whisky and beer selection and a good array of cocktails. The bar is very comfortable, but the low light level makes it challenging (especially for those of us who wear reading glasses) to read the menu. So Beth just decided to go with a classic cocktail that we had never made at home – the Clover Club. It was thoroughly enjoyed even though gin is not Beth's spirit of choice. 

Upon returning home, we turned to our go-to cocktail reference book, The Waldorf Astoria Bar Book, for their Clover Club recipe. We then made a series of Clover Club cocktails using different gins. We also tried the drink with and without the dash of dry vermouth (an optional ingredient in the Waldorf Astoria recipe). It became clear that we didn’t need to use the dry vermouth if the gin was very dry, but the addition of the vermouth did add character to the drink. Before abandoning this project, we pulled out the bottle of St. George Spirits Raspberry Brandy that had been languishing in the back of the liquor cabinet and mixed up one more Clover Club (using the brandy to replace the vermouth). The St. George is a raspberry eau de vie is intensely aromatic and quite dry. It turned out to be a great addition to the cocktail and our favorite version in combination with Koval Dry Gin.  

Chris (the artist member of the team) was not at Fraunces Tavern. His trip (visiting relatives) took him to a historic inn in Milford, Pennsylvania – where he did a watercolor of the quaint downtown. While the painting doesn’t depict the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel or Fraunces Tavern, it does seem to suit our cocktail. So we’re using our artistic license, and have decided to pair it with our cocktail and make it a part of our Clover Club story.

Cheers!

Clover Club

2 ounces Dry Gin (Koval Dry Gin)

½ ounce Raspberry Brandy (St. George Spirits Raspberry Brandy)

½ ounce fresh lemon juice

½ ounce raspberry simple syrup (see recipe below)

1 egg white

Add egg white and simple syrup to a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously for 10 – 15 seconds (until frothy). Add ice cubes, gin, brandy, and lemon juice to the shaker and shake for an additional 10 seconds. Strain into a cocktail coupe and garnish with a fresh raspberry.

Raspberry Simple Syrup

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 cups fresh raspberries 

1 tablespoon vodka

Add water and sugar to saucepan on medium heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add berries and simmer for 5 minutes - breaking up berries with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and steep for 15 minutes, then strain through a fine mesh strainer - pressing on the fruit pulp.Cool to room temperature, add vodka (as a preservative) and funnel into a bottle. Keep refrigerated for up to 3 weeks.

Milford, PA - original watercolor by The Cocktail Artist