Clover Club

About the Clover Club

A raspberry tinted classic given a Florida update, the Clover Club combines Timber Creek Florida Gin with raspberry preserves, egg white, lemon juice, and simple syrup, shaken twice for a silky, rose colored sour with a full, pillowy foam on top. This cocktail dates back to early twentieth century Philadelphia and has become a modern bar staple precisely because the format is so adaptable, and using preserves instead of fresh raspberry puree or syrup gives it a slightly jammier, more concentrated berry flavor than some versions. The gin’s job here is to keep the drink from tasting purely like sweetened raspberry lemonade, and Timber Creek’s gin, built from a grain to glass base and redistilled with botanicals, brings enough juniper and citrus peel structure to cut through the fruit and preserve without disappearing into it.

To build it, combine the gin, a barspoon of raspberry preserves, an egg white, lemon juice, and simple syrup in a shaker without ice first and shake hard for ten to fifteen seconds to emulsify the egg white into a stable foam. Then add ice and shake again until well chilled, and double strain into a chilled coupe to catch any raspberry seeds left from the preserves. The result should be a smooth, rosy pink drink with a thick, almost meringue like foam cap that holds together for several minutes, a texture that is part of the whole appeal of egg white cocktails.

This is a good drink for guests who find straight gin sours too sharp, since the preserves and egg white round out the acidity considerably. It pairs naturally with a raspberry tart or a plate of macarons for a dessert course, and also works well alongside goat cheese or lemon cake if you are building a light spring spread. Given the drink’s approachable sweetness, it is easy to underestimate how much alcohol is in the glass, so pace yourself and enjoy it as one part of a well rounded evening.

A raspberry tinted classic given a Florida update, the Clover Club combines Timber Creek Florida Gin with raspberry preserves, egg white, lemon juice, and simple syrup, shaken twice for a silky, rose colored sour with a full, pillowy foam on top. This cocktail dates back to early twentieth century Philadelphia and has become a modern bar staple precisely because the format is so adaptable, and using preserves instead of fresh raspberry puree or syrup gives it a slightly jammier, more concentrated berry flavor than some versions. The gin’s job here is to keep the drink from tasting purely like sweetened raspberry lemonade, and Timber Creek’s gin, built from a grain to glass base and redistilled with botanicals, brings enough juniper and citrus peel structure to cut through the fruit and preserve without disappearing into it.

To build it, combine the gin, a barspoon of raspberry preserves, an egg white, lemon juice, and simple syrup in a shaker without ice first and shake hard for ten to fifteen seconds to emulsify the egg white into a stable foam. Then add ice and shake again until well chilled, and double strain into a chilled coupe to catch any raspberry seeds left from the preserves. The result should be a smooth, rosy pink drink with a thick, almost meringue like foam cap that holds together for several minutes, a texture that is part of the whole appeal of egg white cocktails.

This is a good drink for guests who find straight gin sours too sharp, since the preserves and egg white round out the acidity considerably. It pairs naturally with a raspberry tart or a plate of macarons for a dessert course, and also works well alongside goat cheese or lemon cake if you are building a light spring spread. Given the drink’s approachable sweetness, it is easy to underestimate how much alcohol is in the glass, so pace yourself and enjoy it as one part of a well rounded evening.