Clover Club Cocktail

The Clover Club collected a plethora of traditions over the course of its existence. Most have ended when the club disbanded, but one seems to have experienced a revival in recent years. The club’s signature cocktail, named after the club itself, is often closely associated with the Pink Lady, as their recipes are quite similar. The recipe varies according to source, sometimes including dry vermouth and/or grenadine. However, its staple ingredients are gin, raspberry syrup, lemon, and egg white. The finishing touch is a garnish of fresh raspberries. Even though the dining club that inspired the cocktail no longer exists, the Clover Club lives on as an official cocktail recognized by the International Bartenders Association (IBA). Its name has also been adopted in recent years by restauranteurs, including those based in Brooklyn, Dallas, and London. One restaurant of note is The Clover Club, a premiere cocktail bar in Brooklyn, NY. The bar pays homage to its namesake not only by including the classic cocktail on the menu but also by instilling a similar mission and atmosphere:

“Here at the new Clover Club, we’ve been striving to follow in those old-time Philadelphians’ footsteps since we opened back in 2008. We want you to drink and eat and, above all, talk, and we do our best to provide a place where you can enjoy such things to their fullest.”[1]

It seems only natural that a club built on good company and intellectual stimulation would somehow live on even as dining clubs grew out of fashion some time ago. As Deacon says in The Clover Club of Philadelphia, “Humor, wit, good-fellowship and hospitality are always on tap at the Clover Club meets” (102).

[1] Clover Club NY, https://cloverclubny.com/. Accessed on 24 February 2022.