Tonight, it's the battle over the best Clover Club cocktail.
First up is the recipe I came across in "Contraband Cocktails: How America Drank When It Wasn't Supposed To" by Paul Dickson. In his recipe, he sites the use of Chambord, a raspberry (and expensive) liqueur. Imagine my surprise when a few months ago, David Lebovitz posted a similar recipe (and our second contender) on his blog but used homemade raspberry syrup instead of the Chambord.
To make life easier, I'm using the reverse dry shaker method for both cocktails. Technique wise, you'll shake both cocktails with ice for 25 secs. Remove the ice and shake agin for another 15-20 seconds to foam up the egg whites. Yes, I said egg white. If you are elderly or pregnant I would avoid the egg whites. Everyone else, between the gin and the lemon juice, any possible bacteria from the egg will be killed.
If you're making this cocktail in the summer I would suggest using fresh raspberries for the syrup. It's too early for us so we're relying on frozen unsweet raspberries tonight, which should be just as good.
Let's start the battle....
His Cocktail - Clover Club w/ Chambord (blue cocktail napkin)
1 1/2 oz Gin
3/4 oz Fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz Simple syrup
1/2 oz Chambord
1/2 large egg white
Place all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled two-thirds with ice. Shake vigorously for 25 seconds. Remove the ice with a slotted spoon. Cover and shake for another 20 seconds. Strain into a chilled coupe glass and garnish with a raspberry or two.
Her Cocktail - Clover Club w/ Raspberry syrup
1 1/2 oz Gin
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth
1/2 oz Fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz Raspberry syrup (see recipe below)
1/2 oz Egg white
Place all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled two-thirds with ice. Shake vigorously for 25 seconds. Remove the ice with a slotted spoon. Cover and shake for another 20 seconds. Strain into a chilled coupe glass and garnish with a raspberry or two.
Raspberry Syrup
Lightly mix 1/4 cup frozen/fresh raspberry in a bowl with 1/2 cup sugar. Add a 1/4 cup of warm (not hot) water to the mixture and let rest for 30 minutes. Occasionally stir the mixture and press with the back of a fork. Press the mixture through a fine strainer and chill until needed.
Final Verdict:
It was very close. They were both delicious but we feel that Her Cocktail - Clover Club w/ Raspberry Syrup from David Lebovitz was the the clear winner. The one made with Chambord was sweeter and had a strange bitterness on the finish. We both agreed that we would only be able to imbibe one of this particular cocktail. David's recipe had a subtle sweetness but a fresher, brighter taste thanks to the fresh/frozen raspberries. And as the wife pointed out, color wise, it was more attractive. In the end, it was the one we both kept going back to. Did you take the Clover Club challenge? Which one was your favorite?
Happy Drinking!