The Clover Club – an accessible, sophisticated cocktail that is fashionably late to the ‘ginaissance’ party
- Once vilified as one of the worst cocktails, the Clover Club has clawed its way back into fashion
- At La Rambla by Catalunya, aquafaba, or ‘water from chickpeas’ is used as an egg white substitute
Of the classic drinks revived by the “ginaissance”, the most prominent have been the dry martini, the G&T and the negroni. The Clover Club has come a little late to the party, but is gaining traction.
Although less well known, this cocktail, too, has passionate aficionados, among them John Nugent. Beverage director of La Rambla by Catalunya, in Central, Nugent believes the combination of accessibility and sophistication, with both fresh fruit flavour and a serious gin kick, make the Clover Club a great introduction to the world of gin cocktails.
“Some find the negroni or the dry martini a little too harsh for their palate,” he says. “The Clover Club has a sweetness and tartness that might be more appealing for people who may be new to cocktails.”
The club to which the drink owes its name no longer exists. It was a social association of influential businessmen who met at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel, in Philadelphia, in the United States, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
“Robert Hess [author of 2008’s The Essential Bartender’s Guide: How to Make Truly Great Cocktails] dated the Clover Club cocktail to 1910,” says Nugent. “It’s one of the classics that got a new lease of life thanks to people like New York bartender Julie Reiner. It’s great to see that come back and be made into a modern classic.”
