Clover Leaf Cocktail

1/3 Grenadine, 2/3 Gin, White of 1 Egg, Juice of 1/2 Lime. Shake well in cracked ice and strain, putting a mint leaf on top.

I mixed this with real grenadine (hereafter used to distinguish pomegranate-flavored grenadine syrups from the mysterious red glop that Rose's markets). The result was very agreeable, with a classy pale violet color and white foam on top. The flavor was good but quite sweet, and moderated by the egg white.




This drink is practically identical to the Clover Club, which I mixed with Rose's. The results are dramatically different.

Clover Club Cocktail

1/3 Grenadine, 2/3 Gin, White of 1 Egg, Juice of 1/2 Lime. Shake well with cracked ice, strain and serve.

Made with Rose's Grenadine, it looks disgusting, with an artificial red color topped by a pink foam, and the taste confirms what your eyes tell you. Made with real grenadine, the taste would be pleasant if you like sweet drinks with lots of fragrance and you're not put off by egg whites. The Clover Leaf I made with real grenadine was a very handsome drink, classy in an old-fashioned way and something I'd be proud to serve to a guest.

Grenadine Syrup

Grenadine: supposedly, historically, ostensibly, pomegranate syrup, from the French word for pomegranate, a reference to its resemblance to a grenade or bomb. In reality, a disgusting bright-red syrup marketed under the Rose's label that is used to make Roy Rogers and Shirley Temples and wreck otherwise perfectly reputable drinks like Zombies and Tequila Sunrises.

Do not buy this evil syrup. Just buy pomegranate juice in concentrate, combine it with sugar and a little lime juice over gentle heat, and bottle it. This was the recipe I used: 1 c. pomegranate juice (pure, from concentrate), 1/4 c. white refined sugar, 1 tsp. lime juice. It is very tasty, tart and sweet at the same time with a beautiful deep ruby color. The Clover Leaf Cocktail I made with it was startlingly pleasant, in contrast to the Clover Club (same drink, without the sprig of mint) made with Rose's, which tasted like Robitussin and gin.